III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 146 

Designating June 20, 2007, as ‘‘American Eagle Day’’, and celebrating the 

recovery and restoration of the American bald eagle, the national symbol 

of the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 12, 2007 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. BYRD, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 

ALLARD, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. CORKER, and Mrs. BOXER) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating June 20, 2007, as ‘‘American Eagle Day’’, and 

celebrating the recovery and restoration of the American 

bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States. 

Whereas, the bald eagle was designated as the national emblem of the United States on June 20, 1782, by our 

country’s Founding Fathers at the Second Continental 

Congress; 

Whereas, the bald eagle is the central image used in the 

Great Seal of the United States and the seals of the 

President and Vice President; 

Whereas, the image of the bald eagle is displayed in the official seal of many branches and departments of the Federal Government, including— 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 146 IS 

(1) Congress; 

(2) the Supreme Court; 

(3) the Department of Defense; 

(4) the Department of the Treasury; 

(5) the Department of Justice; 

(6) the Department of State; 

(7) the Department of Commerce; 

(8) the Department of Homeland Security; 

(9) the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

(10) the Department of Labor; 

(11) the Department of Health and Human Services; 

(12) the Department of Energy; 

(13) the Department of Housing and Urban Development; 

(14) the Central Intelligence Agency; and 

(15) the United States Postal Service; 

Whereas, the bald eagle is an inspiring symbol of the American spirit of freedom and democracy; 

Whereas, the image, meaning, and symbolism of the bald 

eagle have played a significant role in American art, 

music, history, literature, architecture, and culture since 

the founding of our Nation; 

Whereas, the bald eagle is featured prominently on United 

States stamps, currency, and coinage; 

Whereas, the habitat of bald eagles exists only in North 

America; 

Whereas, by 1963, the number of nesting pairs of bald eagles 

in the lower 48 States had dropped to about 417; 

Whereas, the bald eagle was first listed as an endangered 

species in 1967 under the Endangered Species PreservaVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:10 Apr 13, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR146.IS SR146

jlentini on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 146 IS 

tion Act, the Federal law that preceded the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973; 

Whereas, caring and concerned citizens of the United States 

in the private and public sectors banded together to save, 

and help ensure the protection of, bald eagles; 

Whereas, in 1995, as a result of the efforts of those caring 

and concerned citizens, bald eagles were removed from 

the ‘‘endangered’’ species list and upgraded to the less 

imperiled ‘‘threatened’’ status under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973; 

Whereas, by 2006, the number of bald eagles in the lower 48 

States had increased to approximately 7,000 to 8,000 

nesting pairs; 

Whereas, the administration is likely to officially delist the 

bald eagle from both the ‘‘endangered’’ and ‘‘threatened’’ 

species lists under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 

with a final decision expected no later than June 29, 

2007; 

Whereas, if delisted under the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, bald eagles should be provided strong protection 

under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the 

Migratory Bird Treaty Act; 

Whereas, bald eagles would have been permanently extinct if 

not for vigilant conservation efforts of concerned citizens 

and strict protection laws; 

Whereas, the dramatic recovery of the bald eagle population 

is an endangered species success story and an inspirational example for other wildlife and natural resource 

conservation efforts around the world; 

Whereas, the initial recovery of the bald eagle population was 

accomplished by the concerted efforts of numerous govVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:10 Apr 13, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR146.IS SR146

jlentini on PROD1PC65 with BILLS
4 

•SRES 146 IS 

ernment agencies, corporations, organizations, and individuals; and 

Whereas, the sustained recovery of the bald eagle population 

will require the continuation of recovery, management, 

education, and public awareness programs, to ensure that 

the population and habitat of bald eagles will remain 

healthy and secure for future generations: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates June 20, 2007, as ‘‘American 

3 Eagle Day’’; and 

4 (2) encourages— 

5 (A) educational entities, organizations, 

6 businesses, conservation groups, and govern7 ment agencies with a shared interest in con8 serving endangered species to collaborate on 

9 education information for use in schools; and 

10 (B) the people of the United States to ob11 serve American Eagle Day with appropriate 

12 ceremonies and other activities. 

Æ 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with BILLS