III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 553 

Designating June 20, 2018, as ‘‘American Eagle Day’’ and celebrating the 

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

United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 20, 2018 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. BOOKER, Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. 

CORKER, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. MANCHIN, and Mr. UDALL) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating June 20, 2018, as ‘‘American Eagle Day’’ and 

celebrating the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, 

the national symbol of the United States. 

Whereas the bald eagle was chosen as the central image of 

the Great Seal of the United States on June 20, 1782, 

by the Founding Fathers at the Congress of the Confederation; 

Whereas the bald eagle is widely known as the living national 

symbol of the United States and for many generations 

has represented values, such as— 

(1) freedom; 

(2) democracy; 

(3) courage; 

(4) strength; 


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(5) spirit; 

(6) independence; 

(7) justice; and 

(8) excellence; 

Whereas the bald eagle is unique to North America and cannot be found naturally in any other part of the world, 

which was one of the primary reasons the Founding Fathers selected the bald eagle to symbolize the Government 

of the United States; 

Whereas the bald eagle is the central image used in the official logos of many branches and departments of the Federal Government, including— 

(1) the Executive Office of the President; 

(2) Congress; 

(3) the Supreme Court of the United States; 

(4) the Department of Defense; 

(5) the Department of the Treasury; 

(6) the Department of Justice; 

(7) the Department of State; 

(8) the Department of Commerce; 

(9) the Department of Homeland Security; 

(10) the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

(11) the Department of Labor; 

(12) the Department of Health and Human Services; 

(13) the Department of Energy; 

(14) the Department of Housing and Urban Development; 

(15) the Central Intelligence Agency; and 

(16) the United States Postal Service; 

Whereas the bald eagle is an inspiring symbol of the spirit 

of freedom and the sovereignty of the United States; 


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Whereas the image and symbolism of the bald eagle has— 

(1) played a significant role in art, music, literature, 

architecture, commerce, education, and culture in the 

United States; and 

(2) appeared on United States stamps, currency, 

and coinage; 

Whereas the bald eagle was endangered and facing possible 

extinction in the lower 48 States but has made a gradual 

and encouraging comeback to the land, waterways, and 

skies of the United States; 

Whereas the dramatic recovery of the national bird of the 

United States is an endangered species success story and 

an inspirational example to other environmental, natural 

resource, and wildlife conservation efforts worldwide; 

Whereas, in 1940, noting that the bald eagle was threatened 

with extinction, Congress passed the Act of June 8, 1940 

(commonly known as the ‘‘Bald Eagle Protection Act’’) 

(16 U.S.C. 668 et seq.), which prohibited killing, selling, 

or possessing the species, and a 1962 amendment expanded protection to the golden eagle; 

Whereas, by 1963, there were only an estimated 417 nesting 

pairs of bald eagles remaining in the lower 48 States, 

with loss of habitat, poaching, and the use of pesticides 

and other environmental contaminants contributing to 

the near demise of the national bird of the United States; 

Whereas, in 1967, the bald eagle was officially declared an 

endangered species under Public Law 89–669 (80 Stat. 

926) (commonly known as the ‘‘Endangered Species 

Preservation Act of 1966’’) in areas in the United States 

south of the 40th parallel due to the dramatic decline in 

the population of the bald eagle in the lower 48 States; 


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Whereas the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.) was enacted in 1973, and in 1978, the bald 

eagle was listed as an endangered species throughout the 

lower 48 States, except in the States of Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, in which the 

bald eagle was listed as a threatened species; 

Whereas, in July 1995, the United States Fish and Wildlife 

Service announced that in the lower 48 States, the bald 

eagle had recovered sufficiently to change the status of 

the species from endangered to threatened; 

Whereas, by 2007, bald eagles residing in the lower 48 States 

had rebounded to approximately 11,000 pairs; 

Whereas, on June 28, 2007, the Secretary the Interior and 

the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

but the bald eagle continues to be protected under the 

Act of June 8, 1940 (commonly known as the ‘‘Bald and 

Golden Eagle Protection Act’’) (16 U.S.C. 668 et seq.), 

the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), 

section 42 of title 18, United States Code (commonly 

known as the ‘‘Lacey Act’’), and the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.); 

Whereas Challenger, the trained, educational bald eagle of 

the American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, was invited by the Secretary of the Interior to 

perform a free-flight demonstration during the official 

bald eagle delisting ceremony held at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, District of Columbia; 

Whereas experts and population growth charts estimate that 

the bald eagle population could reach 15,000 pairs, even 


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though a physical count has not been conducted by State 

and Federal wildlife agencies since 2007; 

Whereas caring and concerned agencies, corporations, organizations, and people of the United States representing 

Federal and State governments and the private sector 

passionately and resourcefully banded together, determined to save and protect the national bird of the United 

States; 

Whereas the recovery of the bald eagle population in the 

United States was largely accomplished through— 

(1) the dedicated and vigilant efforts of Federal and 

State wildlife agencies and nonprofit organizations, such 

as the American Eagle Foundation; 

(2) public education; 

(3) captive breeding and release programs; 

(4) hacking and release programs; and 

(5) the translocation of bald eagles from places in 

the United States with dense bald eagle populations to 

suitable locations in the lower 48 States that had suffered a decrease in bald eagle populations; 

Whereas various nonprofit organizations, such as the Southeastern Raptor Center at Auburn University in the State 

of Alabama, contribute to the continuing recovery of the 

bald eagle through rehabilitation and educational efforts; 

Whereas the bald eagle might have been lost permanently if 

not for dedicated conservation efforts and strict protection laws such as— 

(1) the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.); 

(2) the Act of June 8, 1940 (commonly known as 

the ‘‘Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act’’) (16 U.S.C. 

668 et seq.) ; 


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(3) the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 

et seq.); 

(4) section 42 of title 18, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Lacey Act’’); and 

(5) the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 

3371 et seq.); 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 numbers and habitat of the bald eagle remain healthy and secure for generations to come: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates June 20, 2018, as ‘‘American 

3 Eagle Day’’; 

4 (2) applauds the issuance of bald eagle com5 memorative coins by the Secretary of the Treasury 

6 to generate critical funds for the protection of the 

7 bald eagle; and 

8 (3) encourages— 

9 (A) educational entities, organizations, 

10 businesses, conservation groups, and govern11 ment agencies with a shared interest in con12 serving endangered species to collaborate and 

13 develop educational tools for use in the public 

14 schools of the United States; and 


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1 (B) the people of the United States to ob2 serve American Eagle Day with appropriate 

3 ceremonies and other activities. 

Æ 


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