Wintering Bald Eagle Population Sites
This indicator addresses the protection of wintering bald eagle habitat in the Tahoe Region. To assess this indicator, the population of the wintering bald eagle population is used as a surrogate measure of wintering habitat. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is the national symbol and an iconic species that is exceptionally important to the public. Many bald eagles wintering in the Tahoe Region migrate from other breeding areas. Their winter abundance in the Tahoe Region can be influenced by a variety of factors including availability of food, intensity of recreational acitivies nearby, and factors in their home breeding areas. Regional programs such as prohibiting snowmobile use in winter habitat areas aim to protect wintering bald eagles in the Tahoe Region. The annual winter bald eagle survey measures the total number of bald eagles observed throughout the Tahoe Region on a single day during the winter months.
Status
Total number of bald eagles detected during annual winter bald eagle surveys throughout the Tahoe Basin from 1998 through 2019.
Evaluation Map
Areas designated by TRPA for the protection of wintering bald eagle populations in the Tahoe Basin.
2019 Evaluation
- Status
- Considerably Better Than Target
- Trend
- Rapid Improvement
- Confidence
- High
Applicable Standard
W3: Provide a minimum of 2 Bald Eagle (Winter) population sites.
W10: Provide disturbance zones and influence zones for Bald Eagle (Winter).
Key Points
- The wintering bald eagle population in Lake Tahoe has increased substantially since monitoring began in the 1990's, and wintering populations are well above the threshold target.
- Actions to protect the main over-wintering areas in the Basin for bald eagles have been taken such as prohibiting snowmobiles in the Taylor-Tallac marsh complex.
- The disturbance zone standard for bald eagle has been implemented by TRPA and other partner agencies.
Delivering and Measuring Success
Monitoring Programs