executed in areas of scA'ere dama<>-e, 

 should uot unduly influence llie 

 ovei'all status of the species. Jie- 

 cause the birds tend to congrejiate. 

 esj)ecially in winter, in areas where 

 carrion is available, it would be to 

 the slieep rancher's own advantaae 

 to detei'niine whether the eagles on 

 his ranch are preyina' <mi li\e lambs 

 or on those that died from other 

 causes that })erhaps could be 

 remedied. 



10. On occasion, golden ea<iles 

 kill calves or may even contribute 

 to the death of full-fjrown cattle. 

 All evidence indicates tliat this is 

 an exceptional activity and the gen- 

 eral attitude of cattlemen intei'- 

 viewed (hiring this study lias not 

 been antagonistic to the eagle. 



11. Golden eagles occur in vary- 

 ing numbers on more than 65 Fed- 

 eral wildlife refuges where, in gen- 

 eral, they serve a beneficial purpose 

 in consuming wounded, sick, or dead 

 ducks an<l forage-consuming jack- 

 rabbits and rodents. On those 



areas where not detrimental, they 

 are given full protection. 



I'-i. The golden eagle may \aiyin 

 influence, depending on its liabitat, 

 from the one exti-eme where it may 

 be endangering tlie young of the 

 rare trumpeter swan to the oi)posite 

 exti'enie whei'e it may })e a conti'ibut- 

 ing factor in saving some rnncht'i- 

 appreciable forage which would l)c 

 eaten by jackrabbits. Its harmful 

 activities should not be allowed to 

 go unbridled. Neither should its 

 l)eneHcial influence be dissipated for 

 want of insight into the complex- 

 ities of present-day wildlife ])i-ob- 

 lems. In the final analysis of any 

 wildlife situation in which the 

 golden eagle is involved, its man- 

 agement calls for local ai)])raisal 

 combined with an impartial and 

 thorougli understanding of the 

 broader aspects of its infltience. 

 Let it not be forgotten that the 

 golden eagle will always be looked 

 u[)()n as a noble and ])riceless heri- 

 tage of our mountains and western 

 ])lains. 



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