THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 
Roosevelt Road and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill., 60605 
Number 140 December 1966 
THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE 
By Raymond Mostek 
Protection for Birds of Prey — Exactly ten years ago, alerted by the Na- 
tional Audubon Society over the decline of our birds of prey, the Illinois 
Audubon Society sought support from state officials and conservation groups 
to obtain stronger legislation to protect hawks and owls. This effort resulted 
in amendments to the Illinois Game Code by the General Assembly in 1957 
and 1959. 
Although Congress adopted the Bald Eagle as our national emblem 
in the early days of the Republic, the bird received no legal protection 
for over 150 years. Not until 1940 did it become illegal to shoot the Bald 
Eagle in the United States, and only recently was the eagle bounty ended 
in Alaska. A vigorous effort by conservation forces now has given modest 
protection to the Golden Eagle. Hunting eagles from airplanes has finally 
been made illegal. However, an appeasement amendment permits a state 
governor to request the Secretary of the Interior to allow hunting of Golden 
Eagles from the ground. This amendment was offered by Sen. John Tower 
of Texas in behalf of western cattlemen and ranchers, and was adopted 
by Congress. 
The Illinois Audubon Society has sought to publicize the new state 
game code amendments. We have asked the governor for proclamations to 
advertise the new protection for our birds of prey; Terrence Ingram, Chair- 
man of the Hawk and Owl Protection Committee, has sent notices to all 
lew enforcement officers in 102 counties, asking for stronger observance of 
the law. The next step is to educate members of the judiciary, who have 
often been much too lax with offenders. I.A.S. members who hear of such 
lenient judges should notify our office. 
Education must follow agitation and legislation. The Board of Directors 
has recently embarked upon a strong educational program in the Mississippi 
River area, where great numbers of eagles are found in the winter. Elton 
Fawks of Moline and others will be placing new posters along the river, 
advising visitors that Bald Eagles are in a serious decline, that they are our 
national emblem, and that they are protected by federal and state laws. 
Our Press Secretary, Mr. R. M. Barron, has mailed a press release to 
200 Illinois communities describing the value and plight of our birds of 
prey. Thousands of publicity sheets will be distributed at the Flower Show 
at the Amphitheatre in Chicago in March, 1967. Several thousand post- 
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