07/04/07 The National Symbol

The National Symbol. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. The Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our independence. It's a time for Americans to stand proud and pay tribute to those people that put it all on the line to make this country the free place it is to live in and to honor the symbols of that freedom. One of those symbols has just been pulled back from the precipice of destruction. The Bald Eagle will shortly have its name pulled from the endangered species list. KEMPTHORNE: After years of careful study, public comment, and planning, the Department of the Interior and the Fish and Wildlife Service are confident in the future security of the American Bald Eagle. From this point forward, we will work to ensure that the eagle never again needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act. That's Interior Secretary, Dirk Kempthorne. In a ceremony last week on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, Kempthorne announced the removal of the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species. I've always been an admirer of Benjamin Franklin and have tried to put a lot of his wisdom into practice in my own life. But one thing old Ben tried to do makes me shudder and that was to try and get the turkey as our national symbol. The Bald Eagle became the National emblem in 1782 when the great seal of the United States was adopted. Secretary Kempthorne, just before signing the final delisting rule had this to say. KEMPTHORNE: Today we mark the return of America's bald eagle to the skies, and celebrate the fact that eagles fly free from sea to shining sea. Only 40 years ago there were but 400 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. Today, that number has swelled to nearly 10-thousand pair. President Bush in a prepared statement said quote: This great conservation achievement means more and more Americans across the Nation will enjoy the thrill of seeing bald eagles soar. What a wonderful way to celebrate this Fourth of July. Alfred Tennyson wrote a poem simply titled, "The Eagle." He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ring'd with the azure world, he stands. The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls. Welcome back& That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.