The Rotary Club of The Woodlands was honored to have Gary Clark to talk about the Bald Eagles of East Texas. 
 
The Rotary Club of The Woodlands was honored to have Gary Clark to present a very entertaining talk about the Bald Eagles of East Texas. 
 
Mr. Clark is a professor at Lone Star College and published author.  He spoke to us about Bald Eagles in Texas and shared some fantastic photographs giving us a new perspective on this great American symbol. 
 
We learned a great deal about this beautiful bird:
  • It wasn't the first choice for the symbol of America
  • Typically grow to have a 8' wingspan
  • Can see 4x further than humans
  • In 1782 there were 100,000 or more Bald Eagles.  That decreased to 450 in 1967.  Loss of habitat, hunting and pesticides led to this decline.  Numbers are now estimated to be near 10,000 nesting pairs. 
 
There are 15 nesting pairs in the Houston area, with one right here in The Woodlands since 1999.