NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Bald eagles and osprey are no longer considered endangered species in New Jersey.
About 40 years ago, scientists determined the pesticide DDT, developed in the 1940s, reduced the bald eagle population to one nest in Cumberland County and brought osprey nests down to about 50.
Kathy Clark with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says efforts to reverse these trends included removing eggs that would not hatch, having them artificially incubated and fostering the chicks back to that nest.
“And you do that by giving them fake eggs so they don’t leave,” she said.
After that, they imported some bald eagles from Canada to accelerate the rebound.
And the efforts worked. As of 2023, there are about 267 bald eagle and 800 osprey nests.
Dave Golden, also with the department, says this is a happy occasion, noting the increase in population has reached a point where they no longer see a need for the birds to be listed as endangered or threatened. New Jersey officials are proposing to remove them from that list.