In the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, bald eagle populations nationally were collapsing. The poison DDT, widely used in cropdusting, was eventually determined to be the culprit. A retired man in Florida, Charles Broley, banded bald eagles throughout mid-century; his research was essential in establishing that the birds were in trouble. Barbara Walker from Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue joins us on this episode to discuss Broley's efforts to understand bald eagles.
Photo: National Audubon Society.
Craig Pittman is the award-winning author of Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, The Scent of Scandal, Cat Tale, Manatee Insanity and The State You’re In, and co-author of Paving Paradise. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him “the most destructive force on campus.” Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature.
