Wednesday, February 25, 2004

By Dorinda Daniel
Capital Journal

Charlene Bessken wrote the book, “Eagles for Kids,” while she lived in Wisconsin. She now lives in Pierre and works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She will be at Bald Eagle Awareness Days programs on Friday night and Saturday. Programs about bald eagles and other birds of prey will be presented by The Raptor Center at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the center court of the Pierre Mall and at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Amphitheater II at the Ramkota. Entries in a bald eagle poster contest will be displayed at the mall and/or the Ramkota, and an open house will take place from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Oahe Wildlife Center as part of Bald Eagle Awareness Days activities.

A Pierre woman has written the book on bald eagles.

Charlene Bessken is the author of “Eagles for Kids.”

“It’s interesting for kids to look at. It’s a coffee-table book for kids,” Bessken said.

Young people and not-so-young people will learn why bald eagles acquired the name bald, what they eat, where they live and other facts about the birds; learn the meaning of words such as raptors and aeries that are associated with bald eagles; and see photographs of bald eagles.

Bessken works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Pierre and is a member of the Bald Eagle Awareness Days committee that coordinates programs this week in Sioux Falls and Pierre meant to increase people’s awareness of bald eagles.

Bessken’s interest in the bird that is the national symbol was sparked when she took biology courses in college. She has a degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I think part was they were struggling to come back or stay alive. People were shooting them and poisoning them. DDT was still a problem. That made it interesting – there were so many problems there,” Bessken said.

As a non-game biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bessken worked with bald eagles, ospreys and peregrine falcons. She coordinated statewide efforts to protect and reintroduce these endangered species.

“I probably first started working with eagles in 1982. I tried to learn everything I could about them,” Bessken said.

She convinced volunteers in Wisconsin to look for eagles and report what they saw.

She started eagle watching days because she wanted the people to learn about eagles.

“Probably the most fun I had was when we had our eagle watching days. When people would see eagles for the first time, their eyes would get big. They’d say, ‘Wow! They’re huge!’” Bessken said.

During one of the eagle watching days, a book publishing company displayed books and videos from its series about birds. Bessken suggested that a book on eagles be included in the series, and was given permission to write it. The result was “Eagles for Kids,” published in 1991.

“What I found fascinating about eagles is they are a big bird (they can have a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet), that they don’t get their white head and white tail until they are 4 or 5 years old, and that they can only be found in North America – no place else in the world,” Bessken said.

The need to educate people about bald eagles still exists.

“Eagles still get shot. Some people call them chicken hawks,” Bessken said.

It is illegal to shoot bald eagles.

A pair of bald eagles is trying to nest on La Framboise Island.

“If people see nesting eagles, they should stay back 300 yards. They should give them space,” Bessken said.

If people see a bald eagle’s nest on private land, they should call USFWS at 224-8693.

“We like to keep track of where they are,” Bessken said.

During Bald Eagle Awareness Days activities in Pierre on Friday and Saturday, young people and adults will have the opportunity to see and learn first-hand about eagles and other birds of prey.

Educators from The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota will present a birds of prey program to the public at the Pierre Mall beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The programs will also be presented at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at Amphitheater II at the Ramkota.

Special activities for children are planned during the programs at the Ramkota.

Oahe Wildlife Center will have an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. The center cares for injured raptors and is located next to the Missouri River Fisheries Center off S.D. Highway 1806 near Oahe Dam.

Bessken will be at the birds of prey shows at the Pierre Mall and at the Ramkota.

Although out of print now, hard-cover and and soft-cover editions of “Eagles for Kids” are available from Bessken. People may call her at work at 224-8693 ext. 31 to order a copy of the book.