Mr. Mann included his art of an eagle in the area of the power lines near the Route 202 toll bridge at New Hope.
Editor’s note: This letter was directed to organizers of fireworks on the Delaware River on July 1, in the period baby eaglets are nearly ready to fledge.
I hope that you are taking our magnificent “Tower Eagles“ into consideration as you plan a fireworks schedule. Last year the fireworks were pushed back to around three weeks after the 4th of July. That worked out great as the tower eaglet fledged (learned to fly) a week or so before, and was able to fly away with the adults when the fireworks show went off. They did not return to the tower for about a week or so after the fireworks.
The eaglet probably would have survived if the show had gone off as originally planned, but would have been hugely stressed and the lives of the eagles is already tenuous enough.
We need to ask: What should we, the people of this beautiful river region, be most proud about — having a nice but not uncommon 4th of July fireworks show or having America’s greatest living symbol, the bald eagle, thrive right within our towns?
We can have both eagles and fireworks with just a little care and consideration for the living monuments with which we have been blessed.
Mike Mann
Stockton
