camp ripley and arden hills minnesota army national guard training ...

Bald eagles are closely monitored at Camp Ripley (Dirks et al. 2009). Since 1991, between
two and six nests have been active within Camp Ripley, fledging from one to nine young annually
(Table 9). The bald eagle nesting season in 2009 was not as productive as 2007 or 2008. Bald eagle
pairs were found on four of eight nests
throughout Camp Ripley (Figure 28). The
Yalu, North Range, and Mud Lake nests were
confirmed active and the North Range nest
had two young fledge, the other active nest‟s
success is unknown. The Lake Alott and
Tamarck Lake nests were confirmed inactive.
The Rest Area 3 nest was inactive; however,
an injured adult bald eagle was recovered in
March 2009 within 100 yards of the nest.
This bald eagle was transported to Wild and
Free wildlife rehabilitation center in Garrison
but was euthanized due to its injuries. The
status of the Prentice Pond 2 nest was
unknown due to military training preventing
access to the area.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife permit
(MB217435-0) for the North Range eagle
nest was received on June 11, 2009. This
permit is a “bald eagle take exempted under
Endangered Species Act” permit. The permit
provides for incidental take as it relates to
disturbance during the construction of the
Urban Assault Course on Camp Ripley. The
permit expires on December 31, 2012.
Table 9. Bald eagle nests and fledglings at Camp
Ripley, 1991-2009.
In 2008, the East Boundary Road nest was active in the spring but the nest fell down and the
pair began to build a new nest approximately 200 meters south of the original nest. No further
construction occurred on this new nest during 2009. However, one new eagle nest was discovered
along Chorwan Road approximately 400 yards northwest of the old East Boundary nest. No breeding
activity occurred on the nest in 2009.
Three eagle nests within one mile of the Camp Ripley boundary are also monitored. Two of
the nests were occupied in 2009, one nest was active but unsuccessful and the other nest fledged one
chick. The third nest directly south of Camp Ripley was inactive.
Page 45
Year
Number of
Active Nests
Number of
Young Fledged
1991-1992 4 ?
1993 2 4
1994 3 5
1995 3 4
1996 3 4
1997 3 6
1998 2 4
1999 3 3
2000 4 8
2001 4 8
2002 2 1
2003 3 4
2004 3 4
2005 5 5
2006 6 1+?*
2007 5 9
2008 5 5
2009 4 2*
* Active nests not checked for nest success due to
military training.
2009 Conservation Program Report