AMERICAN EAGLE FOUNDATION

The American Eagle Foundation (AEF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to care for and protect the USA’ s living symbol of freedom, the Bald Eagle, and other birds of prey through the four pillars of Education, Re-population, Conservation and Rehabilitation.

The Foundation’s headquarters are located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in partnership with the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN.

In 1985, the American Eagle Foundation began as a dream from the kitchen table of Al Cecere, originally funded by coin containers held by volunteers in front of various Walmart stores located in Nashville, TN.

Cecere had come across an Associated Press article photo depicting 23 dead Bald Eagles that had been shot by poachers in the Dakotas. After finding out that Bald Eagles were on the brink of extinction in the lower 48 states, Cecere made the decision to dedicate his life and career to restoring the Bald Eagle to America’s lands, skies and waterways, and to build a “Nest-Egg” for their future care and protection.

In 1990, the AEF entered into a multi-year corporate partnership with the Dollywood Company and cooperated with them to design and develop the United States Eagle Center at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This facility would be used to conduct public environmental education, daily care of non-releasable birds of prey, raptor rehabilitation, and a Bald Eagle breeding/release program.

Today, the AEF has grown into an internationally recognized Bald Eagle conservation organization.

~EDUCATION~

The American Eagle Foundation is dedicated to educating the public about Bald Eagles, birds of prey, and the importance of preserving these species for future generations.

The AEF’s educational outreach ranges from the Wings of America Birds-of-Prey show at Dollywood, to educational programs at schools & veteran facilities across the United States, to appearances at professional and collegiate sporting events, conventions, trade shows and special events throughout the country. The organization has successfully performed over 25,000 “free-flight” birds of prey education programs since 1991 using non-releasable trained birds

Dollywood’s relationship with the AEF and its commitment to helping Eagles has spanned 25 years and still continues. The AEF’s Wings of America Bird of Prey show and Eagle Mountain Sanctuary has educated tens of millions of visitors from around the world about Bald Eagles and the importance of protecting and conserving the U.S.A’s living symbol of freedom.

Since 1995, the AEF’s famous non-releasable, trained free-flying Bald Eagle “Challenger” has made over 350 educational free-flight performances across the US and hundreds of educational school programs and other appearances.

The AEF conduct these programs and flights with the licensed permission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and various State fish and wildlife agencies.

The AEF’s Educational Bald Eagle Nest Cam Program has grown exponentially since its inception. These LIVE high-definition nest cams featuring captive and wild Bald Eagle nests in Tennessee, Washington DC, and Florida have captivated millions of viewers from around the globe.

We present our live video HD cams on several Bald Eagle nests, where adults and children can watch eagle families go about their daily activities while caring for their young. An online Chat is featured, whereby those watching the eagles can ask questions or share observations with others. This Chat is monitored by Moderators and Cam Operators—individuals immersed in eagle knowledge, who welcome and help inform those who visit. Our moderators also encourage teachers to set up a scheduled viewing time just for their class, so the students can ask all the questions they want in a friendly, welcoming environment.

Our viewers can, without disturbing one eagle, see the lives of these magnificent creatures unfold from the comfort of their classrooms, computer rooms – or even their mobile devices.

The DC Eagle Cam is the newest Cam project to date. In 2014, a pair of mated Bald Eagles chose the most idyllic of nest sites within the United States’ National Capital (Washington, DC), nestled high in a Tulip Poplar tree amongst the Azalea Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum, which is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since 1947. The two Eagles have been iconically named ‘Mr. President’ and ‘The First Lady.’

~REPOPULATION~

Since 1992, the AEF’s Captive-Breeding and Hacking programs have resulted in 145 young Bald Eagles being set free into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee from an artificial nesting tower. Most of these Eaglets have come from the AEF’s non-releasable Bald Eagle breeding pairs (who chose each other as mates in captivity), while the others have been transferred to the AEF from zoos, raptor facilities, and wild nests from around the country. The AEF has also released 11 Golden Eaglets into the wild, most of which were hatched by the AEF’s non-releasable Golden Eagle breeding pair.

~CONSERVATION~

The AEF cares for over 70 non-releasable raptors and other birds daily, including the world’s largest collection of non-releasable Bald Eagles who reside in Eagle Mountain Sanctuary. These birds are non-releasable due to permanent physical disabilities or human imprinting/socialization.

The AEF supports Bald Eagle conservation around the country by issuing nearly $100,000 in Bald Eagle Grants annually. Challenger the Bald Eagle has been a catalyst for spreading awareness about Bald Eagle conservation. Traveling coast to coast, Challenger inspires millions of Americans through live news broadcasts and free-flight demonstrations and appearances at major league sporting events, conventions, and schools.

~REHABILITATION~

The AEF receives anywhere from 10-50 injured or sick raptors annually for rehabilitation.

In addition to the treatment of injured, sick, and orphaned eagles, AEF’s Eagle rehabilitation qualification is an important factor to its successfully daily care of brooding Eagles, their young, and Eagles being hacked for release.

The American Eagle Foundation works closely with Dr. Mike Jones, DVM (who specializes in Raptor Biomedicine and Avian Emergency Medicine and Critical Care) and the UT College of Veterinary Medicine to ensure the health of the AEF’s resident raptors and also to successfully rehabilitate injured wild birds of prey.

UT College of Veterinary Medicine provides vital care birds of prey with life-threatening or vital injuries then transfers them to the AEF for daily care and rehabilitation.

The AEF has a quarantine facility for incoming raptors, a rehab facility for daily care, and a flight facility for Bald Eagles to rebuild their flight ability after rehabilitation.

Once an injured raptor completes its rehabilitation, it is released back into the wild, ideally close to where it was found. Raptors who have sustained injuries that render them incapable of survival in the wild are given a forever home at the AEF or another raptor facility.