The section of Whitewater River flowing through Hamilton County was recently named one of the three cleanest rivers in Ohio.  The clean water has apparently attracted five bald eagles that have been seen near the county’s first confirmed bald eagle nest, discovered near the river in Harrison Township. Two adults and three immature eagles were seen Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, by the bird enthusiast who spotted the nest in January, said Josh Zientek, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) wildlife officer for Hamilton County.  It is possible the three juveniles may be from a brood hatched in the nest last year, said Zientek.  The nest is about the size of half a pickup truck bed and is believed to be at least two years old, he said.

Eagles were removed from the U.S. Department of the Interior endangered species list in 2007 but are still considered a protected species.  A fine up to $10,000 and six months in jail will be imposed if nesting eagles are disturbed, said ODNR Wildlife Management Supervisor Dave Kohler. 
“Eagles will not tolerate any type of disturbance near the nest site,” he said.  “Once eaglets hatch, the adults cannot leave the nest.  If birds are scared off the nest, that nest will fail.”
Eagles in this region usually lay eggs in late February or early March, said Zientek.  Eagle eggs take 35 days to incubate and another 12 weeks before fledglings are ready to leave the nest.
Eagles usually lay one to three eggs each year but not all fledglings survive to adulthood, said Kohler.  If the three juvenile birds spotted recently came from the same brood, the abundance of food and lack of competition in this area probably contributed to their survival, he said. “Since they have this section of the river to themselves, it wouldn’t be unusual to see three survive,” said Kohler.

ODNR representatives met with Dave and Sharon Lutz, owners of Green Acres canoe livery, 10465 Suspension Bridge Road, Whitewater Township, to discuss whether canoeists might disturb the nesting eagles.  The Lutz’s were named stewards of the section of river in Ohio by Rivers Unlimited, a volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining and restoring Ohio rivers.  Sharon Lutz said that almost every day last year, canoeists would return to the livery with reports of bald eagle sightings.  She and her husband were concerned that the nest is close enough to the river to be disturbed by canoeists this spring.
The Lutz’s were reassured that by the time canoeists are using the river, the nest will be hidden by vegetation and there will be no danger to fledglings, said Sharon Lutz.
“By the time canoe rental season opens, we won’t be a concern,” she said.

Four years ago, just one nest was known to be located in the 17 counties of southwestern Ohio, said Kohler.  Since then, three others have been found in the region and three new nests, including the one in Harrison Township have been reported in the last month, said Kohler.  The other new nests are in Butler County, just north of Ross on the Great Miami River, and in Montgomery County, he said.
In 1979, just four eagle pairs were known to live in Ohio.  As of a 2008 ODNR report, 184 nests were recorded in the state.  Most nests are located near Lake Erie but the number of nests reported inland is increasing.  The total number of eagles in Ohio has steadily increased for 21 consecutive years, said Kohler.
“Thirty years ago, there was just four pair in the entire state,” said Kohler.  “When you put it in that perspective, the population growth is remarkable.”
Eagles are probably attracted to this area because of the high water quality and abundance of fish in the Whitewater River, said Zientek. “We’ve been seeing quite a few in this area since early fall,” he said.  “When you have eagles in the area, it’s a good indicator of the upward turn of a healthy ecosystem.”

According to the recently-released 2009 Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) water quality report, the eight-mile stretch of Whitewater River located in Ohio has been named one of three cleanest of the state’s 23 large rivers.  The other two rivers named are the Mohican and Tuscarawas rivers.
OEPA scores rivers based on water quality and presence of fish and other aquatic wildlife.  The Whitewater River contains 65 species of fish.  According to the Index of Biological Integrity, the river achieved an Exceptional quality status, an improvement over a status of Good achieved in 1996 and 1995.

Article by: Tina Emmick, Harrison Press