Bald eagle sightings on rise in northern Nevada

Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999 | 2:52 a.m.

"I've seen about eight eagles at my place," said longtime rancher Arnold Settelmeyer, who lives in the northwest part of the valley south of Reno and west of U.S. 395.

He estimates there could be as many as 35 to 40 bald eagles in the valley this winter.

That would be a sharp increase in the Carson Valley from past years, state wildlife officials said.

As many as 30 to 40 bald eagles have been sighted during certain times of winter in the Lahontan Valley and Reservoir, said Larry Neel, a biologist for the Nevada Division of Wildlife.

A peak of 70 eagles were recorded at in the Lahontan Valley in the winter of 1986-87, Neel said.

State officials are looking, but so far they have no formal reports that the numbers in the Carson Valley are as large as Settelmeyer estimates. A roosting survey in January found only five eagles.

"We're certainly not aware of a time where there has been such a sizable number in the (Carson) valley," he told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe plans a snowshoe and cross-country ski expedition at South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on Saturday to observe eagle nesting habitat and look for the once-endangered birds near Taylor Creek.

Twelve bald eagles were confirmed in the Lake Tahoe basin in the most recent annual survey, up from seven last year and just two 20 years ago.

The Forest Service said the number of eagles using the Lake Tahoe basin as a winter foraging area is up significantly since the survey began in 1979.

Nine eagles were confirmed on the California side of the lake and three in Nevada during the most recent count Jan. 15, the agency said.