Paid my dollar. Did my part.
It was around 1970, and I was a student at Josephine Hintgen Elementary School. It was the beginning of the school year, and a publication showed up. I don’t remember what it was called, but I do remember that the teachers all seemed a bit surprised and perplexed by it.
In this magazine, there was an article about the Bald Eagle, which at that time was highly endangered and approaching extinction. For a dollar, we could become charter members of the “Eagle Protection Society.” A bunch of us did that, and like the others, I got the membership card by mail. There is nothing cooler for a 9-10 year old kid than to get real mail.
Yesterday, I was driving home from a stop at the hardware store, and I was just past the church we’re part of. Ahead of me, on the road, I see wings. Big wings. And I watched as an eagle dragged roadkill off to the side of the road for lunch. It looked like it was maybe a 10-point buck. (Just kidding). Based on its size and color, it was probably a muskrat.
So this eagle dragged its lunch to the side of the road, and then perched there for several seconds before partaking of the bounties set before it. There were very few cars on the road, and we all drove by very slowly: Gawker’s slowdown.
A lot has changed in the past 40 years or so. I can tell you I never saw an eagle in my childhood. There were rare times that someone would say “look–an eagle,” but to me it looked like a fleck of black high above in the clear blue sky. In the past 15 years, I have seen many eagles, some from only a few feet away.
Two thoughts, here. First, if you get near the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, stop in for a visit. It is definitely worth the trip (Bonus–You are not far from Lark Toys–so stop there, too). Second, I just wanted you to know that I did my part in protecting the eagles, and I’d say I got a pretty good deal for my dollar.
I sent that dollar in, along with every ounce of my childhood enthusiasm and idealism. You know that’s true because I still remember it all these years later. I don’t know if the Eagle Protection Society was ever a real organization or not, but I do know this: I did my part. And to all Americans, I just want to say, “You’re Welcome.”