Parts of Tonto National Forest closed through June to protect bald eagles
Dec 4, 2018, 4:27 AM
(AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
(AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
PHOENIX — Since Dec. 1, parts of the Tonto National Forest have been closed to the public in an effort to protect bald eagles.
The closures, which will last through June 30, are meant to leave bald eagles undisturbed during their reproductive period.
The closed areas include:
• Goldfield on the Mesa Ranger District
• Lower Verde and Cliff on Cave Creek Ranger District
• Seventy-Six, Armer, Bachelor, Pinto, and Tonto on the Tonto Basin Ranger District
Bald eagles almost went extinct decades ago, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but they were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007 after conservation efforts led their population to rebound.
According to the forest’s website, it has been restricting access to bald eagle breeding grounds since the species was listed as endangered in 1967.
