Join Salem’s Eagle Monitoring Team! A two-part training will start January 31.

The first part starts with the technical side of the process on Tuesday, January 31, in Loucks Auditorium from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Volunteers will learn:

• Information about bald eagles, their nesting patterns, and nesting timeline.
• Learn where our eagle nests are located and the best locations for viewing them.
• How to sign up for observation periods, equipment needs, and time commitment. 
• How to answer the questions in the field questionnaire based on your observations of the nest and eagle activity.
• How to use Survey123 on your personal cellular device or desktop computer to submit your observations.

The second part of the training will be on-site at Minto Brown Island Park on Saturday, February 4, from 10 a.m. to noon, starting in Parking Lot 3. Volunteers will visit several observation stations and practice monitoring the Minto Brown Eagle Nest. Bring good walking shoes, a rain jacket, binoculars or a spotting scope, and anything else you need to be comfortable walking and standing outdoors for two hours.

Volunteers will have an opportunity to monitor two nests this year In addition to the Minto-Brown Eagle Nest, a nest on Audubon property across from Riverfront Park is also included this year.

Monitoring started as a way to learn about the nesting pair at Minto Brown Island Park in order to determine how best to balance the needs of the bald eagle pair with recreation and park management needs.