The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service are once again canceling Yankton’s annual Bald Eagle Days.
Corps of Engineers Park Ranger Karla Zeutenhorst says the event is canceled out of caution for the health and safety for all staff and park visitors.
Zeutenhorst says however, this year there is an amazing opportunity to see one of the largest migrations of bald eagles to the Gavins Point Dam area ever. She says some people have reported seeing nearly one hundred eagles within a mile of the dam along the Missouri River in the last couple weeks.
If you do come to the area of Gavins Point Dam to see the eagles, please remember to keep your distance. Bald eagles are very sensitive to human disturbance and will likely fly away if you get too close. Causing them to fly can make them loose their food which is already scarce in the winter months. The best time to see eagles below the dam is early morning when they are the most active.
In the past years, the annual Bald Eagle Day program has attracted up to one thousand people each day. Bald Eagle Days are usually held on the last weekend in January.
