This week, the American Bald Eagle Foundation released a short film “trailer” to mark what would have been the 26th annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. The festival, which celebrates the congregation of thousands of eagles in the Chilkat Valley, had been scheduled to take place earlier this month. It was cancelled in June due to pandemic concerns.
On Wednesday, the American Bald Eagle Foundation released a short film “trailer” to mark what would have been the 26th annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. The video is available for viewing on the foundation’s website, Facebook page and Instagram.
Like most public events in 2020, this year’s Alaska Bald Eagle Festival was cancelled back in June due to COVID-19 concerns.
“We’ve been working to do something small in place of the festival, so we’re still keeping in contact with our supporters-people who wanted to come up for first time and the people who return every year,” said curator at the American Bald Eagle Foundation Katie Bard.
The two-minute video incorporates footage of eagles and the Chilkat Valley landscape, a “taster/reminder of what the festival is and what it’s about and how lucky we are to have this wonderful gathering of eagles and this rich ecosystem.”
The festival, which takes place annually in November, celebrates the congregating of thousands of bald eagles in the Chilkat Valley, a phenomenon that occurs as a result of the valley’s unique hydrology, which delays the freezing of the river and allows eagles to access late salmon runs.
Bard said in a normal year, the festival draws roughly 100 participants from across the globe, including some who return year after year. For those who return annually, the event is as much about the community as it is about the eagles.
“I’ve made some friends from several different states who I only see every year in November (at the festival),” said Indiana resident Marsha Taylor who’s attended the past nine festivals. “The people, the eagles, the scenery-it’s just, what else could you want?”
Taylor said she attended the festival the first time because she had always wanted to visit Alaska but couldn’t take time off in the summer. She read about the festival in a travel brochure. “We enjoyed it so much the first time, we went back again and again and again and again,” Taylor said, adding that she plans to return for the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival as soon as it’s up and running again.
Bard said she hopes the foundation will be able to run the festival safely next year.
In addition to the lack of festival attendees, this November Chilkat Valley eagle numbers have been down compared to past years, Bard said. She noted that this assessment is mostly based on anecdotal evidence as birds are difficult to count.
“There are lots of possibilities for why numbers are down,” she said. “Salmon runs in general have seemed to be lower this year. The winter came really fast here, which could play a factor.”
Bard said another possibility is climate change. “If the climate is warmer, it might mean salmon runs in other places are accessible later in the year where they might not have been in the past,” she said.
Over the past 20 years, the estimated number of eagles congregating in the valley in November has declined from 3,000-4,000 to 1,000-2,000, Bard said.