The Bald Eagle has been a powerful emblem for not hundreds but thousands of years: Long before it was adopted as the official emblem of the United States in 1782, the Bald Eagle was revered by many Indigenous peoples as sacred for its majesty and strength.

Despite their symbolic significance, Bald Eagles faced near extinction in the 1950s and 1960s due to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. In 1982, the MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) teamed up with Mass Audubon to launch a project to restore the Bald Eagle as a breeding bird in the Commonwealth. There are now more than 70 active Bald Eagle nests in the Bay State, and 2020 saw the first nesting effort on Cape Cod since 1905, a truly remarkable conservation success.

In honor of our national bird, you can learn more about Bald Eagles and enjoy these five photos from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. Happy 4th!