EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Eagles and hawks perched on power poles
more likely to be shot than electrocuted,
according to study
PENDLETON Ore.-
New research from wild-
life biologists shows that
poachers play a bigger role
in the deaths of eagles,
hawks, and other birds of
prey in the West than pre-
viously thought.
Volunteers at the Blue
Mountain Wildlife Center in
Pendleton got a close look
recently at how gunshots
can go unnoticed. When a
volunteer brought in an in-
jured red-tailed hawk, staff
members thought the raptor
had been electrocuted on
that chilly November day.
They sedated the struggling
bird to examine its injuries
more closely.
Lynn Tomkins, the non-
profit center’s Executive
Director, administered an
X-ray, to determine if there
were broken bones, and to
check for gunshot pellets. It
is a practice they complete
on every injured animal
brought to the center.
Tomkins saw 16 bright
pinpoints indicating gun-
shot pellets throughout the
bird, embedded from legs
to head. Some had healed
over. Others were fresh.
One pellet, lodged against
what would be the shoul-
der bone on a human, had
caused a wing fracture.
Hawks with such a wound
may survive, but they will
never fly and will not sur-
vive in the wild. Tompkins
increased the sedative to
gently euthanized the bird.
The scene plays out
often across Oregon.
Gunshot wounds and
electrocution appear simi-
lar, according to Tomkins.
Both have an entry wound,
an exit wound, and leave
everything in between tat-
tered.
Idaho Power, whose
lines connect communities
across western states, has
had policies and practices
since the 1970s to reduce
bird mortality, including
providing safe nesting ar-
eas, and insulating wires.
These practices comply
with conservation laws for
federally protected raptors
and help to avoid costly
power outages caused by
birds flushing from wires,
or touching more than one
wire, completing an electri-
cal circuit.
Utility programs did
reduce electrocution cases,
but carcasses continued to
accumulate under insulated
wires and towers across
vast public lands.
Illegal shooting of birds
on powerlines was known
to occur but was thought
to be uncommon. Howev-
er, in 2014, Idaho Power
discovered that in some
parts of its service territory,
illegal shooting was quite
common. While assessing
power lines for bird safety,
dead birds were frequently
found under poles con-
sidered safe for birds to
perch on. Carcasses were
collected and sent to foren-
sics labs for testing. X-rays
showed lodged pellets in
many cases.
Bird deaths around
power lines have long been
associated with electrocu-
tion- especially if carcasses
had burn marks or burned
feathers. In 2019, research-
ers with Boise State Univer-
sity decided to study what
portion of birds discovered
under powerlines died from
electrocution, shooting, or
other causes.
From 2019 through
2022, researchers collected
bird carcasses along more
than 120 miles of power
lines, within five study
areas on public lands in Ida-
ho, Oregon, Wyoming and
Utah. Field teams recovered
carcasses of 410 identifi-
able birds. Of those, 185
were raptors and 132 were
corvids (crows and ravens).
Because the recovered birds
were in various states of
decomposition, researchers
radiographed each one to
try to determine cause of
death.
The results were star-
tling.
Of the 91 fresh carcass-
es that had little decomposi-
tion, researchers concluded
53 birds died after being
illegally shot. Most birds
in all conditions for which
a cause of death could be
identified, had been shot.
Shootings occurred at ev-
ery study site and gunshots
were the most identified
cause of death in every
location except for one in
Wyoming. At that location,
the same number of birds
died of gunshot as died
from electrocution. In some
cases, birds were both shot
and electrocuted indicating
birds likely contacted pow-
er lines as they fell to the
ground and caused power
outages.
Raptor poaching is
a crime that reverberates
across western fields, prai-
ries and plains. In 2021, the
Oregon conservationists
created a reward fund for
people who turn in poach-
ers and information on
poaching activities. Or-
egon Wildlife Coalition
has a standing reward of
The REAL ID deadline is
three months out, here’s
what you need to know
The federal REAL ID
deadline is May 7, 2025.
Beginning on this date,
individuals 18 and older
will be required to present
a REAL ID or an acceptable
alternative, such as a U.S.
passport, passport card,
or military ID, to board
domestic flights or enter
certain federal facilities.
A REAL ID is a state-is-
sued driver’s license, per-
mit, or ID card that meets
federal security standards
under the REAL ID Act
of 2005. Oregon offers
both standard and REAL
ID-compliant versions of
these documents.
REAL IDs must be ob-
tained in person at a DMV
office. Appointments can
be scheduled online, but
walk-ins are also accept-
ed. Applicants must bring
original documents proving
identity, date of birth, home
address (with two proofs
from separate sources), and
lawful U.S. status. They
must also provide their
Social Security number or
proof of ineligibility, and
their current legal name
must match Social Security
Administration records. A
document guide is available
at DMV2U.oregon.gov.
The REAL ID option
costs an additional $30 on
top of standard DMV fees.
After application approval,
a temporary paper ID is
issued at the DMV office,
while the permanent card
arrives by mail in approx-
imately three weeks.
As the deadline ap-
proaches, demand for
REAL IDs has increased,
leading to longer wait times
at DMV offices. To help
manage this, Oregon DMV
has hired 26 additional
staff members dedicated to
REAL ID transactions.
$500 for people who report
crimes against raptors, via
the Turn-In Poachers TIP
Line if the report leads to
an arrest or citation. OWC
has distributed $3,000 to
reporting parties since the
program started.
“Poaching affects all
wildlife in Oregon, in-
cluding precious animals
like raptors,” said Dan-
ielle Moser, Wildlife Pro-
gram Manager for Oregon
Wild. The Oregon Wild-
life Coalition – a group
of wildlife conservation
organizations – created a
rewards program to raise
public awareness about
this pervasive problem and
encourage Oregonians to
turn in poachers.
“Wildlife is an integral
part of our natural heritage,
and we must do everything
we can to preserve that,”
Moser said.
Killing for the thrill of
it tops the list of motives,
and birds, whether in flight
or perched, offer an inviting
target. But there are other
motives for illegal kills that
involve protected raptor
species.
Poaching is the second
leading cause of death of
golden eagles, after poison-
ing, according to research-
ers. Raptors- especially
eagles- are sacred to many
Native Americans, and
U.S. law prohibits anyone
from killing, wounding,
or disturbing the birds or
taking eggs without having
a permit. Markets for these
products lead to indiscrimi-
nate and illegal poaching in
remote areas.
In Nov. 2024, a Mon-
tana resident was sentenced
to four years in prison and
ordered to pay more than
$700,000 in restitution to
the federal government for
his role in a wildlife parts
trafficking ring. Along with
his co-conspirators and sup-
ported by a market hungry
for eagle and hawk feathers,
talons and other parts, the
ring poached thousands of
raptors, then trafficked parts
through illegal networks.
According to prosecutors,
the operation illegally killed
and trafficked the parts of
hundreds of birds each year,
for at least 40 years.
Wildlife advocates
wish it were a different
story.
«What we do to the
natural world we do to
ourselves, Tomkins said,
“We are all connected.”
Reports from the public
are essential in stopping
poachers. Provide the date,
time, and location of the
incident, and if possible, a
description of the vehicle
and people involved, and a
license plate number. Ac-
tivities that might indicate
illegal shooting includes
shooting or spotlighting at
night, shooting outside of
hunting season, or shoot-
ing toward power poles or
lines.
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
2 Lots
Approx 38 acres
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Damaged, missing road signs
-Continued from PAGE ONE in the ground,” said Imes.
too much,” Imes said of
the details. “It works pretty
good.”
Imes did say that it is
not only an issue for Mor-
row County.
“We meet with other
counties across the state,
and it’s an issue. It just
happens,” said Imes.
Not only are signs be-
ing stolen or damaged, but
Imes said some people had
gotten creative with their
mischief.
“Someone, or a few
people, thought it might
be fun, as wet as it has
been in December, to ac-
tually remove the road
signs and turn them 90
degrees and put them back
“So we’ve been having to
also go and realign road
signs.”
Imes said county crews
will be working to install
the newly-arrived signs,
but asked again that people
keep their eyes open for
signs of mischief.
“It’s not something I
typically report on, but I
do want the public to know
that it is expensive,” he
said, “and any information
would be helpful to stop
that or slow it down.
“If you see something,
say something.”
177 N Main St.
Heppner, Or 97836
O: 541-676-9228
E:sykeschris@hotmail.com
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
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