Flag for Taxon: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
| Flagger | Content Author | Content | Reason | Flag Created | Resolved by | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brennafarrell | Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) |
Currently unobscured in the US |
Aug. 26, 2019 21:16:06 +0000 | loarie |
see comments |
Comments
I don't think there's much reason to auto-obscure it on iNaturalist in most areas, at least based on my knowledge of its prevalence in the Midwest. Maybe in certain states? I'm not the best person to ask though.
Do you know who would be?
I think that if persons feel that locally/regionally they should be obscuring Bald Eagle observations, they can and should do so. But the Bald Eagle is expanding its range at least that seems to be the case here in the North Texas region where we're located based on comments, conversations, etc., and iNat posted observations in the recent past. And I don't see North Texans posting their BAEA obs hiding and/or obscuring the locations. Our two cents.
I think this is a broader question about how iNaturalist addresses endangered/sensitive species. I couldn't find a specific rule, but my understanding is that the locations for endangered/sensitive species are obscured. The question then is what is considered an endangered/sensitive species? I tend to consider the IUCN designation, not local geographic designations (which are often political in nature, at least for predators).
In the case of bald eagles, they are not considered endangered by the IUCN, so I don't think it is necessary to obsure their locations. However, if iNaturalist wants to use finer scale designations (state, county, etc.), then that could be considered - although I'm not sure how that would be implemented.
In essence, I am in favor of following the iNaturalist guidelines (although I am not clear what those are), not making exceptions for certain species.
Conservation status and taxon geoprivacy being set to obscured are related but not a 1 to 1 relationship.
A taxon only needs to be obscured on iNat if sharing knowledge of those locations here would significantly impact the status of that taxon in that place. So things like commonly poached herps should be obscured, but something like ash trees, which have threats unrelated to poaching, really don't need to be obscured.
This also means that the heart of the range of a taxon might not need obscuring but the edges might, so location definitely can matter. And a taxon need not have an official conservation status to be considered for obscuration. There's more info in the curator guide.
Ok, based on that, it does seem like bald eagles could be obscured at local levels where it is appropriate.
It seems like we should find someone who thinks that is important task to lead the effort.
Here's this article that first appeared in the NYT two days ago, you may have already read it or heard about it:
New York Times
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/science/bird-populations-america-canada.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Accessed: 22 September 2019
BIRDS ARE VANISHING FROM NORTH AMERICA
The number of birds in the United States and Canada has declined by 3 billion, or 29 percent, over the past half-century, scientists find.
By Carl Zimmer
Published Sept. 19, 2019; Updated Sept. 21, 2019
The skies are emptying out.
The number of birds in the United States and Canada has fallen by 29 percent since 1970, scientists reported on Thursday. There are 2.9 billion fewer birds taking wing now than there were 50 years ago.
The analysis, published in the journal Science, is the most exhaustive and ambitious attempt yet to learn what is happening to avian populations. The results have shocked researchers and conservation organizations.
In a statement on Thursday, David Yarnold, president and chief executive of the National Audubon Society, called the findings “a full-blown crisis.”
Experts have long known that some bird species have become vulnerable to extinction. But the new study, based on a broad survey of more than 500 species, reveals steep losses even among such traditionally abundant birds as robins and sparrows.
closing because my reading of this thread is that there's not a clear Bald Eagle poaching threat (which I agree with)
Continuing the discussion from the forum: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/bald-eagle-locations-in-florida/6024 and this flag: https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/349695, it seems like all bald eagle observations were unobscured. Some states still list them as vulnerable or critically imperiled, so should the locations remain open or go back to being obscured for the US?