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Bald Eagle, Alaska, 1998

In 1963 there were only 417 bald eagle breeding pairs left in Tongass National Forest. But due to the eagle's placement on the U.S. endangered species list, strict regulations and intense repopulation efforts, and the banning of certain pesticides, that number has recently risen to 7,678 breeding pairs. This new strength in numbers has led many to argue that the species should be removed from the list.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Tongass National Forest," May 1999, National Geographic magazine)

Photograph by Michael Melford