King County is asking the federal government for permission to haze bald eagles by shooting off fireworks.
Officials at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill said the eagles have grown quite fond of the site. Up to 200 gather there on a nice day, sitting in the trees and swooping low over the pit.
The eagles enjoy the relative harassment-free environment, said Pat McLaughlin, Director of Solid Waste for King County, but also scavenging the refuse there.
The issue is that some of the garbage the eagles and other birds pick up ends up carried outside the boundaries of the landfill.
King County has several countermeasures to scare off smaller birds with loud noises but have not been able to directly harass eagles due to their protected status. Now, they’re asking for a permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife to do so.
Part of the plan would involve shooting fireworks high in the sky to further scare circling eagles after low-altitude work.
“The eagles are really the leader of the pack,” said McLaughlin. “So, you can disperse the other birds pretty effectively, and that simply kind of opens up the door for the eagles to have free reign. So, we are seeking a permit from the federal government that would allow us to haze the eagles in a similar fashion and discourage their heavy presence.
King County hopes to get that permit later this year. They do expect it would allow them to also kill eagles, but they do not plan to do so.
