We at the National Eagle Center beg to differ with the rather alarmist conclusion by Terrence Ingram, founder of the Eagle Nature Foundation, that bald eagle populations are declining ("Worrying signs for bald eagles," Jan. 21). As the nation's leading education center connecting people to eagles in nature, history and cultures, we know from our own observations and reading of the professional literature that bald eagle populations are healthy and even thriving. From our strategic location on the Upper Mississippi River, we observe bald eagles every day. From our weekly winter counts over the last 10 years at seven specific sites, we know that the numbers of eagles in a given area along the Mississippi River can vary widely, even by the hundreds, from week to week as these opportunistic predators range widely in search of available food. To draw conclusions about the overall health of the population from such observations would be misleading at best.
This is not to say that we aren't concerned about the ongoing health of and current threats to bald eagles. For example, lead hunting ammunition has been shown to cause significant mortality in these birds. Collisions with automobiles are the most common human-made cause of death or injury. We share the concern about the unknown effects of many pesticides in the environment. Minnesota is fortunate to be the home not only to a thriving bald eagle population, but to a robust group of nonprofit organizations, research institutions and government agencies that are working to assure this population's continued health and are committed to studying and teaching about threats so that we may never have to repeat the devastating decline of our national symbol.
Rolf Thompson, Wabasha, Minn.
The writer is executive director of the National Eagle Center.
E-CIGARETTES
They do less harm, report says — but not true for adolescents
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's report on e-cigarettes ("Report says e-cig use does less harm," Jan. 24) brings a new wave of attention to the many unknowns tied to the increasingly popular trend of vaping. Here in Minnesota and across the country, we know that it is now the most popular tobacco product among middle- and high-school students. While scientists continue to weigh the evidence around net harms and benefits to society as a whole, it's important that as a medical community we insist on increasing awareness among decisionmakers and the general public that these products are harmful to adolescents. Existing evidence shows that regular use of nicotine influences adolescent brain development and puts young people at risk for attention deficits later in life.
I urge us not to get caught up in the debate about benefits to adult smokers and not to forget about the importance of protecting young people from addiction in the first place. This has always been our best option when it comes to reducing the harms of tobacco.
With that in mind, I hope that Minnesota will soon take the next step toward achieving this goal by raising the tobacco sales age to 21 statewide. Until that time, though, I applaud local governments across the state that continue to act on raising the sales age in their communities. We will have these communities to thank for the long and healthy lives of our kids and grandkids.
Dr. Thomas Erling Kottke, St. Paul
The writer is president of the Twin Cities Medical Society.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Supported in many corners, but never, never at the VA
When I read that the American Legion is among those advocating for the research of cannabis for medical reasons for veterans ("Lack of backbone from VA's leader," editorial, Jan. 20), I knew the world had turned upside down.
