Though no historical information exists on Bald Eagle population size in California, it is widely thought that this species formerly occupied a widespread range and was quite abundant throughout the western states. After World War II, the Bald Eagle population declined rapidly in California and throughout all other parts of its range. This was caused primarily by contamination which caused severe nesting failure in this species. In 1967 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Bald Eagle as Federally endangered, followed by the State of California which listed the species as endangered in 1971. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, fewer than 30 nesting pairs remained in California, all in the northern part of the state.

Fortunately, there has been a remarkable turnaround in population numbers and occupied sites for the Bald Eagle. Protection of nesting areas, restrictions on use of pesticides, and wildlife management projects designed to enhance bald eagle populations have all played significant roles. By 1994, the number of occupied territories in California had increased from 30 to 116. Likewise, the wintering population had stabilized around 1000 birds. Partly because much progress has been made toward meeting most of the population recovery criteria, the USFWS recently officially reclassified the Bald Eagle to threatened.

The current Bald Eagle monitoring effort has been in place for more than 20 years and stems from written management recommendations provided by a 1980 study of endangered raptors in the park. The purpose of that study was to document the distribution of endangered raptors, determine if these species nested in the park, and implement a monitoring system for these federally-listed species which could be continued by park personnel. Significant findings of the study were: 1) discovery of the first active Bald Eagle nest in the park, at Snag Lake, 2) the Snag Lake nest is probably the highest in elevation of any in the state, and 3) LVNP has extremely marginal Bald Eagle nesting habitat because of scarce food supplies and relatively harsh climates during the nesting season. Therefore the park can support at most one resident breeding pair, in addition to one other foraging pair which nests outside the park, and a few wandering juveniles.

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