Photo by Paul Lara, Fort Belvoir Public Affairs
Belvoir's historic release of rehabbed Eagle
Col. Joshua SeGraves, garrison commander, releases a young bald eagle back into the wild after it had been successfully nursed back to health, behind the Officers’ Club, Thursday.
“Wow, that was phenomenal,” SeGraves said after lifting the carrier lid and feeling the massive bird take flight over the Potomac River. “To be able to do that once-in-a-25-year thing was really special,” adding his thanks to the Directorate of Public Works and Environmental Services for catching and transporting the eagle to Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Boyce, Virginia. The facility is one of few in the region that is licensed to help bald eagles.
Courtesy photo by Eric Brito Photography
Micah Boersma, director of DPW, said this was indeed a rare moment.
“In the 20 or 30 years when we’ve found an eagle on the ground that needed rehabilitation, this is the first one to have survived,” said Boersma. “The release here is just amazing because it was born here on Fort Belvoir, captured here on Fort Belvoir, and has been released to become part of the Belvoir community.”
Watch a video of the Eagle release here.
Paul Lara
Fort Belvoir Public Affairs