Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times
The iconic Golden Eagle that inspired curiosity about nature among tens of thousands of kids died at her enclosure Sunday at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
The eagle, 38, appeared to die from a sudden illness, ACES reported.
“This is not only a loss for ACES, but also a loss for our entire community,” Chris Lane, CEO of the nonprofit conservation organization, said in a statement. “She reminded all of us of our collective and ongoing work to protect our environment and the natural world.”
Hikers found the injured Golden Eagle in the summer of 1982 on Bell Mountain of Aspen Mountain ski area. She was taken to a raptor rehabilitation center in Fort Collins and treated for a broken wing and leg. Upon her recovery, the eagle was returned to ACES’ Hallam Lake headquarters where she has lived since. She was unable to return to the wild due to permanent injuries. She was one of the oldest captive Golden Eagles in the world, according to ACES.
The Golden Eagle was an excellent environmental educator, viewed daily by school kids and other visitors to Hallam Lake over the years. The staff estimated she was in front of roughly 10,000 people per year.
By ACES’ reckoning, the Golden Eagle has graced the cover of Aspen’s local newspapers more than Aspen historical icons such as Elizabeth Paepcke, John Denver and Jerome Wheeler. She was last featured on the cover of the Aspen Times Weekly on Feb. 7.
ACES’ natural director Jim Kravitz was the eagle’s primary handler.
“When handling her, if you were timid she would walk all over you,” Kravitz said. “If you were overconfident, she would rebuff you. She was intuitive and she could read individual human.”
The Golden Eagle was informally known as Belle because she was found on Ajax’s Bell Mountain, but ACES’ staff avoided using her name because she was a wild raptor, Lane said.
ACES is preparing a way to honor the golden eagle through a collection of stories and photos. Details will be released at a later date.