Representatives of 13 Arizona tribes walked out of a meeting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday and threatened to file suit over the proposed delisting of the bald eagle.
The agency is considering taking the bald eagle off the endangered species list. But tribal leaders said their religious and spiritual views haven't been taken into account.
Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest regional director for FWS, called the meeting to hear the concerns. But tribal leaders walked out after they felt the decision to remove the eagles was already made.
Nationwide, the bald eagle has grown but there are only 43 breeding pairs in Arizona.
Get the Story:Arizona Indian tribes set to battle feds on reversing eagles' endangered status (The Arizona Republic 5/11)
Some tribes threatening to sue over plan to delist bald eagle (AP 5/11) Relevant Links:
National Eagle Repository - http://www.r6.fws.gov/law/le65.html Related Stories:
Appeal filed in Northern Arapaho eagle case (03/28)
Appeal planned in Arapaho eagle shooting case (01/29)
Editorial: Respect tribal religious beliefs (11/16)
DOJ to appeal ruling in Arapaho eagle killing case (11/13)
Judge issues ruling in Arapaho eagle killing case (10/17)
Charges dismissed in Northern Arapaho eagle killing (10/9)
Prairie Island donates $500K to national eagle center (08/22)
Arizona man charged for having eagle feathers (07/26)
Arapaho man seeks dismissal of eagle shooting case (05/26)
More than 4,000 waiting for eagles, eagle parts (5/24)
Northern Arapaho Tribe argues for religious rights (5/23)
Federal agent goes undercover at powwow in Texas (03/31)
Eagle feather headdress turned over for investigation (03/02)
Bald eagle faces removal from endangered species list (02/14)
Eagle feather repository has just five employees (12/09)
Iowa Tribe receives $250K grant for eagle center (09/16)
Non-Indian eagle feather case returns to federal court (07/19)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe seeks probe into feather use (08/02)
DOI to pay Apache man $50K for seized feathers (04/12)
Eagle feather ruling leaves open questions (08/06)
Appeals court upholds eagle protection laws (1/17)
Man denies crime for selling artifacts (11/16)
Indian man convicted of eagle violations (10/29)
Court to rehear eagle protection cases (8/9)
Minn. man sentenced for eagle violation (5/31)
Man pleads guilty to selling artifacts (11/2)
Undercover sting nets sacred artifacts (10/02)
Govt works to protect artifacts (6/29)
Yahoo! removes auction (6/22)
Culture for Sale: Sitting Bull (6/20)
Culture for Sale: eBay (5/23)
