The eagles are OK, but the neighborhood has changed. “I think that in the community a lot of people appreciate those eagles. … So it’s a loss,” said Melanie Haney. Like others, Haney raised concerns when trees along Missouri 78 in eastern Independence, where Metropolitan Community Colleges-Blue River is expanding, were removed last week. On her way to work, Haney often sees bald eagles there, looking over a pond. “I drive by it, and I am one of the people who watch the eagles,” she said. Some of those people started making calls when the trees came down. The Missouri Department of Conservation said those weren’t nesting trees, so legally they could be removed – “which is horrible,” said Carolyn Knapp of Independence. And officials of Metropolitan Community Colleges agreed to meet with residents after the holidays to hear their concerns. Meanwhile, the eagles should fare well. Derek Cole, an agent with the Department of Conservation, said they will find other good trees in which to roost. “The birds will be fine,” he said. Others see a loss just the same. Knapp said she often sees a bald eagle pair there and elsewhere. “Sometimes you see them in the fields,” she said. She said they are yearround residents, not winter visitors. It’s not known where they nest. The trees came down last Tuesday. Knapp said she was happy to see the birds again on Thursday. But many fewer trees and less cover. “They’re a lot more exposed now, from that one tree,” Haney said. Her larger point is that the steady loss of places for animals to find food and cover has costs, even if it’s a stand of trees. “It was habitat for a lot of other things,” Haney said.
