Golden Eagle soaring near a wind turbine tower in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California

Targeted monitoring of Golden Eagle populations is an integral component of effective management, serving as a guide for deciding the appropriate course of management action, evaluating the effectiveness of such actions, and providing options to better achieve management goals. At the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA), monitoring of the local population of Golden Eagles has provided a strong foundation for evaluating future changes in the population and determining how wind-energy related mortality may interact with other, emerging threats such as severe drought and large wildfires to affect management and conservation of this federally protected species.