Bald Eagles as Indicators of Emerging Contaminants and Ecosystem Health in Wisconsin

February 11th, 2026, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Join us this winter for our annual Winter Water Talks webinar series! Webinars are co-hosted by the Water Action Volunteers Program and the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network Program.

WEBINAR DESCRIPTION

The Great Lakes Eagle Health Project (formerly the Wisconsin Bald Eagle Bio-sentinel Program) is a collaborative program that has monitored bald eagle contaminant levels in WI since 1990. The purpose of this project is to monitor exposure patterns of both legacy and emerging contaminants in nestling bald eagles as well as illustrate the utility of bald eagles as monitoring tools for contaminant exposure and ecosystem health. Data from this monitoring program suggest eaglets along the middle section of the Wisconsin River have elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compared to other populations. Other emerging contaminants that have been detected include industrial compounds (phthalates) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (Bisphenol-A). This project provides natural resource managers with a snapshot of contaminant exposure within a given ecosystem. We have illustrated that bald eagles can be useful and reliable indicators of contaminant exposure, environmental change, and ecosystem health.

SPEAKER BIO

Sean earned a B.S. Environmental Science and Biology from University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and a Master’s in Environmental Toxicology from Colorado State University. Sean has been with the WI DNR for over 25 years, serving as a Toxicologist in both the Wildlife Management and Fisheries Management programs. He has studied both legacy and emerging contaminants in a wide variety of species including bald eagles, loons, water birds, songbirds, waterfowl, furbearers, small mammals, and fish.