National Eagle Repository, Government agency in Colorado, United States
The National Eagle Repository is a government facility run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado. It collects the remains of dead bald and golden eagles from across the country and distributes them to enrolled members of federally recognized Native American tribes.
The facility grew out of efforts in the 1970s to give Native American tribes legal access to eagle remains after the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act restricted the collecting of these birds. In 1995, the program moved to Colorado and settled at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which allowed for faster processing and distribution.
Guided tours are available by reservation only and run on specific days, such as the first Friday of each month, and last around an hour. Visitors must be at least 13 years old and are advised to arrive a few minutes early, as a brief introduction takes place before the tour begins.
The waiting list for a whole eagle can stretch to several years because demand far exceeds what arrives each year. Many of the birds reaching the facility died from collisions with power lines or vehicles and were collected by wildlife officers.
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