In The News – Once rare in Nevada, winter bald eagle sightings now common
February 10, 2026 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Written by Amy Alonzo Nevada Independent, 2/10/2026
After a stint on the endangered species list, their comeback is seen as a “conservation success story.” Bald eagle numbers around Lake Tahoe reflect that.
Fresh snow blanketed the ground and the temperature hovered around 20 degrees when Will Richardson stepped from his heated vehicle to walk onto Lake Forest Beach on Lake Tahoe’s east shore.
Richardson, who was out despite battling a cold, has repeated the same early-January routine for years, first as a volunteer and up-and-coming wildlife expert, and now as executive director of the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS). His goal that morning was simple: count the number of bald eagles along the lakeshore as part of a broader effort to track bald eagle populations in northwestern Nevada, the Tahoe region and beyond.
Photo: Provided / Carleen Implicito via Tahoe Institute for Natural Science