With so much hardship in the world — economic uncertainty, political division and people struggling with their day-to-day lives — it’s fair to ask: why should anyone in Boulder County care about a pair of bald eagles struggling to hold onto their territory? With so many pressing concerns, how much does it really matter if two birds are displaced from their nesting ground?

The answer lies in the fact that this isn’t just about two birds. It’s about what we, as a community, choose to value on our public lands — spaces that were set aside, in part, to protect wildlife. Boulder County’s Open Space lands are not just for recreation. They exist under a foundational promise: to balance human use with conservation, to uphold protections for species of special concern and to ensure that the wildlife that has lived here long before us still has a place.

That promise is being broken. The Stearns Lake bald eagles have been a fixture on the landscape for over a decade, navigating increasing human encroachment, habitat loss and now, a dramatic increase in trail use that has forced them from their long-held territory (youtu.be/13tiYU8xXNA). Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) has consistently claimed to uphold the highest standards of raptor protection — yet their actions tell a different story. They have reopened a trail that cuts through the heart of the eagles’ habitat, disregarding well-documented evidence of its impact. They claim their decisions align with state and federal laws and guidelines, yet a closer examination shows they do not. And they have refused to engage with the extensive data gathered by researchers who have spent thousands of hours documenting how these birds use their territory, while BCPOS itself appears to lack any meaningful information on how trail activity affects these eagles and other raptors, including ferruginous hawks.

This isn’t just a difficult decision — it appears to be a deliberate choice to disregard extensive field research and scientific data when it challenges convenient management practices. BCPOS holds immense influence over how our public lands are managed, yet their decisions continue to favor recreational expansion over ecological integrity. They justify their actions by claiming compliance with state and federal protections, yet when those guidelines are actually examined, they tell a different story.

And this isn’t just about the Stearns eagles. The same decision that displaced this nesting pair also impacts other raptors that depend on this habitat — including ferruginous hawks, a species of special concern in Boulder County, which return each winter to this same area. Boulder County’s foundational conservation policies emphasize protecting these vulnerable species, yet the reality on the ground is far different. The steady erosion of protections for species of special concern calls into question whether Boulder County Open Space is truly living up to its conservation commitments.

Caring about these eagles isn’t about choosing them over other pressing issues. It’s about recognizing that conservation isn’t a luxury — it’s a responsibility. These birds don’t belong to any single entity. They belong to the land, to the ecosystem, and to the public. And if Boulder County’s Open Space program is going to wear the badge of environmental stewardship, then it needs to start acting like it.

So, why should we care? Because this is our land. Because we made a promise. And because if we don’t stand up for protections here, in a place that claims to lead in conservation, then where will we?

Dana Bove is a member of Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies, a non-profit dedicated to the study and conservation of Bald Eagles in the Front Range. Bove lives in Boulder.