After 35 years at Dollywood, the American Eagle Foundation’s non-releasable bald eagles are making their permanent home at the foundation’s Kodak campus.
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Smokies.LIVE Adventure Center) — After more than three decades of helping millions of visitors connect with America’s national symbol, the bald eagles of Dollywood’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary are beginning a new chapter.
The American Eagle Foundation and Dollywood Parks & Resorts announced the non-releasable bald eagles will make their permanent home at the foundation’s 50-acre educational and conservation campus in Kodak.
The eagles have already been cared for at the Kodak campus since Eagle Mountain Sanctuary was damaged during a storm earlier this year.
The move brings more of the foundation’s eagle care, conservation and educational efforts together at its growing Kodak facility, while the partnership with Dollywood continues.
🦅 35 YEARS OF CONSERVATION
The American Eagle Foundation and Dollywood began their partnership in 1991, introducing generations of guests to bald eagles and teaching the importance of protecting birds of prey.
During that time, the American Eagle Foundation has helped release more than 400 bald eagles into the wild, contributing to the remarkable recovery of the species in the United States.
American Eagle Foundation CEO Lori Moore says the Kodak campus provides an opportunity to build on the legacy of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary while giving the eagles in its care a permanent home.
Dollywood President Eugene Naughton says the park is proud of what the partnership has accomplished and looks forward to continuing the conservation mission.
And the relationship isn’t ending.
Visitors to Dollywood will continue to see the American Eagle Foundation through its popular Birds of Prey program at the Wings of America Theater.
There, guests can still experience bald eagles and other raptors while learning about conservation and the important role these animals play in the natural world.
The move marks the end of one chapter for Eagle Mountain Sanctuary — but the beginning of another as the American Eagle Foundation continues its mission of education, conservation and protecting bald eagles for generations to come.
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