The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously announced proposed revisions to their regulations governing migratory bird and eagle permits. The proposed changes span several sections of regulations and several permit types, modifying five existing regulatory authorizations (situations where a permit is not necessary) and proposing several new regulatory authorizations.

The Ornithological Council submitted comments on the proposal, touching on many of the proposed regulatory changes. In particular, the OC thanked the USFWS for the proposed citizen salvage provision, which would allow citizens to collect and donate to museums and education institutions bird carcasses they find, without requiring them to secure a salvage permit. The OC was also grateful to see the proposed regulatory authorization for drone use in ornithological research, which the OC has been working towards for years. 

Learn more about the other proposed changes and the OC’s suggestions in our comment letter.