WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nest cam fans from around the world recently participated in a “Name the Nestlings” social media campaign to suggest names for “DC2” and “DC3” the two eaglets currently residing in the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.
Thousands of names were submitted via the hashtag campaign, and now five of the most popular suggested name pairs and are being put to a final public vote!
From 9:00 a.m. on April 19th though 11:59 p.m. on April 24th, a link to the online ballot can be found on www.dceaglecam.org, where the high-definition nest cameras are being live-streamed 24/7 by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation (AEF).
This final voting process is being hosted by Friends of the National Arboretum, which is the official non-profit partner of the USDA’s U.S. National Arboretum.
The cams themselves have had over 32 million views since Bald Eagles “Mr. President” and “The First Lady” were first featured online in February. The eaglets have grown by leaps and bounds since hatching and will be the size of their parents come June.
“The DC Eagle Cam has become an incredible tool to educate and inspire the public to protect our National Bird,” says AEF Founder and President Al Cecere. “We hope that by the time the eaglets fledge, viewers will have gained a greater sense of understanding, involvement, and enthusiasm when it comes to Bald Eagle and wildlife conservation.”
The final two names will be announced on April 26th, 2016.
ABOUT THE DC EAGLE CAM PROJECT
After the eagle pair left their nest site in August 2015 for their annual migration, American Eagle Foundation staff traveled to D.C. to install state-of-the-art cameras, infrared lighting, and other related equipment in-and-around the nest tree with the help of volunteers and experienced tree climbers. The USDA’s U.S. National Arboretum ran a half-mile of fiber optic cable to the cameras’ ground control station, which connects the cameras to the internet. The entire system is powered by a large mobile solar array (containing several deep cycle batteries) that was designed and built by students and staff from Alfred State College, SUNY College of Technology and was partially funded by the Department of Energy and Environment. USNA has implemented a backup generator that will kick in if prolonged inclement weather causes the solar array to provide insufficient power to the system.