Eric Beiter, city council president, recently observed that the number of bald eagles in Lycoming County has rebounded.

“I remember being a kid growing up and they were nonexistent and now we have quite a few,” Beiter told city council during a recent meeting, as reported in Monday’s edition of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. “I would not even venture to guess how many.”

In the successes of fostering a healthy population, we see a conservation effort rooted in tangible, measurable results — and we are grateful to see that success. Preserving habitat and managing wildlife populations are important tasks from which our region — and its tourism and the outdoors recreation sector of its economy — benefits.

We find it appropriately charming that this news arrives in the semisesquicentennial year, the year the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary as a nation.

The bald eagle long has been a symbol of our nation and our principles. As we celebrate the past 250 years of our nation and our principles, and look ahead to the next 250 years of progress, we are elated that it will include more bald eagles soaring gracefully over the forests, mountains, rivers and creeks of Pennsylvania.