Eagle specialty license plate now available for ordering celebrates bald eagles' comeback and lays foundation for next success

MADISON - Thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, bald eagles are soaring high once again over Wisconsin. Now, motorists can celebrate this accomplishment with a striking, one-of-a-kind license plate featuring an image of an eagle landing on the waters of the Mississippi River.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation's Division of Motor Vehicles unveiled the new license plate today in a ceremony in Prairie du Sac, where bald eagles commonly fly along the Wisconsin River.

Displaying this plate also lays the foundation for the next conservation effort.

"This license plate honors an incredible conservation success story - the dramatic comeback of eagles in Wisconsin and the people who helped bring them back," said Gov. Scott Walker. "Sales of this plate will lay the foundation for more conservation successes."

The eagle license plates are being printed and stamped this month and the Division of Motor Vehicles will be filling orders starting Sept. 1. The form to order the plate is now online and in DMV offices today.

Purchase of the eagle specialty license plate includes a $25 annual donation to the Endangered Resources Fund, which pays for work by DNR's Natural Heritage Conservation staff and partners to protect and restore rare plants and animals and unique natural areas. License plate sales are a critical source of funding for that work.

"We have a proud conservation legacy in Wisconsin," DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said. "Purchasing a plate is an important way you can be part of that legacy and care for the resources that benefit us all."

The eagle specialty plate can be purchased at any time; motorists do not need to wait for a registration renewal notice. Orders can be placed by going to the Department of Natural Resources' website, dnr.wi.gov, and searching for "eagle plate." Order forms are also available to download from the Department of Transportation Endangered Resources license plates website and at local DMV service centers.

The photograph featured on the plate was submitted by Troy Hattemer showing an eagle landing in the backwater sloughs of the Mississippi River near Hager City, Wis. Hattemer's image was among more than 2,000 submitted by citizens for consideration.