Congressman Brad Finstad visits the National Eagle Center

In a celebration of American symbolism and legislative achievement, Congressman Brad Finstad visited the Nation-al Eagle Center in Wabasha on March 19, marking a historic milestone in the nation's rela-tionship with its most iconic bird. The afternoon gathering, which began at 4 PM, brought together key figures including Eagle Center Board Members, Preston Cook, Mayor Emily Durand, and Council Members Jeff Sully and Brian Woedle, along with dedicated Eagle Center staff and community members.The afternoon's events were a celebration of the official recognition of America's most majestic bird and was a re-minder of how passionate indi-viduals, working together with elected officials, can transform an oversight of history into a moment of national pride and community pride.Executive Director Ed Minne-ma welcomed the congressman and acknowledged the collabo-rative effort that led to this his-toric legislation. In his opening remarks, Minnema particularly highlighted the contributions of Preston Cook, whom he dubbed a "living legend" for his dedica-tion to the cause.The story behind this legisla-tive triumph, as Preston Cook revealed, began fifteen years ago with a surprising discov-ery during his book research. Despite widespread belief, the bald eagle had never been offi-cially designated as America's national bird. "For 248 years," Cook noted, "there was no national bird." This revelation led him to draft a concise bill in 2023. Congressman Finstad was instrumental in passing the legislation through Congress. The legislation's journey culmi-nated in success on December 23, 2024, when President Biden signed it into law. Cook's pride was evident as he shared that the story had reached 12,500 media outlets worldwide, creating a ripple effect that continues to inspire interest, including recent educational engagement through a virtual interview with a student over Zoom.Congressman Finstad's com-mentary about the bill captured the significance of the moment, as he remarked that not even the threat of a blizzard could have kept him from attending this celebration. His enthusiasm for the achievement was clear as he described how it has be-come one of his favorite stories to share during Capitol tours, offering visitors a unique piece of American trivia about the journey to make the bald eagle the official national bird.Finstad drew a parallel to the beloved "Schoolhouse Rock" series, using it to illustrate the power of civic engagement. "This is a perfect example for us to tell people if you have an idea or you have a concern, or you have an issue that you want to bring to your representative... do your homework... make your case and work with your representative to make it happen," he explained.

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