In 1782, the bald eagle was elected the national symbol of the United States of America, but by the early 1960s it was nearly extinct in the continental United States. United. Combining many dangers, the main danger of which was the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction. Yet, thanks to conservation measures implemented by the United States government, the bald eagle came back from the brink and was removed from the endangered species list in 2007. The bald eagle's main problem has been pesticide DDT. DDT, otherwise known as andichlorodiphenyltrichoorethane, would not dissolve in water or break down in the environment. This causes it to be absorbed by small animals or aquatic plants. The contaminated plants or small animals were then eaten by the fistful. These later fish were then picked up and eaten by bald eagles. However, the further DDT traveled up the food chain, the more it became part of the animal's destiny. This caused the eagles to lay eggs with weak shells, leading to a decline in the population. After the government found tra...