The Merrill Creek Owners Group (MCOG) donated the funds needed to purchase the equipment for the eagle monitoring project. Originally the funds were to be used to establish an eagle cam that would provide a birds eye view of the activity in an eagle nest located at the reservoir. Unfortunately, the remote location of the nest at MCR presented insurmountable problems that prevented a cam from being installed. The MCR staff suggested that the funds instead be utilized to purchase (2) satellite transmitters.

On June 13, 2011 NJDEP biologists, staff from Merrill Creek Reservoir (MCR) ventured across the reservoir to band the bald eagle chicks that were nesting on the edge of the lake. This was the 8th time that biologist have banded young eagles from Merrill Creek nests, but it was the first time that they affixed a satellite transmitter to each of the birds. In fact this was the first time that the NJDEP biologist had ever used a satellite transmitter on bald eagles. The state has used traditional transmitters on eagle fledglings that were hacked (introduced) in the lower Delaware River area from 1983-1989, but this will be the first opportunity to conduct a long-term research project with eagles in NJ

The two MCR eagle chicks, one male and one female, were fitted with transmitters, held on their back by a harness made of Teflon ribbon. The transmitters will allow the birds to be monitored for up to three years as they move away from the nest and begin to establish their own territories. Merrill Creek staff will receive the data gathered by the satellites and will then manipulate it to make it useable for other researchers. This critical data will allow biologists to better manage this most magnificent bird that whose population was once on the brink of collapse in our region.