When Evan Morris saw the notice in the Kid’s Post section of the Washington Post about naming the Woodrow Wilson Bridge eaglets, he got busy.
“We came up with many names. We sent in at least 10 entries, but the ones with the state’s names won,” said Morris, who was recently announced as the winner of the ‘Name Those Eaglets’ contest sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. Morris is a rising third grader at Waynewood Elementary School. Earlier this month, he was treated to a special tour of the bridge.
“I got to tour the construction site and watch a video on the project,” Morris said. “We had a hard time finding the eagles, though.”
The winning names were “Mary, Ginny and Doc,” referring to Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The bridge is a regional partnership with all three.
The eaglets are the 13th, 14th and 15th offspring of George and Martha, a pair of resident bald eagles that nest on the Maryland shore. When the bridge construction began, the environmental and construction teams were aware of the need to protect the eagles and their habitat. They created a permanent 84-acre bald eagle sanctuary in March, 2001 on the Maryland shore just north of the bridge; this area is eight times larger than the area required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When he gets older, Morris has higher aspirations than winning contests.
“When we need a new bridge again (in 25 years or so), it may be me designing it,” he said.