Freedom called out loudly as he perched atop a branch in his enclosure at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in suburban northern New Jersey. He was found dangling by a rope, but a veteran who is a sharpshooter was able to shoot at the rope and freed Freedom. Today, while his injury prevented him from being released back in the wild, Freedom is strong enough fly and interacts actively with his keeper staff. But Freedom’s remarkable story, said Jilian Fazio, the zoo’s director, becomes a great talking point with the zoo’s visitors and helps her team highlighting a remarkable conservation story of America’s national bird. And this year, America’s national bird, the bald eagle, is having a moment. The eagles find themselves in a sort of environmental updraft since the early 2000’s when the federal government took the thriving birds off its endangered species list, with more states following suit, and culturally, too, they’re soaring. In December, Joe Biden signed legislation making the raptor the country's national bird. And to the chagrin or elation of football fans depending on rooting interests, the Philadelphia Eagles are playing in the Super Bowl. This month, New Jersey became the latest state to delist the bald eagle as endangered, citing a remarkable comeback for the creatures associated with strength and independence, who occupied just a single nest in the state decades ago. Kathy Clark of the Department of Environmental Protection has worked with the birds for decades includes the period when their numbers were so small they lived only in a remote part of the state. “Americans are always going to have that sort of personal relationship with bald eagles," Clark said. Despite the birds taken off its endangered species list, she said her team will continue to monitor the species, assess their threats and habitat conservation. Experts considered eagles as “umbrella species,” whose need for large open spaces and waterways helps preserve lesser known wildlife.