N.Y. GOV. CUOMO BROKE LAW, TOOK EAGLE FEATHER

N.Y.» At an event in the ALBANY, Adirondacks last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recounted a treasured memory of the time his family retrieved an eagle feather from Saranac Lake and kept it after one of the beautiful birds swooped near his canoe.

In telling the story, the New York Democrat was unknowingly confessing a crime.

A federal law prohibits non-Native Americans from possessing bald eagle parts, including feathers. The law has been on the books for nearly 80 years, but most Americans, Cuomo included, probably don’t know about it.

Cuomo, a lawyer and former federal official, revealed his legal faux pas Tuesday while announcing an economic development grant for the village of Saranac Lake.

After The Associated Press in Albany inquired about the issue, Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said the family was unaware of the federal law.

“We have two options, put it back in the river or donate it to a US Fish and Wildlife repository,” Azzopardi wrote in an email. “We’ll do one or the other.”

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, amended several times since its passage in 1940, prohibits anyone without a federal permit from disturbing, taking or possessing eagle parts, eggs or nests. Violating the act can result in a fine of up to $100,000, imprisonment for one year, or both, for a first offense, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s website. ●●●