Ted Lightfoot presented his newly crafted bald eagle sculpture in Aldergrove on Saturday, March 16.

For some months now, Lightfoot and other local advocates have been meeting with First Nations groups to save wetland areas and salmon habitat. At each meeting, Lightfoot took notice of a bald eagle perched on a Willow tree above the meeting table in the backyard.

鈥淭hat inspired me to build an eagle鈥� they are a keystone species,鈥� Lightfoot said.

He began with a piece of Juniper wood, carving out the body of the bird, and then cutting the pieces for the wings.

Juniper is a slow growing tree, Lightfoot explained. The growth rings are about 80 years per inch.

鈥淪o, this piece of wood [for the eagle] is well over two or three hundred years old,鈥� the Glen Valley resident said.

Once he鈥檇 made the main pieces, Lightfoot added furs and fabric to give the eagle鈥檚 feathers its appropriate colours.

The white fur of its head was made with fabric he found at Fabricland. He also used faux fur from a child鈥檚 coat he found at Value Village.

To finish the feathers on top of the wings, he used a river otter pelt donated to him.

鈥淪omebody found one hit by a car and gave me the pelt鈥� I thought this was good use for it.鈥�

The tip of the eagle鈥檚 beak is made of copper, so it鈥檚 sturdy and not at risk of breaking, as well as the tips 鈥� which Lightfoot designed to slip on.

鈥淐opper allowed me to get the right shape, it鈥檚 more flexible,鈥� he said.

For its eyes, Lightfoot used the decorative piece from cuff links that once belonged to a family member to make the eagle鈥檚 eyes pop.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 gold, and it works perfectly,鈥� he commented.

Lastly, to make the feet he used a combination of wire, sawdust, and an elastomeric caulking compound to allow him to shape them and ensure they were flexible. The talons are made from hand forged nails, which are hammered into a wooden fish Lightfoot also carved.

Lightfoot recalled the most challenging part of sculpting the bald eagle was ensuring certain parts were straight, and that it had form and function.

He estimated the sculpture took about a month to complete.

During his presentation at the Aldergrove library, Lightfoot shared several facts about the bald eagle, including that they mate for life, they are talented divers, and their white head and tails don鈥檛 create shadows above water.

鈥淭he reason they鈥檙e white is that they can be in the sunlight and take a fish out [of the water] without being seen,鈥� he said.

Lightfoot also said bald eagles have six times sharper the eyesight of a human, which is where the term 鈥渆agle eye鈥� comes from.

His presentation was part of the month-long culture event series put on by the 91原创 Arts Council. Next, a Latin dance performance by the Grupoamerica team takes place on Saturday, March 23, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Aldergrove library.

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