We're sending this special issue of Georgia Wild to announce the new eagle license plate.

THE EAGLE-AND-FLAG TAG IS BACK

One of the most popular and wildlife-friendly license plates in Georgia is making a comeback.

A redesigned tag featuring a bald eagle and the U.S. flag is now available through county tag offices, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday.

This iconic combo is a throw-back to DNR’s smaller eagle-and-flag design that sold by the thousands from 2004 to 2013. Those tags, still common on cars, trucks and trailers, raised millions to conserve Georgia wildlife not legally hunted or fished for, as well as rare plants and natural habitats statewide.

Like DNR’s other five plates, the new eagle tag costs only $25 more than a standard plate to buy or renew (not including the registration fees required for all tags and any applicable ad valorem taxes). Tag guide and FAQ.

Most of that $25 fee – up to 80 percent – is dedicated to wildlife. As you probably know, the eagle and hummingbird tags support the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund. DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section depends on this fund for its mission to conserve nongame wildlife and plants, and the habitats they need to survive.

That work is making a difference. Some examples:

• The number of bald eagle nests in Georgia has soared from zero in 1970 to more than 200 this year.
• Loggerhead sea turtles laid more than 3,200 nests in Georgia this summer, far surpassing – and for the first time – the benchmark of 2,800 nests a year set to help gauge the species recovery.
• Georgia aster was not listed under the Endangered Species Act in part because of a Candidate Conservation Agreement in which DNR and others committed to conserving this rare wildflower.
• Under a similar agreement to conserve gopher tortoises, our state reptile, more than 146,000 acres were treated with prescribed fire and other measures last year to restore sandhills and upland pine habitat in multiple states.
• More than 86,000 acres have been acquired along the Altamaha River, creating a conservation corridor that is home to hundreds of rare species and open to the public for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing.

Learn more about the new tag and other DNR plates.

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LAST CALL FOR FLYING EAGLE

The flying eagle plate, one of three DNR tags introduced in 2013, is being retired. Yet some county tag offices still have them in stock.

If you’re interested in buying one, please check with your local tag office.

But hurry: Supplies are limited, and once these wild plates are gone, they’re gone!

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remember to renew

Renewing a DNR plate also provides solid support for wildlife.

For each annual renewal, $20 of the $25 specialty plate fee is directed to the targeted wildlife program. That compares to $19 from each tag purchase.

You can renew at your county tag office or, in most counties, online.

Got a wildlife plate?

Keep it, and keep the benefits coming to Georgia’s wildlife and wild places!

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