When America went looking for a bald eagle worthy of its 250th birthday, it found her in Auburn.
Indy, Auburn University’s beloved bald eagle ambassador, headlined the burial of “America’s Time Capsule” on July 4 at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia — steps from the hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years earlier — before returning home safely to the Plains.
The congressionally mandated capsule, a 900-pound stainless steel vessel packed with contributions from all 50 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, was lowered into the ground on Independence Mall, where it will stay sealed until the nation’s 500th birthday in 2276.
And when it went down, an Alabama eagle presided.
“Auburn sent its eagle to celebrate America’s 250th birthday — and she became the star of the show,” said Susan Carothers, Director of Communications for The Raptor Foundation. “We are so proud of Indy, of the entire Auburn University Raptor Center team, and of what The Raptor Foundation was able to make happen. This was a once-in-250-years moment, and Auburn was a major part of it.”
The trip, facilitated by The Raptor Foundation of Alabama in partnership with the Auburn University Raptor Center, took months of advance work: federal permits, hotel accommodations and rehearsals for the big moment. Indy flew commercial with her own boarding pass — and two seats on the aircraft — with Raptor Center staff and foundation representatives beside her every mile of the journey.
Indy came to the Raptor Center in 2018 from a Florida wildlife rehabilitation facility, where she had been treated as a hatchling for a wing injury. Human imprinting during her recovery meant she could never return to the wild, so she became a permanent educational ambassador instead — and under the Raptor Center’s trainers, one of the most accomplished raptor ambassadors in the country.
“Auburn is so proud of Indy and of everything she represents,” said Robyn Miller, Director of the Auburn University Raptor Center. “And we are grateful to The Raptor Foundation for making this trip possible. This was an opportunity to celebrate not only our nation’s history, but also our shared responsibility to ensure its wildlife and wild places endure for generations yet to come.”
The capsule Indy helped send into the future carries, among hundreds of items, an iPhone, a Coca-Cola bottle and a Library of Congress device encoded with synthetic DNA carrying Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.
It is one of two semiquincentennial time capsules bearing Alabama fingerprints: U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) sponsored the legislation behind Congress’ own capsule, dedicated in the Capitol days earlier and likewise sealed until 2276.
Back home, Alabama marked the milestone with the Sweet Home 250 festival at American Village in Montevallo, the centerpiece of the state’s own America 250 celebration.
The Auburn University Raptor Center rehabilitates hundreds of injured raptors every year and reaches more than 30,000 people annually through 300-plus educational programs. The Raptor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, supports Indy and her fellow ambassadors; to learn more or donate, visit raptorfoundation.com or vetmed.auburn.edu/raptor.
