Osprey numbers in the US increasing

"In 2001, the number of breeding pairs in the lower 48 United States was estimated at between 16,000 and 19,000. In the 1950s, and 1960s, Osprey populations decreased and the species was extirpated from many areas due to the effects of organochlorine pesticides like DDT. . . Osprey populations have increased in the United States since the late 1970s. Numbers increased primarily due to a ban on the widespread use of DDT in 1972. Today, Osprey numbers in the United States are increasing and individuals are returning to formerly vacated breeding grounds, as well as expanding into new areas."