New passports will be phased in during 1999

The State Department last month began issuing new passports withdigital images and other technical changes aimed at thwartingduplication. But don't expect to be the first on your block to getone.

The design is being phased in gradually through the end of 1999,and "we cannot fulfill someone's request for a digitized passport" inthe interim, a department spokeswoman said.

Your best chance of getting one now is to order a passportthrough the mail, which is allowed only for renewals, not first-timepassport seekers. Many but not all mail-in renewals are processed inthe National Passport Center in Portsmouth, N.H., which has the newequipment, the spokeswoman said.Officials say about 15,000 U.S. passports are stolen each year;some are altered and used by criminals or terrorists. The new designuses a digital image of the bearer instead of a photograph, whichthieves sometimes cut out and replace, and a security film layer,similar to a hologram, that incorporates coin designs and an eagle.For information on renewing your passport by mail, call (888)362-8668 or visit the State Department's Internet site:travel.state.gov.Winter is the peak season for spotting bald eagles by thehundreds in Canada and Alaska, with tour operators offering anup-close look at America's national symbol.The draw for the eagles is hordes of salmon, which annually raceupstream, spawn and then die - providing a feast for the scavengerbirds.Although bald eagles can be found in the Lower 48, Alaska andBritish Columbia are renowned for their huge, visiting flocks. InJanuary, 1994, 3,769 bald eagles were recorded in a single day duringthe annual count in the Squamish River area, about an hour north ofVancouver.The Canadian Outback Adventure Co. is typical of tour operatorson the Squamish. For about $75 per person, you can ride - and,often, help paddle - a nine-person raft along the river, which skirtsthe Bains Island Ecological Preserve.The price includes lunch after the trip, which lasts about 1 1/2to 3 hours, a spokesman said.In the last few weeks, about 100 to 200 birds have been spottedper trip, he said; numbers usually peak in late December to earlyJanuary. To make reservations, call (800) 565-8735.In Alaska's Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, about 90 miles north ofJuneau near Haines, the viewing season is October through December,local officials said.Although rivers now are mostly frozen over, the preserve can betoured by car.For information, call the Haines State Parks office at (907)766-2292 or the Haines Convention & Visitors Bureau at (907)766-2234.