DC signing ceremony links parks, promotes condor reintroduction
in the U. S. and Argentina
Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) participated in an event
creating a formal partnership between the Pinnacles National
Monument and Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito in Argentina
Jan. 15. The sister parks share similar resources, including
populations of endangered condors.
Farr was joined by National Park Service Director Jonathan
Jarvis, Argentina’s National Administration for Parks President
Patricia Gandini and Pinnacles National Monument Superintendent
Eric Brunneman at the ceremony.
DC signing ceremony links parks, promotes condor reintroduction in the U. S. and Argentina
Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) participated in an event creating a formal partnership between the Pinnacles National Monument and Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito in Argentina Jan. 15. The sister parks share similar resources, including populations of endangered condors.
Farr was joined by National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, Argentina’s National Administration for Parks President Patricia Gandini and Pinnacles National Monument Superintendent Eric Brunneman at the ceremony.
“I’ve always been a supporter of the condor rehabilitation efforts at Pinnacles, and I think this new partnership is another great move for their world class effort,” Farr said, in a press release. “I think this is another feather in the Pinnacles cap and will hopefully move us even closer to establishing Pinnacles as a National Park, a designation it rightfully deserves.”
The partnership creating the “sister park” agreement will promote the information sharing and research efforts on their common biological and geological features, especially those pertaining to condor recovery programs. Both parks are heavily involved with reintroducing majestic but endangered condors to the wild.
Pinnacles National Monument is home to 22 of just 180 free-flying California condors. Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito is leading the conservation effort for the Andean condor.
The parks will also coordinate on projects concerning habitat preservation, threatened species, education programs and community involvement. The National Park Service and Argentina’s National Administration for Parks have had an official Memorandum of Understanding since 1997, but this is the first sister park partnership to form under that agreement.
A group of scientists from Pinnacles National Monument traveled to Argentina to learn about their tracking and study techniques with the birds in September 2008. Part of the partnership is a five-year scientist exchange program with Argentina aimed at preserving the threatened scavenger, Pinnacles National Monument director Eric Brunnemann told a news conference at the time of the visit.
The number of California condors is estimated at around 300 – half of which are in captivity – and they are still in danger of extinction.
The Andean condor, a different species, has fared better: There are between 2,000 and 3,000 of the birds gliding over Argentina’s snowy crags.
Argentine and U.S. scientists have been working together since the early 1980s, when the California condor was on the brink of extinction. U.S. scientists applied successful efforts in Argentina to breed condors in captivity and then release them to salvage a waning California population.
“I want to thank Argentina because we were able to save our condors,” Brunnemann said, at the time of the initial visit.
Pinnacles biologist Denise Louie said condors still are in a precarious position. The two species face encroaching human development that threatens their mountain nests, hunting, and farmers who poison dead animals to prevent disease, which the carrion-eating condors then digest.
“The situation of the condors in both countries is grave,” she said.
Pinnacle staff created a blog so that locals can track their time overseas. The blog, condoresargentinos.blogspot.com, has photos, video and descriptions of their activities in recent visits.
