On Sept. 25 up to two California condors could be released into
the wild at Pinnacles National Monument, according a press release
from the park.
The public is invited to attend Condor Comeback 2010, a condor
release celebration, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park Visitor
Center near the campground on the east side of the park, accessible
from Hwy. 25.
On Sept. 25 up to two California condors could be released into the wild at Pinnacles National Monument, according a press release from the park.
The public is invited to attend Condor Comeback 2010, a condor release celebration, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park Visitor Center near the campground on the east side of the park, accessible from Hwy. 25.
This is the seventh release of the endangered birds at Pinnacles. Ultimately, project biologists anticipate building a sustainable population of up to 30 condors at Pinnacles, an historic condor nesting area, over the next several years, according to a statement from the park. The reintroduction of California condors to Pinnacles is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Pinnacles Partnership in collaboration with the California Condor Recovery Team.
A live, remote video feed from the condor facility to the Visitor Center will display the young condors in the pen and the first flight of any released birds. In addition, the event will have speakers, informational and educational booths staffed by rangers and park partners, and an activity booth for children to draw and display their “condor wishes,” according to a statement from Pinnacles.
Car pooling is encouraged since parking is limited, and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Though the event is not being held in the previously used viewing area, spotting scopes, binoculars, water, layered clothing, and comfortable hiking shoes are recommended for viewing wild condors in the park
According to the statement from Pinnacles:
Because of the significance of this event and the desire to make it accessible to everyone, Superintendent Eric Brunnemann has scheduled the event to coincide with National Public Lands Day, a day when entrance fees are waived at all National Park sites.
“We are encouraged by the success of this program and the support of the local communities and park neighbors,” Brunnemann said. “The return of the California condor to the central coast of California provides excellent opportunities for condor viewing in the park, and we are proud to be a part of the recovery of this magnificent species.”
Four juvenile condors – three females and one male – will be set free in Pinnacles National Monument this fall, joining the park’s 26 wild resident condors. On Sept.25, up to two birds may be “soft released” through a trap on the side of the flight pen, and once these birds give indications that they are acclimating to their new surroundings, the park plans to release the remaining juveniles over the following weeks. There is a chance that no birds will enter the trap on the day of the event. But there is a good chance to see previously released free flying condors. The 1- to 2-year-old juvenile condors are a result of successful captive breeding programs at the Oregon Zoo and Peregrine Fund World Center of Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho.
All of Pinnacles’ releases have been “soft releases” by opening a portion of the flight pen from out of sight of the birds. This technique is less stressful on the birds since the condors are able to escape the pen without seeing people and they often see other condors immediately outside of the pen, and thereby have another bird to learn from.
Pinnacles Partnership, a friends group formed by several local citizens in 2006, supports projects at Pinnacles that are critical to protecting and restoring park lands, ranging from supporting condor recovery efforts at Pinnacles to supporting schools’ ability to use Pinnacles as an outdoor classroom.
Ventana Wildlife Society, which has been conducting condor releases in Big Sur since 1997, teamed up with the National Park Service in 2002 to reintroduce condors to Pinnacles National Monument.
From a population low of 22 birds in the mid-1980s, condors have rebounded through captive breeding efforts and educational programs explaining human-caused threats to condor survival. As of July 31, the world population of California condors was 196 in captivity and 188 in the wild.
