Release Sites for the California Condor
Contents
Release Sites by State
California
- Pinnacles National Park
- Ventana Wildlife Society
- Operates Big Sur and San Simeon release sites in national parks
- Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
- New Northern California Site in Development
- Collaboration between the Yurock Native American Tribe and National Parks Service
Arizona
- Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
Site Management Information
Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park is part of the California Condor Recovery Program and operates a California Condor Release Site where juveniles are transferred from captive breeding facilities and released. Condors are bred at captive facilities like the Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, Oregon Zoo, and World Center for Birds of prey until they are 18 months old. Juveniles are transported to Pinnacles National Monument where flight pens are used in remote areas to acclimate the birds to the new environment for a minimum of 2 months. While acclimating in the flight pens, birds are monitored by biologists and have interactions with the wild flock through the flight pen mesh.
Ventana Wildlife Society
The Ventana Wildlife Society purchased 2 80-acre parcels of land located in Big Sur and San Simeon on the Central Coast of California. Both sites were purchased from private sellers with funding from private citizens and funding organizations like the Hind Foundation. Juvenile Condors are bred in captivity are released from the sites utilizing tracking tags and nest cameras to monitor the Condor transition from captivity to the wild. They are the only nonprofit releasing condors in California and work in collaboration with state and federal agencies that manage public land. The success of the Big Sur and San Simeon release sites led to a collaboration between the Ventana Wildlife Society and the National Parks Service and resulted in the Condor Release Site at Pinnacles National Park.
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Disclaimer
This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.
