Ventana Wildlife Society

2023 Condor Release Event

Sign-Up for Live Broadcast on December 12!
We are thrilled to invite the public and educators to an unforgettable live event that offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Be part of this unique opportunity to watch and interact as we release young condors into the wild in San Simeon, California.

Event Highlights:

Live broadcast of the condor release, starting at 9:00AM (PT)
Educational insights into condor biology and conservation
Interactive Q&A sessions with our condor biologists
Perfect for educators to integrate into their classrooms

--- Watch these young birds, live on the San Simeon Condor Cam as they acclimate to their surroundings and each other as we prepare the condors for release!

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Watch November's Condor Release!

We invite you to participate and support Ventana Wildlife Society through Monterey County Gives.
Maximize your gift by donating now through December 31, 2023, every gift helps!

Hot Links

New Condor themed merchandise make great gifts! Order now and receive it within
$150,000 more needed to complete the Research Facility / Bunkhouse ... the Condor Release Pen is Complete!
Watch Condor Canyon Teaser - A new wildlife documentary and true story by Ventana Wildlife Society, funded by the Doris Day and Terry Melcher Foundation.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Vaccination trials for California Condors in captivity are on track.
Local Hunters and Ranchers - Get free non-lead ammunition!
Reward for Arrest of condor shooter increased to $15,000.

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condor cams

The Condor Chat

Species Recovery

Bald Eagles
Restored a breeding population of Bald Eagles to the California central coast from 1986-2000

Bald Eagles are breeding once again in the Central California Coast Region, thanks to a successful re-introduction project. During 1986-2000, we released 70 juvenile Bald Eagles at our Big Sur wildlife sanctuary. Our goal was to establish a population of four adult breeding Bald Eagle pairs, in the hopes of creating a self-sustaining population. At our last count, we found 30 nesting territories. The wild Bald Eagle population is thriving!

Condors
Restoring California Condors to the wild since 1997

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My Condor Bios

condor Biology

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By the 1980s, the California Condor population was in crisis, and extinction in the wild seemed imminent. The dramatic decline of condors in the 20th century has been attributed to shooting, poisoning, electric power lines, egg collecting, and habitat loss. In 1987, the last wild California Condor was taken into captivity to join the 26 remaining condors in an attempt to bolster the population through a captive breeding program. At that time, it was uncertain whether or not North America's largest flying land bird (by wingspan, 9.5 feet) would ever again soar in the wild.

USFWS Matching Fund - Help Us Restore the Flock
Thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species Fund, every dollar spent this year will be matched 1:1! Our 2023/24 goal is $372,000. Please consider making a gift today and help the condor survive in the wild again.

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Education
Connecting Youth to Nature Since 1992

Since 1992, we've been providing outdoor education programs for youth. We pick them up in our fleet of four 15-passenger vans, meeting in communities from Marina to Salinas, and inland from Prunedale to Greenfield. Our destinations have included whale watching boats in the bay, kayaks at Elkhorn Slough, tidepools at Point Pinos, caves in Pinnacles National Park, and forests in the Ventana Wilderness. We provide opportunities for children who have never experienced these things before and offer the discovery of a new world, new emotions, and new possibilities. More than 1,300 youth enroll in our outdoor education programs each year, but we still focus on the individual, their unique discoveries, and the potential they have to shape the lives of others.

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