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Central California Flock
vaccination update: 80% of wild condors are now vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) 
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more news . . .
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If you find a sick/injured or deceased condor
Please do not attempt to handle or move them. Please contact us ASAP and we will assist. |
Species Recovery
Bald Eagles
Ventana Wildlife Society restored a breeding population of Bald Eagles to the California central coast from 1986-2000.
Ventana Wildlife Society restored a breeding population of Bald Eagles to the California central coast from 1986-2000.
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Bald Eagles are breeding once again in the central California coast region, thanks to a successful re-introduction project. From 1986-2000, we released 70 juvenile Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 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 and the wild Bald Eagle population is thriving!
This video, filmed June 13, 2024, shows a mother feeding her eaglets in San Simeon, CA. These descendants of the 70 Bald Eagles released over 24 years ago are a testament to our species recovery program's success! |
California Condors
Restoring California Condors to the wild since 1997
Restoring California Condors to the wild since 1997
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By the 1980s, the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) 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 2024/25 goal is $379,000. Please consider making a gift today and help the condor survive in the wild again. |
Education
Connecting Youth to Nature Since 1992
Connecting Youth to Nature Since 1992
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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 Castroville 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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VWS works multiple Monterey County communities to provide weekly off-site nature classes for youth during the school year while monthly on-site Community Outdoor Club Meetings, single-day field trips and overnight campouts for multigenerational participants occur year-round. More . . .
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