Condor Overview
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California Condor Story
By the 1980s, the California Condor was on the brink of extinction. Populations had plummeted due to shooting, poisoning, collisions with power lines, egg collecting, and habitat loss. In 1987, the last wild condor was brought into captivity, joining just 26 others in a desperate effort to save the species. No one knew if these magnificent birds - with wings stretching nearly 10 feet—would ever soar freely again.
As the fate of the species hung in the balance, Ventana Wildlife Society took action. In 1997, we began releasing captive-bred condors along California’s central coast, restoring them to the wild where they belong. Since then, we’ve monitored their growing population, studied their scavenging on marine and terrestrial mammals, and celebrated their success nesting in the wild once more. These magnificent birds are now self-sufficient in most respects, but full recovery of the population is still threatened by lead poisoning. Together with the National Park Service, we continue to manage the central California flock—moving ever closer to our goal of a fully self-sustaining population. Read Full Story |
Save the Condors 2025 Campaign
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Help us reach our goal of $635,000 - for California Condors - by the end of the yearOur federal grant funding for Condor Recovery expires this December and will not be renewed. Your support is needed now more than ever to power our Condor Recovery Actions and ensure the continued success of this Critically Endangered species.
If our existing donors give just 25% more than last year, and we welcome at least 150 new supporters, together we can keep these magnificent condors flying free! |
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Meet The Staff
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"Condor" Joe Burnett - California Condor Recovery Manager
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Mike Stake - Non-lead Outreach manager
Tim Huntington - Sr Software Engineer, CACO Central Evan McWreath - GIS SPecialist Derek Witmer - Non-lead Outreach Specialist 
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Condor Recovery Funders
Annenberg Foundation / Explore.org
Avian and Exotic Clinic of Monterey, Inc Blacktail Engineering Brooks Fabrication & Design, Inc California Department of Fish & Wildlife California Department of Parks and Rec East Bat Community Foundation, Nootbaar Family Fund Kinnoull Foundation Marisla Foundation Nancy Eccles and Homer Hayward Family Foundation National Park Service Oakland Zoo Pacific Gas and Electric Ranch WiFi Ruth Smart Foundation Santa Barbara Museum of Natural Hist Sylvanus Charitable Trust Wendy P McCaw Foundation |
Condor Recovery Partners
LA Zoo
Oakland Zoo Oregon Zoo San Diego Zoo Pinnacles national Park The Peregrine Fund US Fish and Wildlife Service Yurok tribe |
