Thanks to our successful fundraising event in June, Feathers in Flight, we are off to a great start for this year's Annual Campaign - Save the Condors!  Each and every gift helps us get closer to a self-sustaining population of condors free of lead poisoning. Help us keep it going.  See how our recovery actions, with your support, make a difference!

The #1 Preventable Threat to Condor Survival

Ventana Wildlife Society has made remarkable progress - rebuilding a wild population from zero to over 100 condors in central California. Yet every year, condors face devastating losses, mostly from ingesting spent lead ammunition. Lead poisoning remains the leading cause of death for California Condors, but it’s a preventable threat - and we know it’s a problem we can solve!

The Solution – Our Proven Recovery Actions

We have implemented a comprehensive set of five Recovery Actions that brought the California Condor back from the brink of extinction. Each action is critical to the species' survival and works in concert to support a growing wild population.

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RECOVERY ACTIONS and the importance for Condor Recovery

• Non-Lead Outreach - Outreach Specialists educate rural communities about the deadly effects of lead ammunition and promote safe, effective non-lead alternatives, creating what we call the Safe Forage Network.

• Nest Monitoring - Field teams closely monitor active condor nests, improving the chances of successful hatching and fledging.

• Captive Releases - Condors bred in captivity are regularly released to the wild to increase the population and strengthen genetic diversity.

• Medical Treatment - Sick or injured condors receive care, including life-saving treatment for lead poisoning and other health threats.

• CACO Central & GPS Tracking - We manage a centralized data system called CACO Central and track condors with GPS to detect illness early on and strategize outreach to key foraging zones.

These Proven Recovery Actions Are Needed to Keep Condors Flying Free

In 1987, there were zero condors left in the wild and only 27 in captivity. Today, thanks to nearly three decades of dedicated effort - and a major boost following the launch of Ventana Wildlife Society’s Non-Lead Outreach Program - the central California population has grown to 113 wild condors. In 2024, we achieved a powerful milestone: a record-breaking nine chicks fledged in the wild, and for the first time, more condors were born than died in a single year. This is real, measurable progress - but it remains fragile. 

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make a donation

To make a gift by check, donor advised fund, or from retirement:  Ventana Wildlife Society, 9699 Blue Larkspur Ln. Ste. 105, Monterey, CA  93940.  Tax ID #94-2795935.

For more information about making a gift of stock, contact Kelly Sorenson.

We especially thank Jean Brien Weiss for her five-year pledge, as well as the Doris Day and Terry Melcher Foundation for their support!  

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