Save the Condors

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• Help us continue Proven Recovery Actions (listed below). Each year we get closer to full recovery.
• The VWS Condor Program operates on a $1.1M budget to fulfill these actions, which are critical to the recovery effort.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service no longer provides assistance, but the condor program has long relied on private support
• Corporate and foundation support is increasing, but individuals continue to be most important at 58% of the total need. 
• The 2025 Save the Condors campaign is on track, but the annual need from individuals is $635,000, see below for current status.    
• Starting on November 13, Monterey County Gives, a community-based initiative, donations will be matched and will count toward the 2025 Campaign Goal.    
• Please help us succeed in raising the support needed this year toward condor recovery.

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- 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.

• 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 and strategize outreach to key foraging zones

These 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. 

​As our federal grant funding will not be renewed and expires in December of this year, your support is critically needed to fuel our strategy of these Recovery Actions

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donate from outside the us

To make a gift by check/money order, mail to:  Ventana Wildlife Society, 9699 Blue Larkspur Ln. Ste. 105, Monterey, CA  93940.  

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