VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY
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Wildlife Sanctuaries

Ventana Wildlife Society protects and conserves habitats across the Central Coast. From wild releases to capturing injured birds, these critical sanctuaries ensure that the condors and other native wildlife are protected in perpetuity. Caring for critically endangered condors and their habitats through these sanctuaries is made possible through the lasting legacy of our generous donors. Learn more about our Legacy Society.
Big Sur Condor Sanctuary - Rebuild Updates
Rebuilding On Track But $96,500 Needed to Finish the Work!

The Latest:  The Hind Foundation awards $100,000, in addition to a previous gift of $75,000, to help us finish the construction of the fire-destroyed facilities critically needed for the operation of the Condor Sanctuary in Big Sur.  That just leaves $96,500 (or 11%) to go!  

The Condor Release Facility is finished (less the finishing touches), which allows our team of biologists to better care for wild condors as well as enable more releases in the future.  The Research Facility / Bunkhouse foundation is also completed!  We will resume construction after the rainy winter season to complete the project in spring 2023.

We need your help to finish the rebuild.  We now have accurate estimates based on current construction costs, which have gone up 27% since our initial budget in 2020.  Total revised rebuild budget is now $865,000.    

Please contact Kelly Sorenson for details and how you can help or make a donation today!  

Donate to Rebuilding

​The Dolan Fire destroyed the Condor's Big Sur Sanctuary

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In August of 2020, we watched as the Dolan Fire moved through the Condor Sanctuary in Big Sur destroying all structures in its wake, including our Condor Release Facility. Though catastrophic at the time, we chose to keep our eye on the future and focus on the creation of a new and improved version of this critically needed structure.

We wish to thank major donors Vinod Khosla, William Hearst III, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Hind Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Santa Cruz Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Monterey County Fire Relief Fund, and the 1,500+ individuals who are making this rebuild possible.  

Big Sur Condor
​Sanctuary

Big Sur Condor-cam watch live
DESCRIPTION: This 80-acre sanctuary contains woodlands, coastal scrub, and grasslands in a canyon overlooking the rugged Big Sur coastline. Surrounded by Ventana Wilderness, the sanctuary provides ideal habitat for California Condor nesting, roosting, and scavenging.

STATUS: The property was purchased in 2011 with funds provided by the Hind Foundation and William R. Hearst, III, as well as Linda Stevens, Paula Norwood, Robert Stephens, Joyce Harris and Julian and Helga Sands.

HIGHLIGHTS: Ventana Wildlife Society released Bald Eagles here in the 1980s in a successful bid to re-establish a breeding population in central California. The sanctuary is now the site of California Condor releases and Ventana Wildlife Society’s research and management efforts aimed at the full recovery of condors in the wild.
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San Simeon Condor
Sanctuary

watch San Simeon condor-cam
DESCRIPTION:  This property has coastal scrub habitat, mixed conifers, oak woodland, and an understory of grasses and shrubs as well as several natural springs.  ​

STATUS: Located on private property, not open to the public. 

HIGHLIGHTS: In 2016, a condor pair began nesting near the San Simeon Sanctuary, extending the breeding distribution of the species along the central coast. After the Dolan Fire resulted in the loss of approximately 10% of the central California population in 2020, we released nine captive-bred condors at the San Simeon Sanctuary, a group that helped stabilize the population in subsequent months.
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​Lake Nacimiento Bald Eagle Sanctuary

DESCRIPTION: This sanctuary protects 80 acres of open woodland and shoreline along Lake Nacimiento in northern San Luis Obispo County. Tall pines and close proximity to the lake provide excellent nesting and feeding habitat for Bald Eagles. 

STATUS: We purchased the property in 2006 to protect nesting eagles, thanks to Bill and Sally Irving, who generously donated the majority of the land's value as a gift, and Cal and Letty French, who provided the funding to cover the cash portion of the purchase.

HIGHLIGHTS: In 1995, a Bald Eagle pair began nesting at the sanctuary, becoming one of the first in the recovered central California population to breed.
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 Ventana Wildlife Society recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of the land over which the condor flies, and where a few of our wildlife sanctuaries exist today.   We also recognize the enduring relationship between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories such as the Rumsen Ohlone in Carmel Valley, Esselen in Big Sur and the Salinan in San Simeon and Lake Nacimiento.

We're proud to protect these properties as sanctuaries for condors, eagles, and other native wildlife for
generations to come and for the benefit of all. 
​They are not open to the general public, however. 
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ventana wildlife society

9699 Blue Larkspur Lane, Ste 105
Monterey, CA 93940

(831) 455-9514 | fax (831) 455-2846
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Ventana Wildlife Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization | Federal EIN 94-2795935
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  • WHO WE ARE
    • Annual Reports / Documents
    • Bald Eagles - Our Beginning
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • Media Coverage
    • Our Story
    • Staff
    • Wildlife Sanctuaries
  • CONDORS
    • Artists Supporting Condors
    • Condor Biology
    • Condor Cams
    • Condor Field Work
    • Condor Releases
    • Condor Status
    • Condor Threats
    • My Condor Bios
    • Nesting Condors
    • The Condor Chat
    • Vultures of the World
    • Zoom-Chats
  • Films and Shorts
    • Giants of Big Sur: California Condor Stories
    • The California Condors of Big Sur
    • Videos and Photos
  • Education
    • Education Overview
    • Inspirational Youth
    • PARTNER PROGRAMS >
      • MWEE for Educators and Teens
      • Nature Prescription Programs
      • Salud Y Naturaleza
      • Partner Programming
    • PUBLIC PROGRAMS >
      • Youth Programs
  • Services
    • Condor Presentations
    • Ecological Services
    • Non-Lead Ammunition
    • Wildlife Data Management Tools
  • How You Can Help
    • Adopt-A-Condor
    • Annual Membership
    • Big Sur Discovery Center
    • Donate >
      • Donate
      • Donate to Condor Recovery
      • Donate to Youth Education
      • Leadership Circle
    • Fund-A-Student
    • Legacy Society
    • S'MORE in Big Sur
    • Subscribe
    • Supporters
    • Volunteer
    • Your Opinion Matters
  • Shop