VERMILLION CLIFFS, Arizona, Sept. 25, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Saturday marks the release of four California condors raised in captivity to join the Utah-Arizona flock of North America’s largest land bird.
“Mark your calendars!” reads Tuesday’s excited announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior “The 2024 California condor release will occur on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“Prepare to be amazed as four captive-bred California condors take their first flights in the wild from the towering walls of the Vermilion cliffs National Monument in Arizona.”
“As of June 2024, there are 85 condors in the wild in the rugged canyon country of northern Arizona and southern Utah,” says the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management’s news release.
“The total world population of endangered California condors numbers more than 560 individuals, with more than half flying free in Arizona, Utah, California, and Mexico.”
To learn more, visit this link.
“This unique opportunity to witness these majestic creatures in their natural habitat is an experience of a lifetime,” reads the Department of Interior’s news release. “Whether you join us in person or via the live stream, you’ll be part of an exciting educational experience.”
The 28th annual event will be held in person at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and will be live-streamed via The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube Channel.
With wingspans up to 10 feet or more and weighing as much as 25 pounds, the giant raptors once ranged from California to Florida and Canada to Mexico.
Information about attending Saturday’s event in person:
- Driving directions: Take Highway 89A from Kanab, UT, or Page, AZ to the Vermilion Cliffs (from Flagstaff take Highway 89 to Highway 89A). Turn north onto BLM Road 1065 (a dirt road next to the small house just east of the Kaibab Plateau) and continue for almost 3 miles. If traveling from Utah, please note the differences between time zones as the event begins at 1 p.m. MDT (noon MST, northern Arizona Condor Time)
- Bring: Spotting scope or binoculars, sunscreen, hat, ample water, snacks, a chair, and layered clothing as the closest facilities to obtain supplies are 40 minutes from the remote release site.
- Details: Informational kiosk, shade structure, and restroom at the site.
- Map: https://www.blm.gov/documents/arizona/public-room/map/vcnm-condor-release-area-map
Those attending the event in person will have the opportunity to talk with condor biologists and ecosystem managers, learn about the birds and their habitat, and enjoy a festival-like atmosphere while waiting for the condors to take their first flight from the Vermilion Cliffs.
The Arizona-Utah California Condor conservation effort is a cooperative program by federal, state, and private partners, included in a long list:
The Peregrine Fund, the Bureau of Land Management’s Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and the Bureau of Land Management in Utah (BLM), Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Kaibab and Dixie National Forests, and tribes (Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians [Kaibab-Paiute Tribe] and Navajo Nation), among many other supporting groups and individuals.
The first California Condor release at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was on December 12, 1996, the BLM said. Last year marked the first year a release did not take place due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which killed a total of 21 condors in the Utah-Arizona flock. To prevent additional infections, no condors were released until it was determined the outbreak had ceased.
“This year’s condor release will be especially impactful given the losses we experienced in 2023 from HPAI and lead poisoning,” said Tim Hauck, The Peregrine Fund’s California Condor program director.
“With only 85 condors remaining in the Utah-Arizona flock and lead poisoning still a prominent issue, the release of these four condors will have a significant impact on the recovery program.”
