The condors will join the Arizona-Utah flock on
National Public Lands Day, Sept. 26
Contributed Article/Courtesy AZGFD
VERMILION CLIFFS, Ariz.– The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is excited to once again join its partners in California condor conservation in celebrating National Public Lands Day with the release of captive-bred, endangered condors into the Arizona-Utah flock at a public event held on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
This year’s event, hosted by The Peregrine Fund and the Bureau of Land Management, will feature an in-person celebration at the condor viewing site in the valley below the release pen, as well as a livestream on the Peregrine Fund’s YouTube channel. The event also marks the 30th anniversary of California condor releases at the national monument.
The four condors scheduled for release were hatched and raised at the Oregon Zoo and the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, as part of a captive breeding program designed to bolster the wild population and increase genetic diversity of the flock.
With a wingspan over nine feet and weighing up to 25 pounds, the California condor is the largest land bird in North America. Historically, the species ranged from California to Florida and Western Canada to Northern Mexico, but populations declined drastically by the mid-20th century.
California condors were listed under the Endangered Species Act in the 1960s, and today, the most persistent threat to their recovery is lead poisoning.
Studies suggest that lead shot and bullet fragments found in animal carcasses and gut piles are the most likely source of lead exposure. To help combat this, AZGFD runs a lead reduction program, offering lead-free ammunition to anyone hunting in condor country.
“This year’s hunters are very engaged in this conservation program and have been requesting lead-free ammo for their upcoming hunts,” said Erin Brown, AZGFD lead reduction program coordinator. “Having hunters on board is so essential because lead poisoning is population-limiting for these birds and one of the main challenges to reaching a self-sustaining population.”
For details on attending the event in person or watching the livestream, visit The Peregrine Fund’s event page.
The Arizona-Utah California condor conservation effort is a cooperative program by federal, state, and private partners, including 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.
