Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from High Mountain Condor List > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Thursday, July 2 at 03:24 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Cave Swallow,©Julie Zickefoose

02 Jul Nice rescue "story" [Marcelle ] 27 Jun No Subject [steve schubert ] 26 Jun Mixer publicity [Marcelle ] 23 Jun good news [Marcelle ] 19 Jun Good news, keep fingers crossed [Marcelle ] 27 May Story [Marcelle ] 24 May NYTimes.com: Another Way Lead Kills Condors ["Robert Schwartz" ] 24 May FW: NYTimes.com: Another Way Lead Kills Condors ["Robert Schwartz" ] 21 May Hope this helps [Marcelle ] 15 May good news [Marcelle ] 13 May sad news [Marcelle ] 05 May Nest viewing near Pinnacles [Marcelle ] 05 May GREAT news! [Marcelle ] 29 Apr good news [Marcelle ] 27 Apr Re: Re: Santa Barbara Zoo "Condor Country" exhibit [] 26 Apr Hi Mountain to Huff's Hole [] 24 Apr Re: Santa Barbara Zoo "Condor Country" exhibit ["esandhaus" ] 23 Apr Santa Barbara Zoo "Condor Country" exhibit ["cc93443" ] 21 Apr New nest! [Marcelle ] 19 Apr Not such good news [Marcelle ] 10 Apr More news on # 375 [Debi Schmitt ] 10 Apr Getting Serious [Marcelle ] 06 Apr bad news [Marcelle ] 02 Apr 2 chicks hatch + more to come! [Marcelle ] 26 Mar Good "egg" News [Marcelle ] 20 Mar CNPS Newsletter, March, 2009 [steve schubert ] 13 Mar Some people shouldn't have guns [Marcelle ] 07 Mar condors en route to SBA [Marcelle ] 04 Mar Trash in their gut [Debi Schmitt ] 04 Mar BYM Marine Environment News [Marcelle ] 03 Mar Santa Barbara Zoo [Debi Schmitt ] 03 Mar Santa Barbara Zoo [Debi Schmitt ] 03 Mar Progress on the condor exhibit [Marcelle ] 03 Mar Congrats Jan, et al ! [Marcelle ] 23 Feb hunters "improving" [Marcelle ] 19 Feb Condor Article in Oregonian ["condorhiker" ] 19 Feb Did you see? [Marcelle ] 10 Feb good news [Marcelle ] 02 Feb good news [Marcelle ] 25 Jan poorwill [] 25 Jan donations [] 11 Jan Heartwarming condor story... [Marcelle ] 29 Dec Article [Marcelle ] 23 Dec sad news [Marcelle ] 17 Dec Good news [Marcelle ] 08 Dec Nice photos [Marcelle ] 05 Dec more good news [Marcelle ] 03 Dec Good news for condors [Marcelle ] 24 Nov Feathers?! [Marcelle ] 10 Nov No Subject [steve schubert ] 31 Oct Cool video of "miracle chick" [Marcelle ] 20 Oct More good news [Marcelle ] 20 Oct donations [] 20 Oct Good news [Marcelle ] 20 Oct Story [Marcelle ] 19 Oct film festival [] 4 Oct OLLI lecture [] 26 Sep wildlife lovers - ask for EIR! [Marcelle ] 24 Sep CORRECTED "Invite" & Schedule [Marcelle ] 24 Sep You are invited [Marcelle ] 14 Sep San Luis Obispo County’s website | 09/13/2008 | Saving a threatened scavenger [] 10 Sep Sad news [Marcelle ] 1 Sep A Summer at Hi Mountain with the Interns ["Pat White" ] 12 Aug This is what it will take! [Marcelle ] 07 Aug New report warns: current effort not enough [Marcelle ] 5 Aug donations [] 17 Jul good news w/ a little bad news [Marcelle ] 17 Jul Nice story [Marcelle ] 06 Jul AC8, her life and death ["Helen Snyder" ] 05 Jul URGENT: comments needed by Monday on Tejon Ranch's development plans ["Helen Snyder" ] 04 Jul and some GOOD news! [Marcelle ] 1 Jul Anthony Prieto, V.C. Star editorial ["Paul Andreano" ] 01 Jul SADNESS [Marcelle ] 24 Jun Fire [Debi Schmitt ] 24 Jun Here's the "whole story" of condor evac [Marcelle ] 24 Jun Fires [Debi Schmitt ] Subject: Nice rescue "story" From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:22:52 -0700 This was passed around the Calif. Council of Wildlife Rehabbers (CCWR) [Kelly Sorensen, VWS, wanted to share this and wrote ] Almost exactly one year after the Basin Complex Fire in Big Sur and the heroic effort to rescue eight captive condors at our release site Reader's Digest came out with the story in their July 2009 Issue. The dramatic rescue was led by Joe Burnett with assistance from VWS biologist Mike Tyner, intern Henry Bonifas, and the US Coast Guard. For your convenience, here is the link to the story. It is well done by writer A.J.S Rayl and contains all the details of the rescue that you may not have heard. Please take a moment and read the article or pick up your copy and forward to a friend or family member that may enjoy reading it. To all who helped us rebuild quickly and get back up and running to restore condors to the wild, we thank you! http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=282993969&u=3101690 -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: No Subject From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:46:45 -0700 Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Benefit Mixer Sunday, July 19th . 3 to 6pm Saucelito Canyon Tasting Room . $20 3180 Biddle Ranch Rd, SLO . In the Heart of Edna Valley Join Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, The Land Conservancy, Morro Coast Audubon Society and the staff and volunteers from Hi Mountain for a festive afternoon exploring the work of Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Project and the California Condor Recovery Program. $20 admission includes live acoustic music, wine & cheese tasting and exclusive talks with local experts. More Info at www.condorlookout.org or Phone (805) 927-1017 (Leave a message for Marcelle at Stepping Stones). Advanced reservations at: www.saucelitocanyon.com. Please RSVP if you might attending (and the number in your group) to Steve at s_schub1 AT msn.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Mixer publicity From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:07:04 -0700 Good publicity (even though it's at the bottom of the list of community events) in the Five Cities Times Press Recorder (re: Hi Mountain Mixer) http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2009/06/25/news/fivecities/news17.txt Wine mixer to benefit condor recovery A mixer from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 19, will benefit efforts to bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction. The mixer will be held at Saucelito Canyon tasting room in the Edna Valley, 3180 Biddle Ranch Road, San Luis Obispo. Attendees can sample Saucelito Canyon wines, listen to live music and learn about the condor recovery program from professionals. The cost is $20. For more information, visit www.condorlookout.org . -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:55:16 -0700 *Judge refuses to limit fine for S.F. Bay oil spill...* Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, June 23, 2009 The company that operated the container ship that struck the Bay Bridge 18 months ago and spilled 53,000 gallons of fuel oil lost a bid Monday to limit its fine to $400,000 on criminal charges of negligently polluting San Francisco Bay and killing seabirds. Even after Fleet Management Ltd. offered to plead guilty to two misdemeanors last month, federal prosecutors were entitled to file amended charges that carry a potential fine of $40 million, said U.S. District Judge Susan Illston. She put her ruling on hold until Friday so the company can decide whether to appeal or go to trial on the charges. Fleet Management operated the Cosco Busan, a 901-foot vessel that hit the second tower of the bridge west of Yerba Buena Island in thick morning fog on Nov. 7, 2007. Oil pouring from a gash on the ship's port side reached the bay shoreline and ocean beaches in Marin and San Mateo counties and killed more than 2,000 birds. Government agencies have estimated the cost of the damage and cleanup at $60 million. The ship's pilot, John Cota, has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of negligently polluting the waters and killing birds. His plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of two to 10 months and a fine of between $3,000 and $30,000. Fleet Management is charged with the same two misdemeanors, for its management of the ship and training of the crew, and with six felonies for allegedly concealing the ship's navigation plans and fabricating plans to obstruct a federal investigation. The company is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 14 on the felony charges, which are unaffected by the dispute over its potential sentence for the misdemeanors. When Fleet Management first offered to plead guilty on May 11, the misdemeanor charges carried fines of up to $200,000 each. On May 26, the day before the company was scheduled to appeal in court, prosecutors obtained a new grand jury indictment accusing the company of causing $20 million in losses and invoking a law that allowed it to be fined twice that amount. Fleet Management accused prosecutors of manipulating the system and argued that it should be allowed to plead guilty to the earlier charges with the lower maximum fine. The company cited a past case in which prosecutors were barred from seeking increased sentences after defendants had admitted their guilt in court but had not yet formally pleaded guilty. But Illston said Fleet Management had made no such courtroom confessions before the prosecution raised the possible sentence. The company also said a $40 million fine for unintentional harm would be excessive, but Illston said the argument was premature because prosecutors haven't yet announced what penalty they will seek. For the full story visit the site below: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 06/23/BAPL18BS4O .DTL -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Good news, keep fingers crossed From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:36:08 -0700 California condor chick hatches in Baja The Associated Press Posted: 06/18/2009 11:00:00 PM PDT Updated: 06/18/2009 11:50:50 PM PDT SAN DIEGO---The San Diego Zoo says a rare California condor chick has hatched on a rocky cliff in Baja California. The zoo announced the hatching Thursday. It's only the second time a condor chick has hatched in Mexico since the zoo reintroduced the critically endangered species to the area in 2002. The other hatched in 2007, but disappeared a month later. Zoo officials say this latest chick has been immunized against West Nile virus, after biologists rappelled 330 down the cliff to get to its nest. The condor is in Baja's Sierra San Pedro de Martir National Park, and officials say it is about 45 days old. The birds are being reintroduced by the California Condor Recovery Program, an organization comprising zoos and government agencies from the U.S. and Mexico. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Story From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 08:05:28 -0700 New York Times (on-line) Story about Private Eye Looking for condor shooters http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/science/earth/24condor.html?_r=1 another version about the PI: All Gov (web-site) http://www.allgov.com/ViewNews/On_the_Trail_of_the_Condor_Killers_90527 -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: NYTimes.com: Another Way Lead Kills Condors From: "Robert Schwartz" <rschwartz AT applied-learning-systems.com> Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 16:24:43 -0700 Sorry, let's try that again: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/science/earth/24condor.html [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: FW: NYTimes.com: Another Way Lead Kills Condors From: "Robert Schwartz" <rschwartz AT applied-learning-systems.com> Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 15:16:22 -0700 _____ From: emailthis AT ms3.lga2.nytimes.com [mailto:emailthis AT ms3.lga2.nytimes.com] On Behalf Of rschwartz AT applied-learning-systems.com Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2009 3:14 PM To: rschwartz AT applied-learning-systems.com Subject: NYTimes.com: Another Way Lead Kills Condors The New York Times E-mail This This page was sent to you by: rschwartz AT applied-learning-systems.com SCIENCE / ENVIRONMENT | May 24, 2009 Another Way Lead Kills Condors By MALIA WOLLAN With a lead bullet ban in place in California condor territory, two of the endangered birds found riddled with shotgun pellets set off a hunt for the shooter. Most E-mailed 1. The Case for Working With Your Hands 2. Amid Housing Bust, Phoenix Begins a New Frenzy 3. Brain Power: At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age 4. Many Summer Internships Are Going Organic 5. Op-Ed Columnist: La Cage aux Democrats » Go to Complete List Advertisement My Life in Ruins The star of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' is finally going to Greece. Watch the new trailer! Click here to view trailer Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Hope this helps From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 11:35:39 -0700 News release about the $40,000. reward & "wanted" poster for who shot the two condors recently. Even if they don't find the shooter(s), it will raise awareness and perhaps keep others from shooting our beloved "large birds"..... http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/condor-investigation-05-21-09.html -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 15:40:42 -0700 from Zoo & Aquarium Visitor http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-1453-Oregon_Zoo_Has_3_More_California_Condors_to_Feed Oregon Zoo Has 3 More California Condors to Feed By Bill LaMarche Portland, OR - The Oregon Zoo has all of its eggs in one basket, and they're starting to hatch. Three more California condor nestlings have joined this year's first chick at the zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation. The center's second spring chick hatched a few weeks ago, and the third followed early last week. The fourth chick hatched under condor parents Paxa and Sawlu over the weekend and is quite vocal. All three of the new chicks appear healthy and are being well tended to by their parents or foster parents. Only two eggs remain in the incubators and both are expected to hatch in the coming week - one May 18 and the other May 19. All of this year's chicks are active, and the inquisitive 3-week-old is starting to play with feathers and other objects in its nest room. "It's great to see the chicks exploring and interacting with their environment," said Shawn St. Michael, condor curator. "This year's chicks are a good group, and they all seem to have great dispositions." Seven condor pairs produced eggs this year, and six of the eggs have proved fertile. The zoo's condor facility is currently home to 31 condors, not counting the new arrivals, and has produced 23 fertile eggs since it was established in 2004. Of the 21 eggs already hatched in Oregon, 17 chicks have survived; two eggs were sent to other facilities for hatching. Normally, condors only lay a single egg every other year, but in captivity this process can be sped up. If an egg is moved from the nest to an incubator for hatching, female condors will usually lay a second egg and sometimes a third. This procedure is known as double- or triple-clutching, and has dramatically increased condor numbers since captive breeding began. "Each new hatch brings us one step closer to species recovery," said St. Michael. "Our program is relatively new but growing in strength each year." Condors are the largest land birds in North America with wingspans of up to 9 1/2 feet and an average weight of 18 to 25 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive - and highly endangered. Accumulated lead poisoning is currently the most severe problem facing the recovering condor population. As condors feed on carrion and other animal carcasses shot by hunters, they can unintentionally ingest lead from bullet fragments. Lead consumption causes paralysis of the digestive track and results in slow death by starvation. Condors also depend heavily on their intelligence for survival and require a tremendous amount of parental investment in the wild. This is one reason for their low productivity rate. The California condor had a long history in Oregon. Archaeologists have unearthed 9,000-year-old condor bones from Native American middens, and condors were a common motif for the designs of Oregon's Wasco people, who lived along the Columbia River between The Dalles and Cascade Locks. The condor was considered a guide to the native peoples and was a key character in many myths. The last condor seen in Oregon was near the town of Drain in 1904. Condors held out a little longer in California, but by 1987, the last birds were taken into captivity in an attempt to save the species. Biologists decided to place the remaining condors in a captive-breeding program. The California condor was one of the original animals included on the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Today, there are nearly 300 California condors counting those in captivity and in the wild. The Oregon Zoo's condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in rural Clackamas County on Metro-owned open land. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors to people, increasing the chances for captive-hatched birds to survive and breed in the wild. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey. The Oregon Zoo received The Wildlife Society's conservation award in 2005 for "creating the nation's fourth California condor breeding facility." For more information about the Oregon Zoo's California condors, visit www.oregonzoo.org/Condors . The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington's pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats. Caption: Sawlu (Condor 172) is the Oregon Zoo's most recent California condor mother. She has strong maternal instincts and is nurturing her new chick (hatched over the weekend). The new chick is doing very well and is described as quite vocal. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo. Oregon Zoo " 4001 SW Canyon Rd. " Portland, Oregon 97221 " 503-226-1561 To view Oregon Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-382-Oregon_Zoo -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: sad news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 01:55:48 -0700 5/12/09 LOS ANGELES (AP) - A condor that was among the first six birds released back to the wild in 2003 at California's Pinnacles National Monument has died in the Los Angeles Zoo of complications from lead poisoning. Pinnacles wildlife biologist Jim Peterson says *No. 286* died Monday after zoo officials worked for more than a month to remove lead from his bloodstream. He had lost more than half of his 24-pound body weight as his digestive system paralyzed. The condor was poisoned by ingesting lead ammunition used by game hunters. Biologists found the bird also suffered multiple birdshot wounds, although that did not contribute to the poisoning. Biologists say the biggest threat to the endangered birds' survival is lead ammunition, which has been banned in 15 condor counties since July 1st. http://www.cbs47.tv/news/state/story/Pinnacles-condor-dies-at-L-A-Zoo-of-lead-poisoning/rZfhY4Ce1EWOl7cJe5TAgA.cspx?rss=154 -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Nest viewing near Pinnacles From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 05 May 2009 23:55:14 -0700 Condor chick hatched outside Pinnacles National Monument; public can view Lead still a concern / / http://thecalifornian.com/article/20090428/NEWS01/90428029/1002 A pair of California condors recently discovered incubating an egg in the first San Benito County nest in more than 70 years are now caring for a wild-hatched chick. The birds are nesting in a shallow cave high on a vertical cliff face located at the RS Bar Guest Ranch in Paicines, not far from the Pinnacles National Monument. In an unprecedented opportunity, the owners of the RS Bar Guest Ranch are teaming up with Pinnacles Partnership to offer limited public viewing of the nest site. Biologists Scott Scherbinski of the National Park Service and Joe Burnett of the Ventana Wildlife Society used ropes to descend to the nest on April 17. The male condor, identified as Condor 313, was present at the time, and appeared to be incubating the pair's solitary egg. After briefly soaring from the nest a few times, the parent condor returned as the biologists swapped the pair's egg for one that had been delivered the night before from the Los Angeles Zoo. The new egg was "pipping," or showing signs that the chick inside was about to emerge, and the young bird successfully hatched on Saturday, April 18, according to Daniel George, Condor Program Manager at Pinnacles National Monument. Since it was not known if the pair's original egg was viable, the trade enhanced the pair's chances for breeding success. But there's another compelling reason for the endeavor, according to George. "The California Recovery Team has recommended transport of all wild laid eggs from the Central California flock to captive breeding centers in order to assess possible contamination of the eggs by DDE and PCBs," said Burnett of Ventana Wildlife Society. "The study is being done to determine if these will prove to be influencing factors in the growth of this area's condor population. All wild laid eggs will be replaced with viable eggs laid in captivity." DDE is a derivative of the once-popular pesticide DDT, and both it and PCBs are persistent environmental toxins. [For more information on this issue, please contact Burnett, Wildlife Biologist with Ventana Wildlife Society at 831-455-9514.] Members of the Condor Recovery Team were clearly elated by the apparent success of the exchange, and the behavior of the parent birds subsequent to the exchange. The male was observed returning to the egg before biologists had begun to leave the nest. "The operation went smoothly as planned," George said. "When the adult male condor approached the new egg, the chick inside responded immediately with several low vocalizations. The male then began to brood the egg as his own." Since then, both parents are showing normal foraging and brooding behavior. The recovered egg was examined at the Los Angeles Zoo and was found to be viable. It will be hatched in captivity, George said. The mother bird, Condor 303, was not present during the exchange. She had been released from brief captivity earlier April 17. The bird was trapped a day prior for a routine health check and biologists determined high levels of lead in her blood. After treatment that evening and the next morning, she was released back into the wild. She was tracked using radio telemetry to the Big Sur coast where she fed, returning to the nest on Sunday where she was seen feeding the new chick. After she assumed nest tending, Condor 313 flew away from the nest to forage. The female bird originally came from the Big Sur condor flock being monitored and managed by the Ventana Wildlife Society. She's nearly six years old. The male bird was released as a 1.5-year-old bird at Pinnacles in 2004. Condors are all assigned numerical names based on birth order. Condors typically do not start breeding until about six years of age, and live approximately 60 years in the wild. Breeding pairs typically produce a single egg every two years. Average incubation time for a condor egg is 57 days, and the young bird typically will not leave the nest for five-and-a-half-to six months. This pair was discovered to be nesting in early March through radio telemetry and global positioning technology as well as direct observation. *Site Visits for Public Viewing* On April 22, 2009, Stan Pura---one of the owners of the RS Bar Guest Ranch---met with Mark Paxton and Paula Grace of Pinnacles Partnership to formalize an agreement to allow the public to visit the nest site, and observe the nest from a nearby ridge. Public viewing will be offered by reservation only. Provision can be made for overnight accommodations and a series of visitor events is planned. "The site is perfectly situated for viewing the activities of the parents and hatchling without impact to the condors," said Paxton of Pinnacles Partnership, a nonprofit corporation which supports Pinnacles National Monument. "We regard this as a rare opportunity to view one of the rarest icons of North American wildlife." The RS Bar Guest Ranch includes vast tracts of managed habitat, and opportunities for other wildlife viewing abound, Paxton said. The RS Bar Guest Ranch is a private lodge specializing in guided hunting and company retreats. More information concerning the services offered by the lodge is available at www.rsbarranch.com . Reservations for public viewing of the nest site may only be made through Pinnacles Partnership. For information about arranging a visit to the nest site, contact Mark Paxton at 831-801-4882. Photos of the April 17 site visit by the condor biologist are available from Paxton upon request. Beginning in May, pictures of and updates concerning site visits will be posted on Pinnacles Partnership's website at www.pinnaclespartnership.org . *Condors and Pinnacles* California condors are the largest birds in North America, with wings spanning nine-and-a-half feet. They remain one of the rarest birds in the world, with a current world population of 320. Eighty-six birds are flying free in California. Pinnacles National Monument was selected as a California condor release area due to documented presence of condors in the area, good cliff nest sites and the large area of intact habitat. Five groups of condors have been released at Pinnacles, totaling 23 birds. In addition to condor releases at several California locations, flocks are being established in the Grand Canyon area and Baja California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan aims to eventually establish a population in California of 150 or more condors with at least 15 breeding pairs. After more than a century of steady population decline, only 22 California condors remained by 1982, when the remaining wild birds were captured in an attempt to rescue the species from extinction. As with Condor 303, the primary threat to California condor recovery is lead poisoning. Condors can inadvertently ingest lead bullet fragments from animal carcasses and gut piles left in the landscape. As a result, the California Legislature has outlawed use of lead ammunition for big game hunting and depredation throughout the condor's range. Further information is available at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor . *Recovery Partners* The effort to re-establish California condors at Pinnacles is a cooperative endeavor involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Ventana Wildlife Society, the Institute for Wildlife Studies, Pinnacles Partnership, and private entities such as the RS Bar Guest Ranch, in collaboration with the California Condor Recovery Team. The San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo, the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, and the Oregon Zoo breed condors destined for wild release. Further details on the Pinnacles National Monument program are available by visiting the website http://www.nps.gov/pinn/ or by calling Condor Program Manager Daniel George at at 831-389-4485 ext 255. Information on Ventana Wildlife Society's condor recovery efforts are available on the web at http://www.ventanaws.org/species_condors/ or call Executive Director Kelly Sorenson at (831) 455-9514. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *CoastalHabitat* is a PelicanNetwork community email network of natural and cultural history advocacy. Remove, or add your email address from this list at any time by sending an email with "remove" - or "add" in the subject line to . To post an event or a story, please send to: CoastalHabitat AT PelicanNetwork.Net for consideration. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: GREAT news! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 05 May 2009 17:01:56 -0700 *from KION central coast news http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10308285 Gunshot & Lead-Poisoned California Condor Returned to the Wild* Posted: May 5, 2009 02:02 PM Updated: May 5, 2009 02:41 PM Condor 375 Condor 375 *Another Central Coast Condor Found with Lead Poisoning* BIG SUR, Calif- Biologists at the Ventana Wildlife Society released condor 375 on Friday, May 1 from their condor sanctuary in Big Sur, California. This release marks the return of one of two condors that were gunshot and lead-poisoned this past March. Condor 375 was monitored over the weekend and she has been doing well since her release. "We are extremely pleased to see condor 375 flying free in Big Sur once again because that's where she belongs." said Joe Burnett, Senior Wildlife Biologist. Condor 375, a 4-year old juvenile female, was trapped by Ventana Wildlife Society biologists in Big Sur on March 26 for a routine blood-lead test. Biologists soon learned she had a very high lead value and was suffering from lead poisoning. The ailing condor was transferred to the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic in Monterey to undergo a medical exam by Veterinarian, Dr. Amy Wells. X-rays taken by Dr. Wells revealed 3 shotgun pellets embedded in her tissue, two in the wing and one in the thigh. This was an unexpected discovery which was unrelated to condor 375's lead poisoning condition. Condor 375 was given medicine to counteract the lead poisoning and then immediately transferred from Monterey to Los Angeles Zoo for recovery. During her treatment it was determined that the gunshot wounds would not cause her any long-term physical impairment and her lead levels were brought down successfully after three weeks on a vigorous treatment schedule of once daily injections that removed lead from her bloodstream. Condor 286, the other gunshot and lead-poisoned condor, is still recovering at Los Angeles Zoo from his severe exposure to lead and his condition is still very much "critical". Condor 286, an adult male, was captured in early March by biologists with Ventana Wildlife Society when it was determined that he was suffering from a severe case of lead-poisoning. Condor 286 was transferred to undergo treatment at Los Angeles Zoo's animal hospital. When radio-graphed by Veterinarian staff at Los Angeles Zoo they discovered 15 shotgun pellets lodged in his wing and body, also unrelated to the lead-poisoning condition. "Luckily, the pellets didn't cause any long-term physical impairment to condor 286, but his battle with lead poisoning is far from over. We are still unsure whether he will ever return to the wild and reunite with his mate, as his survival is in the balance." said Joe Burnett, Senior Wildlife Biologist. As a result of these two condor shootings, a $40,000 reward was assembled thanks to Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the United States, and Ventana Wildlife Society donors. "We don't yet know what leads, if any, have been generated from this reward so far but we certainly hope that the person or persons responsible are caught and punished accordingly", said Kelly Sorenson, Ventana Wildlife Society Executive Director. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:58:53 -0700 From the Hollister on-line Freelance After egg swap, condor hatches near Pinnacles 4-29-09 10:36 AM By The Free Lance Staff A pair of endangered California condors at Pinnacles National Monument that were nesting an egg now are caring for a hatched chick after biologists swapped it with another one from the L.A. Zoo to enhance possible breeding success, according to a press release from Pinnacles. The chick successfully hatched in a shallow cave along a cliff at the RS Bar Guest Ranch in Paicines on April 18, a day after two biologists used ropes to descend to the nest for the swap. Since biologists had not known if the original egg was viable, the move "enhanced the pair's chances for breeding success," according to a press release from Pinnacles Partnership, the nonprofit that assists the park. Since moving it to the LA Zoo, biologists have determined there are no problems with the egg that first nested near Pinnacles. Condor recovery experts recommended transporting wild, laid eggs to captive breeding centers for hatching to assess potential contamination of the eggs by DDE and PCBs, said Joe Burnett, a Ventana Wilderness Society biologist, in the press release. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Re: Santa Barbara Zoo "Condor Country" exhibit From: <birdingcarole AT charter.net> Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:14:31 -0700 Estelle, et al.: Oh dear, I didn't intend to imply that the exhibit was unsatisfactory at any level. In fact, I was quite impressed by the habitat offered to these birds. This exhibit will be crucial in providing accurate information about the condors, as well as providing a wonderful opportunity for people to interact with these magnificent birds. In an effort to avoid anthropomorphizing, I purposely used the word "seemed" when I attributed emotions to the birds, in order to imply that it was my perception of the birds' emotions. It is true that I have never had the opportunity to work closely enough with the condors to be familiar with their natural activities and reactions to the world around them. It appears that the birds have adapted well to their new home and I look forward to visiting them again soon. Great job on the exhibit, Carole Morro Bay ---- esandhaus wrote: > > I would like to respond to some of the questions raised and assumptions > made about the Santa Barbara Zoo's new exhibit, "Condor > Country." This exhibit builds on the Zoo's successful five-year > field program and creates a unique opportunity to generate more interest > in and a stronger constituency for condor conservation. It can be > misleading using words such as"bored" and "happy" when > describing wildlife as an animal's behavior,interactions with its > environment, and "feelings" do not necessarily parallel the > human experience. > > > > The four condors at the Santa Barbara Zoo (two male; two female) hatched > within two weeks of each other at the Peregrine Fund's World Center > for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho in April 2007. Within the captive > population of condors held at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los > Angeles Zoo,Oregon Zoo, at the Birds of Prey Center, scientists evaluate > the birds as likely prospects for release or as future captive breeders. > The four birds identified to be exhibited at the Santa Barbara Zoo were > slated to become breeders, the parents of chicks that would be > ultimately released in the wild. Santa Barbara received these birds as > part of an effort to free up additional space for breeding birds at the > facility in Boise. > > > > These four birds (numbers 432, 433, 439, and 440) had minimal human > contact while at the World Center for Birds of Prey. Even during a > 30-day quarantine period following their March 6 arrival at the Santa > Barbara Zoo, the four condors had minimal exposure to humans. The fact > that they adjusted so quickly to this new space and to Zoo guests is a > testament to their adaptability. I have been privileged to spend > hundreds of hours in the field observing and collecting detailed > behavioral data on free-flying condors. Through countless hours of > observation of the four condors at the Santa Barbara Zoo, I have seen > our new arrivals engage fully with their environment, in a manner > consistent with that of their wild counterparts, and I have observed no > indicators of distress. > > > > As these birds begin to reach sexual maturity, they will be relocated to > one of the four breeding facilities in preparation for their role as the > parents of future wild condors. In the meantime, Zoo visitors will have > the rare opportunity and privilege to observe these amazing birds in > close proximity. Condor Country was designed with the input of the > experienced staff at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo, > and the participation of seasoned field biologists of the California > Condor Recovery Program. The exhibit replicates elements of their > native habitat and contains a wide range of opportunities such as > perching options, two pools, and native plants that encourage natural > behaviors. > > > > The Santa Barbara Zoo is privileged to be able to share these > extraordinary birds with visitors. The Zoo is committed to making the > most of this unique opportunity to contribute to the long-term survival > of the California condor. > > > > Best regards, > > > > Estelle Sandhaus, M.S. > > > Assistant Director of Conservation and Research > > Santa Barbara Zoo > > and > > Graduate Research Assistant > > Center for Conservation and Behavior > > Georgia Institute of Technology > > --- In Hi_MountainCondor AT yahoogroups.com, "cc93443" > wrote: > > > > Hi all: > > > > I know this is not Hi Mountain-related, but I thought it might be of > some interest to the members of this group. > > > > I drove down to Santa Barbara today to see the newly opened Condor > Country exhibit. Here is a link to my photos (good, bad, and ugly): > > > > > http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=19bqgzzf.7qg8ckl3&x=0&\ > y=-op6m6s&localeid=en_US > > > > I hope it works, if a space has been inserted just copy and paste the > part at the end of the URL in your browser. > > > > These condors seemed really bored, but did seem curious and were > probably happy for the cooler weather. I was happy to get one of them > to open his/her wings for me!! > > > > Does anyone know what criteria was used to determine which 4 > individuals were to be placed in the zoo, rather than be released? I > assume that perhaps these four were already exposed and acclimated to > people. They are all juveniles, and number 39 (the one on the separate > perch) seemed a bit larger than the other 3. > > > > Anyway, it was a good experience to see them so close, although I felt > sadness that they won't ever be flying free. > > > > Carole > > who took the San Marcos Pass route back to Morro Bay and got to visit > the Cold Spring Tavern, wine-taste, check out Lake Cachuma, and eat > dinner at Mattei's Tavern!! > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > Subject: Hi Mountain to Huff's Hole From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:17:53 -0700 Hello all, On Saturday, April 25th, I spent a 10-hour day venturing into the Santa Lucia Wilderness Area of Los Padres National Forest, below Hi Mountain Lookout. On the drive up Hi Mountain Rd., singles and pairs of Mountain Quail were running on the road in four different locations. The early morning temperature at Hi Mountain Lookout was 34 degrees F., the wind chill in the 20's while a sustained 24 -30 mph north wind was blowing a cold fog layer across the summit. Down below in Hi Valley and Huff's Hole it was clear and mostly sunny throughout the day, with comfortable temperatures in the 50's-60's (compared to the 101*F temp. in SLO just 5 days prior!). Joel Weiss staffed the lookout radiotracking condors (www.condorlookout.org) and kept in radio contact with me at intervals throughout the day, until I got back out in the early evening. There were fresh mountiain lion tracks on the trail hiking down below Hi Mountain. A sage sparrow was singing in the chaparral. At Hi Valley Rock, composed of the Vaqueros sandstone rock formation, I located a Turkey Vulture nest in a recess deep within a large cave, with a single egg deposited on the bare surface of the substrate.  During 5 hours of observations in Huff's Hole - a historic condor and peregrine falcon nesting location - there was a single adult peregrine falcon perched on the edge of a large cave entrance on the cliffs. Some brief wailing vocaliziations alerted me to its location, and it remained there resting and preening during the next 2 1/2 hours. Nesting status was undetermined, but as I was departing I heard probable mating vocalizations, so there may be a nesting peregrine falcon pair again this year (this is my 30-year falcon nest watch anniversary, when last camped out in Huff's Hole in 1978 and 1979 working for the Forest Service as a peregrine falcon nest site attendant). In the late afternoon while climbing up out of the 'Hole', a Prairie Falcon chased a turkey vulture away from an area of large rock outcrops known to be a nesting site, so this year both peregrine and prairie falcons are on territories on the same rock formation and seperated by about only 1/4 to 1/2 mile distance! I brushed off only 17 ticks during the day, below average, and brushed into lots of poison oak, as usual. Photos of the mountain lion track, vulture nest, wildflowers, birds, and scenery are posted at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/12571965 AT N07/sets/72157617350426788/  Steve Schubert Los Osos Subject: Re: Santa Barbara Zoo "Condor Country" exhibit From: "esandhaus" <esandhaus AT sbzoo.org> Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:42:53 -0000 I would like to respond to some of the questions raised and assumptions made about the Santa Barbara Zoo's new exhibit, "Condor Country." This exhibit builds on the Zoo's successful five-year field program and creates a unique opportunity to generate more interest in and a stronger constituency for condor conservation. It can be misleading using words such as"bored" and "happy" when describing wildlife as an animal's behavior,interactions with its environment, and "feelings" do not necessarily parallel the human experience. The four condors at the Santa Barbara Zoo (two male; two female) hatched within two weeks of each other at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho in April 2007. Within the captive population of condors held at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo,Oregon Zoo, at the Birds of Prey Center, scientists evaluate the birds as likely prospects for release or as future captive breeders. The four birds identified to be exhibited at the Santa Barbara Zoo were slated to become breeders, the parents of chicks that would be ultimately released in the wild. Santa Barbara received these birds as part of an effort to free up additional space for breeding birds at the facility in Boise. These four birds (numbers 432, 433, 439, and 440) had minimal human contact while at the World Center for Birds of Prey. Even during a 30-day quarantine period following their March 6 arrival at the Santa Barbara Zoo, the four condors had minimal exposure to humans. The fact that they adjusted so quickly to this new space and to Zoo guests is a testament to their adaptability. I have been privileged to spend hundreds of hours in the field observing and collecting detailed behavioral data on free-flying condors. Through countless hours of observation of the four condors at the Santa Barbara Zoo, I have seen our new arrivals engage fully with their environment, in a manner consistent with that of their wild counterparts, and I have observed no indicators of distress. As these birds begin to reach sexual maturity, they will be relocated to one of the four breeding facilities in preparation for their role as the parents of future wild condors. In the meantime, Zoo visitors will have the rare opportunity and privilege to observe these amazing birds in close proximity. Condor Country was designed with the input of the experienced staff at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo, and the participation of seasoned field biologists of the California Condor Recovery Program. The exhibit replicates elements of their native habitat and contains a wide range of opportunities such as perching options, two pools, and native plants that encourage natural behaviors. The Santa Barbara Zoo is privileged to be able to share these extraordinary birds with visitors. The Zoo is committed to making the most of this unique opportunity to contribute to the long-term survival of the California condor. Best regards, Estelle Sandhaus, M.S. Assistant Director of Conservation and Research Santa Barbara Zoo and Graduate Research Assistant Center for Conservation and Behavior Georgia Institute of Technology --- In Hi_MountainCondor AT yahoogroups.com, "cc93443" wrote: > > Hi all: > > I know this is not Hi Mountain-related, but I thought it might be of some interest to the members of this group. > > I drove down to Santa Barbara today to see the newly opened Condor Country exhibit. Here is a link to my photos (good, bad, and ugly): > > http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=19bqgzzf.7qg8ckl3&x=0&\ y=-op6m6s&localeid=en_US > > I hope it works, if a space has been inserted just copy and paste the part at the end of the URL in your browser. > > These condors seemed really bored, but did seem curious and were probably happy for the cooler weather. I was happy to get one of them to open his/her wings for me!! > > Does anyone know what criteria was used to determine which 4 individuals were to be placed in the zoo, rather than be released? I assume that perhaps these four were already exposed and acclimated to people. They are all juveniles, and number 39 (the one on the separate perch) seemed a bit larger than the other 3. > > Anyway, it was a good experience to see them so close, although I felt sadness that they won't ever be flying free. > > Carole > who took the San Marcos Pass route back to Morro Bay and got to visit the Cold Spring Tavern, wine-taste, check out Lake Cachuma, and eat dinner at Mattei's Tavern!! > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Santa Barbara Zoo "Condor Country" exhibit From: "cc93443" <birdingcarole AT charter.net> Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:06:34 -0000 Hi all: I know this is not Hi Mountain-related, but I thought it might be of some interest to the members of this group. I drove down to Santa Barbara today to see the newly opened Condor Country exhibit. Here is a link to my photos (good, bad, and ugly): http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=19bqgzzf.7qg8ckl3&x=0&y=-op6m6s&localeid=en_US I hope it works, if a space has been inserted just copy and paste the part at the end of the URL in your browser. These condors seemed really bored, but did seem curious and were probably happy for the cooler weather. I was happy to get one of them to open his/her wings for me!! Does anyone know what criteria was used to determine which 4 individuals were to be placed in the zoo, rather than be released? I assume that perhaps these four were already exposed and acclimated to people. They are all juveniles, and number 39 (the one on the separate perch) seemed a bit larger than the other 3. Anyway, it was a good experience to see them so close, although I felt sadness that they won't ever be flying free. Carole who took the San Marcos Pass route back to Morro Bay and got to visit the Cold Spring Tavern, wine-taste, check out Lake Cachuma, and eat dinner at Mattei's Tavern!! Subject: New nest! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:16:13 -0700 from www.upi.com PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT, Calif., April 21 (UPI) -- A California condor nest near Pinnacles National Monument is the first one documented in the region in more than 70 years, park officials say. Officials said a male condor released at the monument in 2004 apparently has paired with a 6-year-old female condor for breeding, KSBW-TV of Salinas, Calif., reported Tuesday. California condors were facing extinction and there had been no new condor nests known to have been found in the park in nearly 70 years before the 2003 reintroduction effort, said Carl Brenner, chief of interpretation and education at Pinnacles National Monument. The station noted the condor nest is located on a private ranch outside the Central California park. The National Park Service said it is working with the ranchers to develop a nest-monitoring strategy. "This has been a rewarding opportunity to work with our community toward common goals. Both the ranchers and the condors will benefit from the continuation of successful ranching operations," said Daniel George, condor program manager at Pinnacles National Monument. Biologists said condor eggs take roughly 57 days to hatch, meaning the baby bird would make its first flight in October. The California condor was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1967. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Not such good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:43:14 -0700 from the Monterey Herald - http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_12177294?nclick_check=1 Hunters displeased with nonlead bullet ban Nonlead bullets ineffective, others say By KEVIN HOWE - Herald Staff Writer - Updated: 04/19/2009 01:33:41 AM PDT Click photo to enlarge A lead bullet, right, and a copper bullet, left. (ORVILLE MYERS/The Herald) A recent survey of Monterey County big game and varmint hunters showed only one in seven is satisfied with the nonlead bullets required for hunting in the state-designated condor range. And close to 30 percent of hunters who took the field during the past year said they ignored the law. The survey, developed by Kevin Kreyenhagen of Carmel Valley, a member of the Monterey County Fish and Game Advisory Committee, and distributed at county sporting goods stores, elicited 76 responses. Of those, 10 reported they had hunted in the condor range using nonlead ammunition, and the ammo worked for them. One hunter said he was so angry at the lead bullet ban that he didn't buy a license or game tags, or go hunting. Another 46 reported they complied with the nonlead bullet law but found the ammunition expensive, ineffective or inaccurate. Bullets dubbed 'wounders' They described the copper bullets they used for hunting as "wounders," lacking the knockdown power of conventional lead bullets, and dubbed them ineffective and inhumane. Several remarked that the copper bullets produced "through-and-through" wounds due to insufficient bullet expansion. And 17 said they hunted in the condor range with lead bullets. One of those wrote, "They (copper bullets) don't work. Tired of chasing wounded animals." Another stated, "bring down the cost and increase effectiveness, and I will comply." Lead poisoning affects all Other comments from the Kreyenhagen ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ survey included, "the condor will need a miracle to thrive, even if the lead ban was national," and "if lead is such a problem, how come buzzards are not dying off?" In fact they are, said Kelly Sorenson, executive director of the Ventana Wildlife Society, which has been involved in releasing condors into the wild since 1997. "Ask any (wildlife) rehab center," he said, adding that hawks, eagles and vultures also get lead poisoning from lead fragments in carcasses. However, vultures mature at an earlier age, lay more eggs and breed more chicks than condors, so their reproduction rate overcomes the mortality level produced by lead. Condors mature more gradually, lay one egg at a time, and their slow reproduction makes them more vulnerable. The condor "is a bird that suffers so many factors that, collectively, have brought them to near-extinction," Sorenson said, "and lead poisoning is still the No. 1 threat today." Kreyenhagen presented the survey to members of the state Fish and Game Commission at a February meeting in Sacramento. At that same meeting, Nancy Foley, chief of law enforcement for the state Department of Fish and Game, reported that game wardens have found hunters to be 99 percent in compliance with the ban, hunting with copper or other nonlead bullets in Central and Southern California condor country. She said only 63 warnings and nine citations needed to be issued for illegal possession or use of lead ammunition in the condor range (see map). Licenses in decline for years DFG spokeswoman Jordan Traverso said Foley's report wasn't based on a scientific study, but on field reports by game wardens. "It was a representation of what they encountered." As for people giving up hunting in California, Traverso said the department has experienced a slight decline in applications for hunting licenses and tags each year for several years. The decrease last year, after the ban went into effect, was normal with no indication that the lead ban cut sharply into license applications. Condors need hunters Sorenson said hunters are part of the equation in condor preservation, because a significant amount of the carrion they find comes from the carcasses of animals shot by hunters. "We don't want the hunting community against us. Condors need hunters. They really do." Ammunition with nonlead bullets does cost more than conventional lead ammo, Traverso said, but the state expects that the costs will begin to drop as more manufacturers make it. "It's a supply-and-demand issue," she said. She added that she has not heard of any technical problems involved in reloading or shooting ammunition with copper and other bullets, and that "a lot of hunters have remarked on the accuracy of the bullets." Ammo readily available The new ammunition is readily available for firearms, she said, and the Department of Fish and Game Web site --- www.dfg.ca.gov --- carries a link to companies that make and sell nonlead ammo or bullets for reloading. The Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, signed into law in 2007, requires hunters to use nonlead ammunition for hunting big game such as deer, elk, pigs and bighorn sheep, and for shooting coyotes. The state Fish and Game Commission approved additional regulations in 2007 expanding the nonlead requirements to hunting of fur-bearing or nongame mammals and birds. It also prohibits the use of lead .22-caliber and smaller rimfire cartridges for nongame hunting in the condor range --- which includes all or parts of 13 counties, including all of Monterey and San Benito counties --- and seven deer-hunting zones. The ban was enacted to prevent the big birds from ingesting lead bullets or shotgun pellets from carcasses left by hunters and then suffering from lead poisoning. Scientists say condors are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning and studies have contended that the major cause of death among the carrion birds has been from swallowing lead. Risk to humans Proponents of nonlead ammunition have also argued that humans risk lead poisoning by eating meat from game animals shot with lead bullets. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on human lead levels of hunters in North Dakota that was released in November, however, showed lead levels in children who had eaten venison harvested with lead bullets were less than half the national average, and the Iowa Department of Public Health reported that in 15 years of blood testing for lead of 500,000 children and 25,000 adult consumers of game meat, no lead levels posing a health risk were found. The North Dakota Health Department still recommends that children under 6 and pregnant women not eat venison harvested using traditional ammunition, based on a "zero tolerance" approach to the issue of blood lead levels. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: More news on # 375 From: Debi Schmitt <otisbird AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:53:01 -0700 The strength and will to survive of the California Condor never ceases to amaze me. Condor 286, one of two birds that were recently shot and lead poisoned (probably two different events) is showing signs of improvement at the Los Angeles Zoo along with the second condor shot, condor 375. Condor 286 was tube fed for weeks because of the lead poisoning having temporarily shut down his digestive system. Fortunately the zoo veterinarians were able to remove the tube and he is now feeding on his own again. Due to this significant improvement in his health I wanted to provide this brief update. For a recent photo, see http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=271204647&u=2929034 Here is a recent news clip from KSBW located on our homepage - http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=271204647&u=2929035 As a result of these two shootings, Defenders of Wildlife, Center for Biological Diversity, the Wendy P. McCaw Foundation, Humane Society of the United States and donors of the Ventana Wildlife Society have collectively developed a reward of $40,000! Posters of the reward are now being posted in strategic locations in condor country. I want to thank these partners along with the Los Angeles Zoo, Pinnacles National Monument, California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for their participation. Please pass along this email to anyone who you think may be able to help. For information regarding these shootings, please contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 916-414-6660 or Department of Fish and Game's CalTip hotline at 888-334-2258. Sincerely, Kelly Sorenson Executive Director .---.__ / /6|__\ \ \/--` / \\ debi / )\ / _.' / //~`\\-' =====//===(=))========= jgs /` [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Getting Serious From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:49:35 -0700 (this, article after learning from VWS that two other condors have been "missing" for about a week, hoping no "foul play" involved) Private Investigator Hired To Look Into Condor Shootings Posted: 1:38 pm PDT April 10, 2009Updated: 1:49 pm PDT April 10, 2009 *LOS ANGELES -- *A conservation group based in Arizona has hired a private investigator to help find those responsible for the shootings of two endangered California condors in the Bay Area in recent weeks. The Center for Biological Diversity hired private investigator Bruce Robertson of Los Angeles to assist the efforts of the California Department of Fish and Game in investigating the shootings, Adam Keats, director of the center's urban wildlands program, said Friday. The first incident was reported March 10 when biologists from the Ventana Wildlife Society found an adult male condor, tagged with the identifying #286, suffering from 15 wounds from lead buckshot pellets, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. On March 26, the unusual incident developed into a pattern after a wounded young female condor, tagged #375, was discovered in the same area in Monterey County. The bird had three shotgun pellets lodged in her wing and thigh. Both birds are alive, but Keats said it's not clear whether they will ever be able to return to the wild. The condors were part of a flock located near Big Sur, he said, and two of only 85 condors living in the wild in California. Keats said Thursday that the reward for information about the shootings has also been increased to more than $40,000. Keats said the increase in the reward is thanks to $8,000 from the Ventana Wildlife Society in Monterey County and $2,500 from the Humane Society of the United States. The Ventana Wildlife Society had offered an initial reward of $1,000 shortly after the birds were found last month. The Center for Biological Diversity then announced a $30,000 reward earlier this week, with the Wendy P. McCaw Foundation of Santa Barbara pledging $25,000 of that amount and the center providing the rest. Robertson, who was hired Thursday, said the reward helps people cooperate with investigators. The investigation "is not unlike solving the shooting of a person or any other crime," Robertson said. "You gather the evidence available, start piecing it together, follow any leads, and if you're working hard and you're lucky, you'll solve the crime." The Center for Biological Diversity also announced the establishment of a condor investigation hot line: (415) 632-5300. Anyone with information about the shooting also can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (916) 414-6660, or the California Department of Fish and Game's CalTIP program at (888) DFG-CALTIP. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: bad news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:08:33 -0700 from "Bay Area News (NBC)" http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/*Calif-Condor-Found-Shot-with-Illegal-Ammo*.html A California condor has been found shot with lead buckshots by biologists in Monterey County , the second of the critically endangered indigenous species to be found in March with wounds from lead ammunition and suffering compromised digestive systems from lead poisoning. Biologists with the Ventana Wildlife Society reported that a rare California condor, a juvenile female, was trapped March 26 and transported for medical treatment to the Los Angeles Zoo. It was determined to have three lead pellets lodged in its body, two in a wing and one in a thigh. An adult male had been captured for care about three weeks earlier in the same wilderness area, the victim of 15 wounds from lead buckshot pellets, according to wildlife biologists. Both individuals were also diagnosed with potentially irreversible damage to their digestive tracts due to lead poisoning, most likely from ingesting carrion shot with led buckshot and left by hunters, in spite of a 2008 hunting regulation revision banning lead bullets in the condor's California range. "Typically, hunters have a strong conservation ethic and do not randomly or intentionally harm protected species," said Eric Loft , California Department of Fish and Game Wildlife branch chief, in a prepared statement. "Any information about these shootings will help us prosecute this egregious crime and will further protect this rare California species." Both wounded condors were reported to be in stable condition, though it remains unclear whether they will recover enough to be able to be released into the wild. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: 2 chicks hatch + more to come! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:42:12 -0700 from the North County Times http://www.northcountytimes.com/articles/2009/04/01/news/inland/escondido/zde04c5f3373d6a988825758c0002bd96.txt Two endangered California condor chicks were born at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park over the past several days, and *seven more* are expected to hatch in the next few months, it was announced Wednesday. Two California condor chicks have hatched since Friday and a third was beginning to emerge Wednesday, according to the San Diego Zoo. One more and the Wild Animal Park will reach a milestone, having hatched 150 California condors since breeding of the critically endangered species began 27 years ago, zoo officials said. The first egg laid by a condor pair at the Wild Animal Park is removed and artificially incubated before the hatched chick is raised by keepers using a puppet. The parents then lay a second egg and raise that condor chick themselves. According to the Wild Animal Park, the process has led to a successful breeding and release program. The California condor was near extinction in the 1980s, when the world population of the species hit a low of 22. Today, the California condor population includes more than 320 birds, more than half of which have been released into the wild. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Good "egg" News From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:37:59 -0700 Condors at Oregon Zoo on roll in delivering eggs by Katy Muldoon, The Oregonian Wednesday March 25, 2009, 8:56 PM The Oregon Zoo's endangered California condors are delivering eggs faster than a waitress at Denny's. Since mid-February, the big, baldheaded birds have laid seven eggs, including one Saturday or Sunday and another Monday, putting them on track for a record season. Condor eggs incubate 54 to 58 days, so the first chicks could arrive in mid-April. The zoo opened its condor breeding operation -- the nation's fourth -- in November 2003 as part of a last-ditch effort to save the emblematic species from extinction. California condors had dwindled to just 22 birds in 1982. Thanks to captive breeding, the population had grown to *321 birds when last counted in February; 172 of those, including seven hatched at the zoo, fly free.* In March 2004, a pair produced the zoo's first egg, which hatched that May. The flock, which has grown to more than 30 adult birds, has produced 22 eggs total. Last year, four of five hatchlings survived. The zoo keeps its condors at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife conservation in rural Clackamas County, a site off-limits to the public. Breeding the birds in as natural a setting as possible, with minimum human contact, gives them a better shot at survival once they're released into the wild, keepers say. Typically, keepers allow the parents to naturally incubate their eggs for 10 to 14 days, said Shawn St. Michael, assistant curator. Then, when the birds aren't watching, keepers grab the fist-sized, gray-green eggs, replacing them with dummy eggs, a safety measure to ensure that the adults, which stand about 4 feet tall and weigh about 20 pounds, don't inadvertently damage their eggs. The birds don't seem to know the difference; in the weeks that follow, they sit on the dummy eggs, keeping them warm. Meanwhile, keepers "candle" the real eggs, examining them under bright lights, then place them in electric incubators until shortly before they're due to hatch. They remove the dummy eggs and return the real ones to the nest, so chicks hatch under their parent. In the wild, condors typically produce an egg every other year. Females and males share incubation duties. /-- Katy Muldoon; /katymuldoon AT news.oregonian.com -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CNPS Newsletter, March, 2009 From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:27:37 -0700 'Obispoensis' Newsletter of the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, March, 2009. The full article with illustration can be viewed at www.cnps_slo.org Common Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia) Bonnie’s cover drawing is of the scrub oak that always seems to be in full fruit around Morro Coast Audubon’s Condor Lookout at Hi Mountain when they hold their open house in the fall. I have attended sporadically over the years and every time I have, the resident scrub oaks have been covered with acorns. The acorns are large, ca 1 in. (25 mm) long by ˝ in. (15 mm) wide. The base of the acorn often seems to be constrained by the thick, warty cup. The fall leaves are a shiny dull green instead of the glossy bright green the identification manuals indicate they should be. I’m putting this up to surviving a long, hot dry season in chaparral. The leaves are also usually few in number at that time of the year so I’m also guessing that they are somewhat summer or drought deciduous. I know, the books say that this scrub oak is evergreen. But, as Bonnie’s drawing shows, there are still enough leaves on the twigs to be classed as evergreen. Why did I say, “this scrub oak”? If you look up scrub oak in Hoover’s Vascular Plants of San Luis Obispo County or any other identification manual of similar or earlier vintage they would say we have only two or sometimes three scrub oaks in our Chapter area. All would have listed leather oak (Quercus durata) and scrub oak (Quercus dumosa). Others, but not Dr. Hoover, would have listed desert oak (Quercus turbinella). I’m guessing Dr. Hoover felt quite strongly that the desert oak was just a minor variety of the scrub oak because this is one of the few cases where he wrote two quite long paragraphs justifying it. In the current Jepson Manual, not only is the desert oak recognized but three other “scrub” oaks have been separated from the old “Quercus dumosa”. Currently, the name, Quercus dumosa, is not applied to any of our area’s scrub oaks, but is restricted to plants growing in extreme southern California into Baja. Its common name is now Nuttall’s scrub oak. The leather oak is still here and growing happily on its serpentine soils. As you might guess, desert oak (Quercus turbinella) is alive and well in the desert mountains of extreme eastern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Our most common shrub oak, not growing on serpentine or on desert slopes is Quercus berberidifolia. This species has also inherited the common name, scrub oak. It is not only our most common scrub oak but also is the most wide ranging scrub oak in the state. If you think that this is a lot of ink to be wasted on a solved taxonomic problem, I might point out that not only do all of these species intergrade among themselves where their ranges overlap but they also interbreed with closely related tree species. I guess I’m justifying someone feeling uncertain about their identification of any scrub oak off of serpentine. I will make just a quick note on Native Californians’ use of the scrub oak acorns. Most references discuss the importance of acorns as a dietary staple among California tribes. But almost all of them restrict their discussions to the tree species. Our recent banquet speaker, Jan Timbrook, in her book, Chumash Ethnobotany, acknowledges the large acorns of this species were gathered and used. My guess is that use of scrub oaks didn’t get much attention because it would not be as obvious that they were being collected. You wouldn’t need the0.30 long poles to knock the acorns down. After all, most of the scrub oaks are less than six feet tall. Their acorns could just be picked off. — Dirk Walters Illustration by Bonnie Walters [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To Post a message, send it to:Hi_MountainCondor AT yahoogroups.com To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:Hi_MountainCondor-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Message archives and group home page can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondorYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondor/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondor/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Hi_MountainCondor-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Hi_MountainCondor-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Hi_MountainCondor-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Some people shouldn't have guns From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:11:29 -0700 Poisoned, wounded California condor treated at Los Angeles ZooAssociated Press Posted: 03/13/2009 04:18:51 PM PDT LOS ANGELES --- A California condor brought to the Los Angeles Zoo for treatment of lead poisoning was found to have _shotgun pellets embedded in its body._ Zoo curator of birds Susie Kasielke said today that the bird's prognosis is guarded and it is essentially in intensive care. Giant California condors are an endangered species and the federal government has been working for years to establish breeding populations in the wild. The Ventana Wildlife Society says the bird was captured on the central California coast on March 4 and brought to the Los Angeles the next day. An X-ray revealed the shotgun pellets. It's not known if the pellets are lead or steel, but the lead poisoning most likely was caused by the condor eating carcasses of animals that had been killed by hunters using lead ammunition. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: condors en route to SBA From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:02:15 -0800 Condors En Route to Santa Barbara Zoo Posted at 4:04 pm March 6, 2009 by admin Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, March 4), Santa Barbara Zoo Assistant Zoo Director Alan Varsik and Director of Conservation Estelle Sandhaus arrived in a snowstorm in Boise, Idaho and met up with Zoo CEO Rich Block and Zoo Veterinarian Karl Hill, DVM, who had flown up from Santa Barbara that morning. They were visiting The Peregrine Fund 's World Center for Birds of Prey to pick up the four juvenile condors who are coming to Santa Barbara. "It was emotionally moving to go to the World Center and see all the condors," said Block yesterday when he was checking into the hotel in Boise. I could hear in his voice that it was. "We saw 18 breeding pairs and a ton of young birds --- nearly 60 condors total --- and we're bringing four home. This is the result of discussions with the California Condor Recovery Program team that started 10 years ago. We've built relationships and created a remarkable program and now condors are coming to Santa Barbara. We are making a difference." Today, "at first light," according to Sandhaus, they picked up the birds. Block adds, "It took about 90 minutes to get the birds loaded this morning. The Peregrine Fund staff definitely got a workout catching and crating the condors! Alan got some terrific video of this." The birds are being transported in large crates, two in the Santa Barbara Zoo's Conservation Land Rover and two in a rented van. They are driving nonstop, straight through, stopping only for gas, food, and comfort, for at least 15 hours to return to Santa Barbara. It may take longer. Sandhaus told me that they were driving with the windows open to keep air flow to the birds, "to keep them cool." Everyone was quite cool as it was snowing in Boise. Here's a report from noon, sent by Block on his Blackberry: "We just crossed into Nevada. The roads are clear, though it's cold and windy. We're under partly cloudy skies with billowing clouds casting irregular shadows on the surrounding snow covered slopes. It's quite beautiful... The condors appear to be good travelers, so far. We're keeping the vehicles cool so the heated seats are definitely an advantage in the Land Rover." Alan called me later to say, "We expect to arrive in the middle of the night in Santa Barbara. We'll offload the crates into the new condor holding area and then transfer the birds in the morning. All four birds will initially share one holding area but eventually we will give them access to the adjacent holding area during their quarantine." The four birds coming to Santa Barbara are: No. 432 (male), 433 (female), 439 (male) and 440 (female). They were all born in Boise within a two week period, from April 12 through 24, 2007. All were reared by their parents except 433, who was raised by foster condor parents. Three of the birds (432, 433, 439) are descended from AC3 (10 in the studbook) --- the female bird that is hanging in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. AC3 was never captured, but died in the wild of lead poisoning in 1984. AC3 is their great-grand dam -- a nice connection. I don't know how many thousands of kids have looked up, awestruck, at that bird over the years. I know mine have. Now, Santa Barbara kids and visitors are going to get to see live condors "up close and personal." All four birds are related to AC8 (12 in the studbook), the last free flying female condor captured in the wild; she is also a great-grand dam. All of the staff at the Zoo was talking about the condors today, anticipating their arrival. The other big news today: a brand new baby titi monkey produced by our two relatively new titis. It was seen as a good omen. We'll report more after the condors get settled in. I'm considering getting up at 2 a.m. to meet the travelers when they arrive at the Zoo. We'll see if that still seems like a good idea at 1:30 a.m. when the alarm rings. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Trash in their gut From: Debi Schmitt <otisbird AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:53:45 -0800 Is it only in the California valley that they are having this problem? Ventana, Grand Canyon and Oregon are they having this problem too? And what about lead? Are these other areas have the lead problem? .---.__ / /6|__\ \ \/--` / \\ debi / )\ / _.' / //~`\\-' =====//===(=))========= jgs /` Subject: BYM Marine Environment News From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:38:04 -0800 from: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=51599 USA. Lead contamination still hindering California Condor recoveryWednesday, 04 March 2009 The California Condor has reached a significant milestone: for the first time in more than 20 years, there are now more birds flying free in the wild than there are in captivity. California Condors dwindled to a low of only 22 individuals in 1982, at which point birds were taken into captivity as part of a recovery program. The program has been a great success, with the condor population now flying high at 332. Nine chicks fledged in the wild in 2008, and there are now 87 birds in the wild in California, 68 in Arizona, and 19 in Baja California, Mexico. "The public perception is that condors have recovered, but the reality is that without constant intervention, many of the birds would die of lead poisoning from bullet fragments in their food, and chicks would succumb to starvation due to trash accumulated in their guts," said Dr. Michael Fry, American Bird Conservancy's Director of Conservation Advocacy. "Several emergency surgeries have been needed to remove bottle caps, glass fragments, and other objects from the stomachs of condors, and many birds have had to be caught and treated for lead exposure." The American Ornithologists' Union recently asked six experts, including Dr. Fry, to review the condor program and make recommendations for continuing the recovery. Their report confirms the absolute necessity of eliminating the sources of lead that are poisoning condors, primarily lead fragments from hunting bullets. This presents a critical problem, because condors are scavengers and they often supplement their diet with carcasses left behind by hunters. California recently required the use of non-toxic bullets within the condor's range. Arizona has been providing lead-free ammunition to hunters for two years, and a similar program is now underway in the Zion region of Utah, but better communication with hunters is needed, including education on the lead exposure problem. A recent study found that California's ban was being complied with by 99% of hunters, and that the voluntary measures in Arizona had a 90% compliance rate. "Two condors died of lead poisoning in California in 2008," said Dr. Fry. "Unfortunately, there will continue to be lead ammunition deaths due to non-compliance. The best enforcement tool will be a statewide requirement for non-toxic ammo." The California Fish and Game Department has created a website to educate and provide resources for hunters. The state has now certified 17 ammunition manufacturers of non-lead ammunition. "Providing hunters with non-toxic ammunition and encouraging manufacturers and sportsmen's organizations to embrace the need for non-toxic ammunition is essential," said Dr. Fry. "We were thrilled to learn that Winchester is now producing non-toxic .22 caliber ammunition -- something that some opponents had claimed could never be done." The panel recommended that each release program continue supplemental feeding of condors until the lead issue is resolved. The feeding program allows biologists to trap and monitor the birds frequently and treat for lead exposure when birds are poisoned. The feeding and monitoring aspects of the program are very expensive and time consuming, and are preventing the program from releasing additional birds into the wild. The panel also noted that condors in California have begun to frequently feed on carcasses of marine mammals along the Big Sur coast, and recommended that a contaminants monitoring program be initiated to ensure that the condors are not being poisoned by this new food source. Despite the problems, the panel was confident that once lead exposure has been greatly reduced, the condor populations in several states have the potential to become self-sustainable. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Santa Barbara Zoo From: Debi Schmitt <otisbird AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:36:05 -0800 Thank you all who responded to my request. The zoo map was most helpful. It's been many years since I have been there. Much has changed and it seems to have expanded. See a condor is on my to do list. Thanks .---.__ / /6|__\ \ \/--` / \\ debi / )\ / _.' / //~`\\-' =====//===(=))========= jgs /` Subject: Santa Barbara Zoo From: Debi Schmitt <otisbird AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:42:18 -0800 Where are these condors coming from that are going to be at the Santa Barbara zoo? Is this exhibit handicap excusable? .---.__ / /6|__\ \ \/--` / \\ debi / )\ / _.' / //~`\\-' =====//===(=))========= jgs /` Subject: Progress on the condor exhibit From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:37:52 -0800 (Looks like the opening is scheduled for Earth Day! Nice!) We'll all have to schedule a field trip down to SBA before folks head off for summer vacation... http://cacondorconservation.org/content/blog/blogs/zoo-keeper-notes/2009/big-progress-at-santa-barbara-zoo-condor-exhibit/#respond -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Congrats Jan, et al ! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:56:37 -0800 this great news came from this web-site: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Santa_Barbara/Spring_Travel/prweb2201064.htm CALIFORNIA CONDORS SOARING INTO THE SANTA BARBARA ZOO *MARCH 2009* They soared when wooly mammoths and saber toothed tigers roamed the earth, but nearly went extinct within the last few decades. Down to only 27 birds in 1987, the California condor is one of the great conservation successes with 167 birds now flying free and another 160 in captivity. The Santa Barbara Zoo becomes only the second Zoo in America to display these giant, dramatic birds with the March 2009 opening of the new $6 million California Trails exhibit complex. Other threatened or endangered California natives are also featured - the tiny Channel Island foxes, found only off the Santa Barbara coast; bald eagles, making a major comeback across the nation; once numerous California desert tortoises; and threatened reptiles and amphibians native to the nearby Los Padres National Forest. Up to six California condors will be on view in the Zoo's spacious, specially designed hilltop aviary overlooking part of the condors' historic range. With nine-feet a wingspans and vibrantly colored, featherless faces only mother condors could love, these are the largest birds in North America. Visitors will be able to get close-up looks at the birds both from below and above, catching sight of them perched on tree snags, bathing in streams and waterfalls and pools, roosting in a rockwork cave, or spreading their huge wings and gliding within the 174,000 cubic foot enclosure. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: hunters "improving" From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:08:58 -0800 Sorry I couldn't get rid of the imbedded ad - good news (but I don't agree w/ the last quote in the article since it only takes 10% to be in non-compliance to cause irreparable damage) Survey: 90% of Ariz. hunters take steps to protect condors by *Andrea Wilson* - Feb. 23, 2009 11:12 AM Cronkite News Service More Arizona big-game hunters are participating in a voluntary program aimed at preventing California condors from being poisoned by lead, state officials say. Ninety percent of hunters with permits for deer, elk and other big game in 2008 took steps including using non-lead ammunition and removing so-called gut piles that condors scavenge, according to a survey by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. _That's up from 80 percent in 2007._ "We're incredibly proud of our sportsmen's participation in this program," said Ron Sieg, Game and Fish regional supervisor for north-central Arizona. Start a Fitness Plan $2 Million in Scholarships for Working Parents Going Back to School The Secret to Getting Highly Discounted Cruise Tickets At least 12 California condors have died of lead poisoning since the species was reintroduced to northern Arizona in 1996, and others have been treated for lead exposure. There have been no reported deaths from lead since 2006, when four condors died. However, leaders of some environmental groups contend that any lead in the condors' habitat is too much. They would like to see Arizona follow California, which in 2007 enacted a law requiring non-lead ammunition for hunting big game and coyotes in areas where condors scavenge. "It only takes a little lead to affect a large population," said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity . "We have been really lucky that no condors have died in the last two years." Kim Crumbo, conservation director with the Flagstaff-based Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, commended participating hunters but said the effects of lead can't be ignored in any amount. "It is a health risk in the environment and even to the hunters who eat the deer meat," Crumbo said. "The simple solution would be to ban the use of lead ammunition. It is kind of a no-brainer." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has banned the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting nationally because the pellets were poisoning birds that ate them off the bottoms of streams and lakes. In 1982, there were only 22 California condors remaining anywhere. Captive breeding programs had brought their numbers to 326 in California, Arizona and Baja California as of December. There were 66 in Arizona at last count, according to Game and Fish. Arizona's ammunition program, which started in 2005, uses lottery and American Indian gaming proceeds distributed through the Heritage Fund to provide coupons for hunters to buy non-lead bullets, which aren't available in all calibers. Those with permits to hunt big game on the Kaibab and Paria plateaus in northern Arizona receive DVDs and other information explaining the dangers of lead and steps that can reduce the danger to condors. A Game and Fish survey found that 654 successful hunters used non-lead ammunition while hunting in the condors' range during the fall hunting season. Another 160 removed gut piles or took other actions to keep lead away from condors, it found. Kathy Sullivan, California Condor Project coordinator for Game and Fish, said hunters are glad to learn about the dangers of lead and are inclined to act accordingly to protect condors. "We think that 90 percent participation shows how highly effective a volunteer program can be," Sullivan said. "It makes a ban unnecessary." -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Condor Article in Oregonian From: "condorhiker" <sjferry AT cox.net> Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:21:23 -0000 There's a nice article in the Portland Oregonian, 2/9/09, on the possibility of releasing condors in the Pacific Northwest. http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/123378 8102307210.xml&coll=7 Steve Ferry Goleta Subject: Did you see? From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:29:21 -0800 In the Tribune 2/18/09 one of the Big Sur Condors got it's picture in the paper! (classified section - photo of 168 by John Huffman) -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:59:30 -0800 from the Center for Biological Diversity * Hunters Embrace Lead-free Ammunition Regulations /More New Non-toxic Bullets Available to Prevent Condor Poisonings/* SACRAMENTO, /Calif/.--- The California Department of Fish and Game last week reported that so far, 99 percent of hunters in California have been in compliance with new state hunting regulations requiring the use of non-lead ammunition in the range of the California condor in central and southern California. Fish and Game law enforcement announced at the February 5 California Fish and Game Commission hearing that of 6,500 hunters contacted in the field since the new regulations went into effect last July, only 63 warnings and nine citations needed to be issued for illegal possession or use of lead ammunition in the condor range. "The non-lead hunting regulations to protect condors appear thus far to be non-controversial and effective, as most California hunters seem to be doing their part to get toxic lead out of the food chain," said Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity. "The California Fish and Game Commission should promptly announce a phase-in of non-lead ammunition for all hunting throughout the rest of the state to protect other wildlife poisoned by lead and to safeguard human health. Hunters can play a critical role in the recovery of the condor and also keep lead from poisoning the wild game they eat." The lead-free ammunition regulations are designed to reduce lead poisonings of the iconic and extremely endangered California condor. Condors, eagles, and other scavengers such as ravens, turkey vultures, and black bears can consume lead-bullet fragments and lead-shot pellets from carcasses of animals shot by hunters. A higher percentage of hunters appear to be using non-lead ammunition in California under state regulations than the purported 70 percent of hunters in Arizona now using non-lead ammunition under that state's voluntary program. Non-lead bullets and shot made from copper and other materials are now widely available for big-game hunting in numerous calibers, and the shortages or prohibitive costs predicted by opponents of the regulations have not materialized. More than 150 types and calibers of non-lead rifle and pistol bullets and non-lead shot are available, and California Fish and Game has so far certified 17 ammunition manufacturers that provide non-lead ammunition suitable for use in the condor range. Significantly, Winchester Ammunition last month announced the availability this year of several new lead-free bullets in .22 caliber rimfire ammunition, which are widely used for shooting small game, plinking, and target practice, and were not previously available in non-lead. Opponents of the lead ban had claimed 22 rimfire bullets would never be feasible to make. A list of certified bullets, packaged ammunition and a map of the areas encompassed by the ban are available at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/. The California condor is one of the world's most endangered species. At the end of 2008, 169 condors were flying free in the wild, 87 of them in California. In good news for the large birds, 2008 was the best condor breeding year in California since the reintroduction began in 1992, with nine condor pairs laying nine eggs and most hatchlings surviving. Lead poisoning from ingesting lead fragments in carcasses has been the leading cause of death for reintroduced condors in California and Arizona. Since 1992, at least 15 condor deaths in California have been confirmed or linked to lead poisoning, and dozens more poisoned condors have required invasive, life-saving chelation therapy to "de-lead" their blood after feeding on lead-tainted carcasses. One condor died in California in 2008 of apparent lead poisoning. Scientific studies provide overwhelming evidence that the lead poisoning condors comes from ammunition fragments in carcasses and gut piles left behind in the condor range by hunters. In 2007, more than 45 prominent wildlife biologists signed a "Statement of Scientific Agreement " concluding that lead ammunition is the primary source of the lead that is poisoning condors. "It is important to note that there will continue to be condor deaths from ingesting lead ammunition fragments due to non-compliance and poaching until lead ammunition is no longer used in the state," said Miller. "The best enforcement tool will be a statewide requirement to use lead-free ammunition." The Center for Biological Diversity organized a coalition of health, conservation, and American Indian organizations to launch a "Get the Lead Out" campaign in 2004 to eliminate lead from condor habitat. Assembly Bill 821, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, signed into law in 2007, requires hunters to use non-lead ammunition for hunting big game (such as deer, elk, pigs, and bighorn sheep) and shooting coyotes within the condor range, which encompasses all or portions of 13 central and southern counties and seven deer-hunting zones. The California Fish and Game Commission approved additional regulations in 2007 expanding the non-lead requirements to hunting of non-game mammals and birds and prohibiting the use of lead .22-caliber and smaller-rimfire cartridges for non-game hunting in the condor range . A recent conference sponsored by the Peregrine Fund, Ingestion of Spent Lead Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans , presented compelling scientific evidence of significant risk to human health, as well as harm to condors and other wildlife, from the use of lead ammunition for hunting. In a recent Peregrine Fund study of deer killed by hunters, x-rays revealed that lead bullets explode into dozens of tiny pieces. Half the deer carcasses in the study were riddled with at least 100 lead fragments, raising human health concerns for those eating wild game shot with lead. Lead is an extremely poisonous metal -- even very low levels can cause neural degeneration, digestive paralysis, brain injury, and mental retardation, especially in children. More information about the lead-poisoning threat can be found at www.savethecondors.org . / The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with 200,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. / -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:38:04 -0800 from: http://www.flyrodreel.com/Blogs/Ted-Williams/Blogs-2008/Condor-release-scheduled-March-7-in-Arizona/ BOISE, Idaho -- Four California Condors will be released to the wild in the Vermilion Cliffs Monument in northern Arizona at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 7. The public is welcome to observe the release from a viewing area where spotting scopes will be set up and experts will be available to answer questions. The site features a new informational kiosk, shade structure and restroom built by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. One of the young birds to be released was hatched and reared in captivity at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise. Three were bred and reared at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. This will be the 14th release of condor chicks in Arizona since The Peregrine Fund began its recovery program in 1996. Currently, there are 67 condors flying free in Arizona, including two wild-hatched chicks that left their nests in the Grand Canyon in December. The world's total population of endangered condors flying free in the wild is 169 (in Arizona, California and Mexico). The birds were reduced to just 22 individuals in the 1980s when a program was begun to save the species from extinction. Driving directions: Take Highway 89A from Kanab or Page 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 about 2 miles. Driving times: From Flagstaff, 2.75 hours; Fredonia, 1 hour; Page, 1.75 hours; Phoenix, 5 hours. Bring: binoculars, sunscreen, water, snack [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: poorwill From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:06:02 -0800 Hello all, A Common Poorwill flushed off Islay Creek Rd. in Montana De Oro State Park this evening at 5:59pm - while I was jogging by - fluttering up and backlit by the dim light of dusk. Temp. felt like the 50's, under high broken cloud cover following the recent rain storms. This stretch of the canyon was wind-protected while a brisk, cold onshore breeze was sweeping across the coastal sage slopes above. A surprise mid-winter sighting. Steve Schubert Los Osos Subject: donations From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:30:35 -0800 The following donations have been received. Thank-you! Materials and Supplies: Paul Andreano, Cayucos-- 100 Hi Mtn. Project greeting cards Saucelito Canyon Vineyards, Arroyo Grande -- Hi Mountain Red Wine, served at the wine reception for the annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, Jan., '09 Financial donations: Judith Hoff -- $50 Paul Burkhalter -- $250 Anthony and Kathleen Kent, Paso Robles-- $40 Donna O'Shaughnessy, Atascadero -- $100 Phyllis and Michael Hischier, San Luis Obispo -- $1,000 Donations can be made by writing a check to 'MCAS Hi Mountain Project" and mailing to: Morro Coast Audubon Society Po Box 1507 Morro Bay, CA 93443-1507 Contributions are tax deductible under IRS Code 501(c)(3). Subject: Heartwarming condor story... From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:33:20 -0800 LA Times (1/10/09) Up close and personal with California's biggest condor celebrity http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/01/up-close-and-pe.html -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Article From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:11:28 -0800 from the Ventura County Reporter http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/california_condors_make_a_comeback_in_the_los_padres_national_forest/6539/ California condors make a comeback in the Los Padres National Forest By Chuck Graham 12/24/2008 After spending six months in its gritty nest cave on a sheer sandstone cliff, a California condor chick takes its first flight over the Los Padres National Forest. Uncertain of the wide open expanse of forest and scrubby chaparral this wilderness is known for, its first attempt at flying is a short one. The new fledgling isn't alone. Six other condor chicks have also successfully left their nests in the national forest this past fall, making 2008 the most successful breeding season to date for the Condor Recovery Program. With these seven new condors and two other chicks in Arizona and Baja successfully fledging their nests, the wild population of condors now outnumbers those in captive breeding for the first time since reintroduction of the endangered birds began in 1992. "This is another big step towards the recovery of the species," said Mike Woodbridge, public relations officer for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Condor Recovery Program. "Seven chicks in California are more than we've had in a season. The chicks are doing well, but we still have a long ways to go." The recovery plan for California condors calls for three distinct populations, each with at least 150 birds and 15 breeding pairs in California and Arizona. After the 2008 breeding season, the Recovery Program has reached an important milestone in the process. There are now 167 condors flying free in the wild, with 160 in the captive breeding program at zoos in Los Angeles and San Diego. "This is an exciting time for the California condor recovery effort," said Marc Weitzel, project leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. "We've come a long way since the Recovery Program began, and we still have a ways to go. We are making tremendous progress, with more condors in the wild than there have been in approximately 50 years." However, with that being said, condors still face threats from collisions with power lines, accidental and intentional shootings, and especially lead poisoning. Even though California Assemblyman Pedro Nava's bill to remove lead ammunition from the condor's historic range was signed off by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a year ago and was implemented in July 2008, the threat remains. Condors are checked for lead levels after hunting season concludes in late fall. Ingestion of lead has been the main culprit for condors, which doesn't allow food stored in their crop (the pouch in their neck) to digest properly and, according to Woodbridge, several condors recently tested were found to have high levels of lead in their blood. "We suspect lead was still being used because lead levels were still substantial within the condors tested," he said. "As people learn more about the law, it will become less and less of a problem for the condors." Another concern regarding North America's largest flying land bird is encouraging the scavenging raptors to forage on their own and not become dependent on food left out for them. Condors do not kill their food. They locate carcasses while soaring for hours on thermal updrafts, reaching speeds of up to 55 mph and altitudes of 15,000 feet. Condors can cover 100 to 150 miles a day with their impressive 9-foot-plus wingspans. Since reintroduction began 17 years ago, field biologists have placed stillborn calves at feeding stations to encourage foraging behavior for the new wave of condors. Over time, those feeding stations have included remote locales like Lion Canyon on the Sierra Madre Ridge, the Wind Wolves Preserve and National Wildlife Refuges at Bitter Creek and Hopper Mountain complexes. The 2006 Day Fire and the 2007 Zaca Fire have also helped, burning old-growth chaparral in regions of the Los Padres National Forest that haven't burned in 100 years. With their incredible vision, condors will be able to locate food more easily in the burn areas. "We're still leaving them supplemental feedings at various locations throughout their range," continued Woodbridge. "We're also encouraging them to feed on their own." /E-mail Chuck at: /chuckowow AT aol.com -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: sad news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:02:17 -0800 from the Monterey County Herald (on-line): Condor Chick found Dead LINK: http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_11294372?nclick_check=1 Condor chick found dead Male was one of three born in wild this year The Monterey County Herald Herald Staff Report Updated: 12/23/2008 01:31:06 AM PST Click photo to enlarge Biologist Joe Burnett surveys the damage at the Ventana Wildlife... (ORVILLE MYERS/Herald file) * « * 1 * » One of three condor chicks raised in wild nests was found dead by scientists Sunday after the big bird's radio transponder emitted a "mortality signal," according to Ventana Wildlife Society senior wildlife biologist Joe Burnett. Biologists from the society's condor recovery project in Big Sur found the lifeless body of a wild California Condor chick lying in thick brush beneath a tall stand of redwoods, only a half mile from its coastal nest site. The wild male chick, known as No. 475, was recently observed making short flights in the nest area, which is normal behavior for a 9-month-old condor, Burnett said. The bird was wearing a radio tag that alerted biologists there was trouble when it began emitting a mortality signal Sunday morning, he said. Ventana biologists Mike Tyner and Jessica Koning tracked the signal through thick brush into a very steep coastal ravine and finally located the chick lying motionless on the ground. Condor 475 will be examined more closely at San Diego Zoo's Pathology Lab, Burnett said, adding that the cause of death is unknown at this time. Condor 475 is one of three wild chicks produced by the condor flock in Big Sur this year. The other two surviving wild chicks, Nos. 470 and 477, continue to grow strong and are a little further along in development. "It's always very difficult to lose such a young condor," Burnett said. "We really wish all of the chicks could make it." Last year, the Big Sur flock produced two ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ wild condor chicks and one survived, an expected 50 percent survival rate for condor chicks in the wild. Ventana Wildlife Society biologists believe that there could be as many as four wild condor chicks just in Big Sur in 2009. The condor population reached an all-time low of 22 in 1982. Through captive breeding and subsequent releases, the total condor population now stands at 326. In central California, there are 47 free-flying condors, three of them wild-born. The Ventana Wildlife Society is the only not-for-profit organization releasing and managing condors in California. The Society works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pinnacles National Monument, state Department of Parks and Recreation, state Department of Fish and Game, Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, U.S. Forest Service and others. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:49:02 -0800 From the LA Times (environmental news) /And now for the good news: With the emergence of *seven* California condor chicks from their nests this year, the wild population of condors now outnumbers the number in captivity for the first time since the endangered birds were reintroduced in 1992./ /The seven young birds who fledged bring California's wild condor population to more than 80. There are about 167 condors flying free and some 160 in captive breeding programs./ /Including groups in recovery programs in Arizona and Mexico, the total number of California condors is now about 320. / /Good news for a big, ugly bird that numbered only 22 in 1982./ -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Nice photos From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:50:30 -0800 This is why I tell folks - if you want to see a Calif. Condor these days, go up to Big Sur.. John & his friends went up to Big Sur last weekend, and one of the guys, John Huffman (an avid photographer) took these_ great shots_! of #222 & #168 (Pinnacles bird) I think 168 has a tail transmitter too! http://www.pbase.com/mediawyz/california_condors -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: more good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:39:15 -0800 *GRAND CANYON, Ariz. -- *Arizona wildlife officials are celebrating the addition of_ two more_ endangered California condor chicks hatched and fledged in Grand Canyon National Park. It brings Arizona's Calif. condor populaton close to* 70* and the world's total population to more than *320*, said Shannan Marcak of the Grand Canyon National Park. (from KPHO phoenix AZ website: http://www.kpho.com/news/18205457/detail.html#-) -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Good news for condors From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:42:46 -0800 see press release re: lead agreement http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2008/lead-ammunition-12-03-2008.html -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Feathers?! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:10:00 -0800 To those involved in wildlife medicine, aid or preservation, We received your contact information from the USFWS; we are composing a field guide to North American bird feathers and would like to ask for your help with specimen collection. To date with the help from universities, museums, and rehabilitation centers we have collected feather samples from over 200 bird species from across the United States. This 200 mark puts us roughly half way to our goal of representing 400 North American bird species in the guide. In order to collect this numerous and diverse number of birds we are going to need help from many organizations just like yours. Please visit our web site for a current list of species we are still seeking for inclusion in the guide. *WWW.FEATHERGUIDE.COM * *At this time we are accepting shipments of whole frozen specimens and loose feathers from birds on this list. * Please consider donating your deceased specimens to this important project. A guide of this type is not currently available in North America and will be a great new resource for outdoor educators, wildlife sciences, and the general public. This project is fully permitted through USFWS and the state of WA. Also, if you know of anyone else who might be willing to help please forward them this e-mail and our contact information. If you have any additional questions, comments, or would just like to discuss this project further please feel free to contact us via phone or e-mail. Thank you for the important and selfless work you do. Sincerely, Dave Scott and Casey McFarland Authors *Dave Scott* /Feather Guide Project/ /www.featherguide.com / /dscottmp AT yahoo.com / /(425) 319-3685/ -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: No Subject From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:21:29 -0800 Monday, November 17th, 7 pmEl Chorro Regional Park, at the SLO Botanical Garden Education BuildingThe California CondorTracking Programwith Dr. Francis VillablancaMorro Coast Audubon Society has provided funding to assist California Polytechnic State University in hiring summer interns to take part in the California Condor telemetry program at the Hi Mountain Condor Lookout. The three interns from summer 2008 gave a brief summary of their work at the September MCAS Community Program. Dr. Francis Villablanca, the interns’ advisor at Cal Poly, will take a more in-depth look at tracking efforts, successes and setbacks in the condor recovery program, and related matters. You will come away with a greater understanding of Central California studies and activities oriented toward protecting this species, still among the most endangered of all North American wildlife. Francis Villablanca, PhD, is a professor of Biology at Cal Poly, where he teaches courses in Ornithology and Mammalogy, among others. He has been a presenter at the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, Dune Quest, and other natural history venues in the area.As always, all ages are welcome. Refreshments will be served. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To Post a message, send it to:Hi_MountainCondor AT yahoogroups.com To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:Hi_MountainCondor-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Message archives and group home page can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondorYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondor/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondor/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Hi_MountainCondor-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Hi_MountainCondor-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Hi_MountainCondor-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Cool video of "miracle chick" From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:56:59 -0700 Brief story with great video of the chick that survived the fires in Big Sur: http://cacondorconservation.org/content/blog/blogs/2008/first-look-at-miracle-condor-chick/ -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: More good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:41:19 -0700 From the "North County Times" (on line) Animal park releases condors into rebuilt hatchery SAN PASQUAL VALLEY ---- Some of the smallest and rarest evacuees of last year's Witch Creek wildfire settled into newly rebuilt quarters with little trouble Monday after keepers released _five condors_ into a hatchery behind the scenes at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The move did include a few brief moments of anxiety. When keepers opened the gates on their plastic crates, a pair of Andean condors ---- a male named Apollo and a female known as Athena ---- jumped right out but then stopped to stare at human onlookers for several long moments began spreading their wings to catch the sun's warmth and exploring their new shared pen. Their 7-month-old, unnamed chick was far less brave. An hour after its crate gate was opened, the youngster was still inside. Released in an adjacent pen, a male California condor named Simerrye and its mate, Ojja, alternated between checking out the visitors and flying onto the roost, boulders and other features of their new quarters. The scene was far more relaxed than it was exactly a year earlier in the same location. The evening of Oct. 20, 2007, saw keepers frantically evacuating five California condors and two Andean condors as the massive, fast-moving Witch Creek wildfire advanced on the hatchery. Twelve hours after the hasty relocation, flames had reduced the birds' home to a 2-foot-pile of ash and burned 600 of the park's 1,800 acres. Part of a 16-year-old breeding program designed to increase wild condors' numbers, the lost hatchery gave condor pairs indoor and outdoor places to mate, lay eggs and tend to chicks before the youngsters were moved in preparation for possible release to the wild. Animal park bird curator Michael Mace said Monday that the building's loss forced the park to get creative about housing the two dozen or so condors they were tending at the time of the fire. "We immediately started planning (the replacement hatchery) and working with the insurance company because it was important that we be ready for the next breeding season," he said. Condors typically begin courting in fall and start producing eggs as early as December. The new hatchery was finished last week. Watching the condors released Monday adjust to their new environment, senior condor keeper Sheila Murphy described a controlled but frantic evacuation that included chasing birds until they were too tired to evade capture. "We saw the glow of the fire; it was coming," she said. "All I could think of was getting them all." Two more pairs of condors are scheduled to be moved into the new hatchery in the next few days. Murphy said she was happy with the bird behavior she was seeing so far. "There is really very minimal displacement," the keeper said, adding that the chick's reaction was no surprise because that bird has never been out of the temporary facility in which it was born. "She's scared. But this (facility) is beautiful. They did a very wonderful job with it." -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: donations From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:24:31 -0700 The following donations have been received. Thank-you! Materials and Supplies: Postscript Press/ psprint.com -- 1,000 Hi Mtn. Project business cards Marcelle Bakula, Cambria -- 4 framed condor photos and certificates of appreciation for volunteers John Schmitt, Wofford Heights -- original condor art work (this will be a future fundraiser auction item) Oct. 11th Open House raffle donations ($175 in ticket sales): Marv Daniels, Arroyo Grande -- 1 apple tree (eating apple grafted on semi-dwarf rootstock) Jan Hamber, Santa Barbara -- 1 SBMNH cap with condor logo, 1 t-shirt with J. Schmitt art work Saucelito Canyon Vineyard -- 3 bottles 2007 Hi Mountain Red Wine (4 bottles also donated for evening meal) Marcelle Bakula, Cambria -- EcoSac reusable bags, nest with glass egg, tumbled beach stones Santa Barbara Zoo -- mug, t-shirt, stuffed condor, condor book, framed condor photo Donations can be made by writing a check to 'MCAS Hi Mountain Project" and mailing to: Morro Coast Audubon Society Po Box 1507 Morro Bay, CA 93443-1507 Contributions are tax deductible under IRS Code 501(c)(3). Subject: Good news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:29:51 -0700 By Jeanette Steele San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER 1:12 p.m. October 20, 2008 NORTH COUNTY -- The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park welcomed two endangered California condors and two Andean condors into a new home yesterday, a year after the Witch Creek wild fire destroyed the old one. EDUARDO CONTRERAS / Union-Tribune Keepers release one of the condors into its new enclosure. EDUARDO CONTRERAS / Union-Tribune One condor gets its first look at the new enclosure. Last October, the raging firestorm forced the park to evacuate its staff and lock what wild creatures they could into a veterinary hospital. Two animals died -- a light-footed clapper rail and a wild Asian horse known as a Kiang -- but one of the park's off-exhibit condor enclosures burned. Any loss related to the big bird is meaningful, as the zoo's breeding program is one of the few in the country. Wildlife officials have been fighting to fend off extinction since the 1980s. That's when they decided to remove the failing California condor from the wild and place the remaining few -- just about 20, at that point -- in breeding centers. Monday's homecoming is a bright spot in what's been an uneven year for the condor, known as the Boeing 747 of birds because of its awesome 9-foot wingspan. Advertisement An August wildfire in Northern California destroyed part of a condor sanctuary near Big Sur and killed two wild condors. The endanagered birds caught a break earlier this summer, however, when a new state law banning lead bullets took effect. Condors, which are vultures, can be get lead poisoning when they feast on carcasses containing bullet fragments. But, on the whole, California condors have been on an upswing. These days, the population stands at 327, of which 162 live in the wild. The Wild Animal Park releases many of its chicks into the wild at Mexico's Sierra San Pedro de Martir National Park, about 125 miles south of the California border. Bird-lovers got excited in April 2007 when the zoo announced that one of its reintroduced condors, which wear satellite tracking devices, flew north of the border into eastern San Diego County. The 3-year-old condor rode the thermals around Cuyamaca Rancho State Park for a while, according to zoo officials, but then crossed back into Mexico without much fanfare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jeanette Steele: (619) 293-1030; *jen.steele AT uniontrib.com* -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Story From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:27:44 -0700 I liked this story from the Oregonian (sorry if the images didn't copy over..) you can try the website: http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2008/10/condors_spread_giant_wings_ove.html Condors spread giant wings over Grand Canyon by Katy Muldoon, The Oregonian Saturday October 18, 2008, 9:00 AM *After a remarkable comeback, the magnificent birds again soar over northern Arizona * California-condor stories fly so freely around Maggie Sacher's northern Arizona restaurant/bar, you'd think the behemoth birds sip beers or shoot pool there. Some tales sound about that tall; others ring true: The one about a condor that snatched a handgun from a campsite and toted it around in its beak. The one about a sunbather resting so still along the Colorado River's bank that condors circled to see whether she was dead and, therefore, suitable scavenger food. The one that furious campers told Sacher, about a condor flock shredding their tents and rampaging through their camp like delinquent spring-breakers. "Don't be mad," she recalls telling them. "Think of it this way: You're some of the few people on Earth who can tell that story." Sacher had that right. Spotting California condors, iconic symbols of American wilderness, is exhilarating and rare, yet easier than seeing most endangered species. At least, it is if you know where in the West to look for the 18- to 20-pound birds whose wings span 9 1/2 feet or more. The ruddy-faced, bald-headed survivors from the Ice Age had nearly disappeared by the 1980s, when only 22 were known to remain worldwide. Captive breeding efforts, including the Oregon Zoo's, have boosted the species' total to around 330. About half remain in zoos and breeding facilities, while the others fly free in northern Mexico, California and Arizona, often right over Lees Ferry Lodge at Vermilion Cliffs, which Sacher has owned and operated for 21 years. The 10-room inn, a welcoming pocket of comfort in rugged wild lands near the Arizona-Utah border, surely qualifies as the world's most condor-centric hotel. For travelers intent on catching a glimpse of the birds, it's an ideal place to begin searching. *A place to perch* Sacher's link to condors began more than a dozen years ago, the day a few biologists from The Peregrine Fund, a nonprofit based in Boise, stepped onto her lodge's sun-bleached porch and pushed through the front door. They wanted to reintroduce California condors near the Grand Canyon, where the species ranged before the population plummeted. The scientists were searching, they told Sacher, for a place that would suit condors -- high cliffs, strong updrafts and isolation from human interference -- and a place that would give the crew charged with their care a home base. The Peregrine Fund crew set up shop in an old Airstream trailer behind Sacher's lodge. Atop the Vermilion Cliffs, a 3,000-foot escarpment that ranges in elevation from 3,100 to 6,500 feet, they built an open-air pen and took in six birds from breeding centers. On Dec. 12, 1996, the crew opened the pen gate for the first time. The birds stepped out, extended their wings and let the wind lift them into Grand Canyon country, where their ancestors flew. In the years since, dozens more condors have followed. They spend a few months or longer in release pens, acclimating and observing their wild counterparts' skills and social structure before the gates open for them. In March, for the first time, three Oregon Zoo-bred birds were freed at Vermilion Cliffs, growing the flock to 65. Ross William Hamilton, The OregonianA California condor soars above its home near the 294,000-acre Vermillian Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona. *High-flying travelers* Some condors stick around the cliffs throughout the year, though they're most commonly seen there from late fall into early spring. They range hundreds of miles, north into Utah and Colorado and west toward Las Vegas. They soar south over the Grand Canyon, particularly in summer, when large crowds gather at the south rim to watch. The Peregrine Fund routinely stations biologists in Grand Canyon National Park. Along with park service rangers, they talk about the reintroduction project and the challenges facing the birds -- such hazards as poisoning from feeding on game killed with lead ammunition, to electrocution by power poles. Condors wear numbered identification tags on their wings; Allyson Mathis, a science and education outreach coordinator for the National Park Service, keeps track of who's who and can tell visitors how old the birds are, what their gender is -- males and females look identical -- and which have nests nearby. "It really makes that personal connection," she says. "It takes an abstract thing, an endangered species, and turns it into a bird they feel they know." *Condor central * In the years since the first condor biologists showed up at Sacher's lodge, she has made room on her property for office space, cabins for the crew and a makeshift condor hospital, where the birds can be X-rayed and treated for injuries or lead poisoning. In a huge stone basin once used to water cattle, now dubbed the Party Pit, Sacher joins biologists and lodge guests for bonfire-fueled celebrations after condors are successfully released. Lees Ferry Lodge is busiest in March, April, May and October, when the weather is ideal for hikers, cyclists and fishermen inclined to diverge from the wildly beaten path to the Grand Canyon's south rim. Frequently, Sacher points guests down U.S. 89A about three miles from her place, to the Navajo Bridge spanning the Colorado River. The bridge is really two: The first, built in 1929, serves pedestrians, while the span constructed in 1995 carries cars and trucks. Peering down nearly 500 feet to the milky green river is enough to make the acrophobic shudder, and, often, to make a condor seeker gasp. The birds seem to like the bridges. They frequently soar past them in the afternoon, dip toward the river and climb above the craggy terra cotta cliffs the spans connect. Often, they land on the shiny steel crossbeams. As the sun falls low in the sky, painting the cliffs tangerine and ruby and rust, the birds fly off to roost for the night and guests return to Sacher's lodge. To knock back the desert dust, they order one of the 100 varieties of beer she offers, and the condor tales start to flow. Some sound tall, others, true. "It's a majestic bird," Sacher says, "with a good story to tell." -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: film festival From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:03:31 -0700 Hello all, Last night I attended the 1st annual Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival at Cal Poly's Spano Theatre, hosted by Los Padres ForestWatch. During Intermission, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard served glasses of 2007 Hi Mountain Red Wine, and from the podium the announcement was made that some of the sales proceeds of the wine (going on sale this February) will be a donation to the condor tracking project at Hi Mountain Lookout, which got an applause from the audience. Another surprise was seeing our own Kevin Cooper, Kathleen Phelps, and Tom Murhpey from USFS featured and interveiwed in the next film "Horse Creek Damolition". In 2006, a blasting crew - working in collaboration with USFS - demolished an old dam that was blocking steelhead trout migrating upstream to historic spawning areas on the Sisquoc River drainage. These series of short films were chosen among the best from more than 125 films at the annual 3-day film festival held in Nevada City in the Sierra Nevada each year, and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival will be traveling to more than 70 cities across the country this year. Steve Schubert www.condorlookout.org www.LPFW.org www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org Subject: OLLI lecture From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 19:10:04 -0700 Hello all, This morning I spoke at the Morro Bay Library for the OLLI program (OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute), hosted by Cal Poly, SLO. There were about 40 in attendance for the 2 hour slide lecture about the California Condor Recovery Program and the Hi Mountain Lookout Project. The interest and enthusiasm of the audience was appreciated, and more than 25 have signed up to carpool and attend the Oct. 11th annual open house event. Hoping to see many of you there next weekend. A full description of the open house schedule is posted at our website www.condorlookout.org Steve Schubert Subject: wildlife lovers - ask for EIR! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:39:27 -0700 _This notice from the Center for Biological Diversity: (no word in our local papers yet) _*Send COMMENTS TO Parks & Rec. Dept. BY OCT. 1, 2008* The California Department of Parks and Recreation is proposing to allow a highly destructive, three-day motorized racing event at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area on the central California coast. While this park unit is partially managed for off-road vehicle use by the public, it also contains fragile habitats for numerous imperiled species. The proposed race will include thousands of vehicles and tens of thousands of spectators resulting in habitat degradation, harassment of sensitive species, and air pollution for nearby communities. Despite the risk of multiple significant impacts to imperiled species and public health, the department proposes to allow the event to proceed without fully analyzing its impact to the environment. Please contact the Parks Department and ask the agency to deny the event and prepare a full environmental impact report. *What's at stake: * The _Oceano Dunes_ unit of the state parks system is part of one of the most extensive coastal dune ecosystems on the West Coast. This natural treasure contains great expanses of pristine, sandy beaches, productive estuaries, and coastal dune ecosystems that are home to a magnificent diversity of life. Two imperiled shorebirds, the California least tern and western snowy plover, have a large nesting area within the park, and plovers use the park throughout the fall and winter. Some of California's rarest plants are also found at Oceano Dunes, including the Nipomo Mesa lupine, marsh sandwort, Gambel's watercress, La Graciosa thistle, surf thistle, Pismo clarkia, and beach spectacle pod. The wetlands, creeks, lagoons, and estuaries are home to steelhead trout, tidewater goby, and red-legged frog. Unfortunately, the Parks Department currently mismanages the area, allowing off-road vehicles to dominate the park, inflicting harm to sensitive species, causing air pollution, and endangering the public. The latest proposal by the Parks Department to allow yet another _massive racing event _in the dunes ignores the reality that off-road vehicles cause significant harm. The race is being permitted without a full environmental review by the department. This failure to abide by the law puts endangered species, their habitat, and the public at risk. Visit Ctr for Biological Div. website: *http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26002SUBMIT * The Dept. of Parks & Rec. information about this event planned for Oct 11/12 at Oceano Dunes* http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1170/files/odinitialstudymnd2008.pdf * Comments to Sarah Cumber: *Scumber AT parks.ca.gov* or fax/mail to: Sarah Cumber, Dept. of Parks & Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Veh. Recreation Division, 1725 23rd St, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 324-4442 fax: 916-424-1610 For further info contact Ronnie Glick, Sr. Environmental Scientist at (805) 773-7180* * -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CORRECTED "Invite" & Schedule From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:55:18 -0700 I didn't realize there had been some changes made by Steve - here is the _CORRECT Schedule_ Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Project 7^th Annual Open House/Campout *Saturday, October 11th, 200**8** * _Schedule of Activities__:_ _*Bird Watching Field Trip*_* - 9:00am - 11:30am** * Pozo Valley to Hi Mountain, 3,199 ft. elev. _Meet _at Pozo Ranger Station. Carpooling recommended. _Habitats_: grassland, riparian woodland at Salinas River crossing, valley oak, blue oak and coast-live oak woodlands, chaparral. _Easy hiking_ conditions and car pooling. _Leader_: Peter Dullea, Hi Mtn. Project Volunteer /Advanced registration requested: contact Steve at //_s_schub AT webtv.net_// or #805 528-6138/ _*Picnic lunch *_* - 12 noon ** *Bring your own lunch OR order: *"Condor Special" SACK Lunches Available!* /If you are coming up to join us & want to travel lightly, think about reserving a delicious Condor Sack Lunch!/ *A fresh,scrumptious Margarita Mercantile sandwich - *choice* of turkey/jack cheese, ham'n cheddar cheese OR all cheese (1/2 or whole on French roll) /you'll add the condiments/ - *bag of chips or pretzels -Soda or water -Homemade brownie* *1/2 Sandwich lunch $7 each Full sandwich lunch $9 each* /Call Marcelle before Friday Oct. 9th at noon to reserve: 927-1017 (wk.) or 927-3359 (h) /or email: marcelle AT digitalputty.com (subject "reserve sack lunch") _*Hi Mountain Lookout Interpretive Center open *_- please sign our guest register _*Raffle tickets for sal*__*e*_ _*Welcoming comments*_* 12:30** pm* 1. /*Introductions*/ 2. /*Morning birding field trip report*//* *//- interesting //bird and wildlife //sightings/ 3. /*Hi Mountain Lookout Project year in review and recognition of staff, interns, and volunteers*// - /Steve Schubert, Volunteer Coordinator, Morro Coast Audubon Society & Dr. Francis Villablanca, Professor, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department 4. /*Updates on the California Condor Recovery Program*// - /Condor staff 5. /*Condor radio tracking demonstration*// - /Cal Poly student interns _*Raffle drawing for donated prizes *_-*annual fundraiser * *1:15** **pm* _*Afternoon activities and field trips:*_ 6. *Geographical landmarks -* a 360 degree view from the Pacific Coast to the Sierra Nevada. Geologic features observed from the Lookout include the Rinconada Fault Zone, serpentine rock, and marine sedimentary rock formations. Speakers: Kevin Cooper, USFS and Steve Schubert, MCAS. 7. *Native plant identification walk -* along the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Leader: Dr. Dirk Walters, San Luis Obispo Chapter, California Native Plant Society. 8. *Animal vocalizations workshop* - learn to recognize and imitate common birds of the Santa Lucia Wilderness. Speaker: Kevin Cooper, USFS, Los Padres National Forest Wildlife Biologist. 9. *Feathers Workshop -* Learn all about feathers with renowned artist, biologist, and taxidermist John Schmitt. Presenter: John Schmitt, contributing artist to the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds. 10. *Volunteers training session -* radio telemetry, facilities use, and scheduling. 11. *Meet with Hi Mountain Lookout staff -* Late afternoon sit down chat with condor biologists and staff, reminiscing about experiences in 'Condor Country'. _*Sunset watch and dinner *_ (dress warm in layers) Gas stove and oven are available for cooking and heating food in the Lookout facilities. Participants are encouraged to bring a potluck dish to share with their friends and guests. *Note: *no campfires are permitted for cooking or during the overnight campout. _*Evening guest speakers 7pm*_ 12. "*Summer Internship at Hi Mountain"* - Cal Poly summer 2008 student internship slide show. 13. "*Trapping and banding birds of prey, Central Mongolia (2007) and South Texas (2008)"* - Raptor research slide show by Paul Andreano, past Hi Mtn. Lookout Intern. _*Astronomy observations*_ - Telescopic observations of the evening skies. _*Optional Hi Mountain Campout*_ Camping sites are available for Friday and/or Saturday nights at 'Cypress Hill' near the lookout. Other vehicle camping sites are located on the ridgeline near the entrance gate - with a view overlooking the mountains and coast - and at the USFS Hi Mountain Campground, located one mile down the road from the Lookout. There are picnic tables and outhouses at the campground - bring your own potable water. No open campfires permitted and smoking in enclosed vehicles only. *For additional information about the open house event and driving directions to Hi Mountain Lookout, see our website at *_*www.condorlookout.org*_ /*Please contact Steve Schubert at *//_*s_schub AT webtv.net*_// //*or at # (805) 528-6138 to RSVP if you are planning to attend the open house event and the number of people in your group.*/ -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: You are invited From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:12:48 -0700 Please share this with anyone you know would enjoy the Open House & associated activities! Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Project 7^th Annual Open House/Campout *Saturday, October 11th, 2007 * _Schedule of Activities:_ _*Bird Watching Field Trip*_* - **9:00am - 11:30am* Pozo Valley to Hi Mountain, 3,199 ft. elev. _Meet _at Pozo Ranger Station. Carpooling recommended. _Habitats_: grassland, riparian woodland at Salinas River crossing, valley oak, blue oak and coast-live oak woodlands, chaparral. _Easy hiking_ conditions and car pooling. _Leader_: Peter Dullea, Hi Mtn. Project Volunteer /Advanced registration requested: contact Steve at /_/s_schub AT webtv.net/ _/ or #805 528-6138/ _*Picnic lunch *_* - **12 noon *Bring your own lunch OR order: *"Condor Special" SACK Lunches Available!* /If you are coming up to join us & want to travel lightly, think about reserving a delicious Condor Sack Lunch!/ *A fresh,scrumptious Margarita Mercantile sandwich - *choice* of turkey/jack cheese, ham'n cheddar cheese OR all cheese (1/2 or whole on French roll) /you'll add the condiments/ *- **bag of chips or pretzels **- **Soda or water **- **Homemade brownie* *1/2 Sandwich lunch $7 each Full sandwich lunch $9 each* /F// //Call Marcelle before Friday Oct. 9th at noon to reserve: 927-1017 (wk.) or 927-3359 (h) /or email: marcelle AT digitalputty.com with subject "reserve sack lunch") // _*Hi Mountain Lookout Interpretive Center open - please sign our guest register*_ _*Raffle tickets for sale*_ _*Welcoming comments*_* *12:30 * /Introductions/ * /Morning birding field trip report- interesting sightings/ * /Hi Mountain Lookout Project year in review and recognition of staff, interns, and volunteers - /Steve Schubert, Volunteer Coordinator, Morro Coast Audubon Society & Dr. Francis Villablanca, Cal Poly * /Updates on the California Condor Recovery Program - /Condor staff * /Condor radio tracking demonstration - /Cal Poly student interns _*Raffle drawing for donated prizes (annual fundraiser)*_ - 1 PM _*Afternoon activities and field trips:*_ * /Geographical landmarks, a 360 degree view from the Pacific Coast to the Sierra Nevada - /Kevin Cooper, USFS Wildlife Biologist * /Geologic features observed from the Lookout, the Rinconada and San Andreas Fault Zones - /Steve Schubert, MCAS * /Native plant identification walk, along the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains - / Dr. Dirk Walters, San Luis Obispo Chapter, California Native Plant Society * /Animal vocalizations workshop "Common birds" -/ Kevin Cooper, USFS, Los Padres National Forest Wildlife Biologist * /Feathers Workshop - / John Schmitt, contributing artist to National Geographic Field Guide to Birds _*Volunteers training session - radio telemetry, facilities use, and scheduling*_ _*Late afternoon sit-down chat with condor biologists and staff*_ Reminiscing about experiences in 'Condor Country' _*Sunset watch and dinner *_(wear layered clothing) Gas stove and oven are available for cooking and heating food in the Lookout facilities. Participants are encouraged to bring a potluck dish to share with their friends and guests. *Note: *no campfires are permitted for cooking or during the overnight campout. _*Evening guest *_*speakers - **7pm** * * Cal Poly summer 2008 student internship PowerPoint talk * Raptor research PowerPoint slide talk by Paul Andreano, past Hi Mtn. Lookout Intern "Trapping and banding birds of prey and life among the nomads in Mongolia, Summer 2007, and trapping and banding migrating peregrine falcons on South Padre Island, Texas" _*Astronomy observations*_ - Telescopic observations of the evening skies, sponsored by members of the Central Coast Astronomical Society _*Optional Hi Mountain Campout*_ Camping sites are available for Friday and/or Saturday nights at 'Cypress Hill' near the lookout. Other vehicle camping sites are located on the ridgeline near the entrance gate - with a view overlooking the mountains and coast - and at the USFS Hi Mountain Campground, located one mile down the road from the Lookout. There are picnic tables and outhouses at the campground - bring your own potable water. No open campfires permitted and smoking in enclosed vehicles only. *For additional information about the open house event and driving directions to Hi Mountain Lookout, see our website at *_*www.condorlookout.org* _ /*Please contact Steve Schubert at */_/*s_schub AT webtv.net*/ _/ //*or at # (805) 528-6138 to RSVP if you are planning to attend the open house event and the number of people in your group.*/ HOPING TO SEE YOU THERE! Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: San Luis Obispo County’s website | 09/13/2008 | Saving a threatened scavenger From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:38:03 -0700 Associated Press Article 9-13-08....Hi Mountain Lookout photo and project description ---------- http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/468915.html [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Sad news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:12:53 -0700 Big Sur condor dies of lead poisoning By the Associated Press Article Launched: 09/10/2008 05:57:55 AM PDT BIG SUR --- A California condor captured in Big Sur has died of complications from lead poisoning. The 4-year-old female condor died Sunday at the Los Angeles Zoo, where it was taken after capture by Ventana Wildlife Society biologists. Society senior biologist Joe Burnett says the huge vulture was captured Friday and was later found to have six times the safe level of lead in her blood. Condors eat carrion often left behind by hunters, and ammunition is the suspected cause of the lead poisoning. Information from: The Salinas Californian -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: A Summer at Hi Mountain with the Interns From: "Pat White" <PatWhite56 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:03:57 -0700 Hi everybody, my name is Patrick White, for those of you who do not know me I am one of the interns working at Hi Mountain this summer. Another intern is Shannon Murphy, who worked here at the beginning of summer before she left to go to Costa Rica, and the other is Karlien Lang who took Shannon's place about half way through the summer. We have been up here since Fourth of July weekend collecting telemetry data for the Condor Recovery Program. We have been coming up every weekend for three days a week, usually there were two of us, but once all three were here, and I have been up here two weekends alone too. Shannon and I started our training by having Marcelle, one of the main Volunteers at Hi Mountain Lookout, drive us up to Hi Mountain for our first time to show us the ropes of setting up the lookout. The first thing you notice when you get up here is the view. You can see in every direction for what seems like a hundred miles. There are mountains in every direction, to the south you can see the Oceano dunes and to the North up to King City. The view is really nothing less than spectacular. After taking in the view Marcelle showed us all the basics like opening the doors and locks, turning on the power, water, and gas, and just showing us everything we need to live up here for three days a week for the whole summer. After we were comfortable with the lookout we went back to San Luis Obispo and got ready for our training at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge from August 29th through the 31st. On Friday morning we met our trainers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife station in Ventura. From there our trainer Wildlife Technician John Thompson drove us way out to Hopper Mountain which consisted of driving on freeways to a long trip on a dirt road. Hopper Mountain is right next to an oil field which the condors nest near also, so the oil company lets the Fish and Wildlife Service use their roads. It is a pretty amazing place; the roads just go up and down the sides of mountains which are very high compared to the valley below. Eventually we make it to the field camp which consisted of a Ranch House, a couple trailers, and a barn. We unloaded all of our stuff, get back in the car, and take off to do our first telemetry ever. On the way up to the site called "Silver Tanks" we see our first Condor ever, so we stop the car and just watch the bird circle above us. It was the first time Shannon and I were able to see just how impressive these giant birds are in person. After a few minutes we get back in the car and head back up the mountain because we would see plenty more Condors that weekend. When we got to "Silver Tanks" John showed use the basics of using the telemetry equipment, we tracked our first few Condors there and even had one fly over us while we were tracking it. For the rest of that first day we continued to practice telemetry and John showed us some of the Nest Monitoring sites, which were a pretty tough hike to get to. I can only assume anyone would be in awesome shape after working there for a month walking those trails. The next two days we were given a vehicle and sent out on our own to take telemetry readings all over the Wildlife Refuge. We saw plenty more Condors and were just as awed at everyone we saw. We knew that when we left we probably wouldn't see another one for the rest of the summer. During the next week Shannon and I prepared to go up to Hi Mountain for our very first weekend, which just so happened to be on Fourth of July. During that week we went down to the Forest Service Office in Santa Maria to get our off-road vehicle, as neither Shannon nor I had a car that could make it up to the Lookout. It actually took the better part of the day because we were required to have a Forest Service License. We met Kevin Cooper down there who took us through the process of getting the license. We had to watch a couple boring Videos and read a pamphlet, take a test, and then take it out for a short drive. After that we had to drive our bright green SUV out to the Pozo service station where we would switch out our vehicles for it every week before we would head up the dirt road. It was finally time for us to start our first week, so we drove up to the Lookout on the Fourth of July. Shannon's parents came up a few hours after we got there. We took telemetry data throughout the day and had a few visitors come up to check out the view and our interpretive center, although no one stayed to watch the fireworks. We had a barbeque that night and watched about five different fireworks shows, although they were all pretty far away. The fireworks in Pismo were the best. The next day we had a few more visitors, although no one was really that interested in the Condors. Then Sunday we finished our telemetry readings and packed up the lookout and left after our first weekend. The next week I got the newly improved phone and computer for the lookout, so we could now send our data from at the lookout instead of having to bring it home to send it to everyone. And over the next few weeks we had quite an eclectic mix of visitors. There were dirt bike riders, mountain bikers, horse riders, hikers, Forest Service employees, and people who came up just to see the lookout. I liked the people who came up to see the lookout the best, because they were actually interested in what we were doing and the condor recovery program. Perhaps the most interesting group of people who came up were "The Condor Kids". Shannon and I arrived one Friday to see a group of about ten people cheering as we drove up to the lookout in our Forest Service Vehicle. They were all wearing the same shirt that said "Condor Kids Return 2008". It turns out that they were all former Cal Poly students who had worked with the Condor program about 20 years earlier and were on a reunion trip. They were all really excited about the lookout and loved our visitor center, and were some of the best visitors we had the whole summer. They even offered us a beer for lunch! The rest of that weekend was pretty boring because there were no other visitors the whole time, all our excitement happened at the very beginning of that weekend. About halfway through the summer Karlien came up with Shannon and I for Shannon's last weekend. Shannon and I showed Karlien everything she needed to know to work up here so that she could take over for Shannon after that week. Shannon left to go to a summer work program in Costa Rica. For the rest of the summer it has been Karlien and I manning the Lookout, except for one weekend. We also started to come up on Saturday through Monday then instead of Friday through Sunday. One weekend Karlien could not make it up, so I went up by myself. I had already been up one weekend by myself earlier in the summer, so I knew it was going to be pretty boring. But this weekend happened to be the first weekend of deer season. Saturday I left the gate open so visitors could come up. A lot actually came up that day, but the only thing anyone wanted to know was if I had seen any deer. So the rest of that weekend I just left the gate closed, and no one even came up except to use the bathroom. It is much more fun when visitors actually want to learn something about what we are doing. The next weekend everything was back to normal and we were getting the normal types of visitors again mixed with a few hunters every now and then. Not much out of the normal has really happen since then. We have been here for two months now, and I only have one more weekend up here, while Karlien will be here for two more. So if anyone wants to come up here for a visit these next two weekends are the best times to do so from late Saturday morning to mid afternoon on Monday. Patrick White Hi Mountain Lookout Intern PatWhite56 AT gmail.com (805)-458-0660 Subject: This is what it will take! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:05:03 -0700 (enforcement!) from UCSB Press Release... Four Arrested for Hunting Violations at Sedgwick Reserve August 12, 2008 (Santa Barbara, Calif.) -- Serving notice that they intend to enforce a strict ban on hunting at the Sedgwick Reserve, UC Santa Barbara police officers arrested four men for violating hunting laws last weekend. The 5,900-acre Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley is managed by UCSB for the University of California. The reserve is used year-round by university researchers, students, schoolchildren, and others. Hunting is banned all year at the reserve. On Saturday, the first day of deer-hunting season, two men were arrested near a gate along Figueroa Mountain Road, according to UCSB Police Sgt. Daniel Massey. One of the men was dragging a dead deer as he approached the reserve gate, Massey said. The second suspect was arrested after fleeing the area in his vehicle. The suspects, from the Los Angeles area, were arrested for hunter trespassing, lack of hunting licenses, no deer tags, illegal method of take (using a .22-caliber firearm), and use of lead ammunition, which is banned in the condor-protected area of the Los Padres National Forest. A portion of the Sedgwick Reserve is in the condor area. Both were cited and released and the gun they used was confiscated. "Interestingly, they parked in front of a gate that had three different signs on it saying 'No Hunting' and/or 'No Firearms,' " Massey said. "They admitted to seeing and understanding the signs." On Sunday, UCSB Police, working with California Department of Fish and Game officers, arrested two more suspects in the Sedgwick Reserve on similar charges. A man from Pauma Valley, Calif., was arrested for hunter trespassing and shooting from a roadway. The other man, from Los Angeles, was arrested for hunter trespassing, no hunting license, no deer tag, illegal method of take, and use of lead ammunition. Both were cited and released and their guns were confiscated. "We are very serious about enforcing this ban on hunting in Sedgwick Reserve," Massey said. "And people need to know that not only are we enforcing it during hunting season, we're there all year." The Sedgwick Reserve is one of seven natural reserves managed by UCSB. The University of California is responsible for oversight of 35 reserves throughout the state. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: New report warns: current effort not enough From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:58:41 -0700 Condor Rescue Program in Danger of Failure By David Malakoff /Science/NOW Daily News 6 August 2008 Get the lead out: Removing the poisonous metal from bullets and shotgun pellets is the only way to save the highly endangered California Condor, according to a scientific review released today. Otherwise, one of the nation's most expensive and controversial efforts to save a species from extinction may fail. The report also recommends that hunters be encouraged to kill more wild game and pigs to create the carcasses on which the condors feed. The condor--North America's largest bird, with a 3-meter wingspan--was nearly extinct when government biologists captured the last few wild birds in the early 1980s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service planned to raise the giant scavengers in zoos and then release the birds back into the wild. Many critics predicted that the plan--which has since cost more than $45 million--would quickly fail. The good news is that it hasn't, according to a major independent review panel assembled by the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU), a leading bird science group. The condor recovery program "has achieved success beyond what many imagined possible," concludes the panel, which was convened at the request of the conservation group Audubon California and led by avian ecologist Jeffrey Walters of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg. There are now 150 captive condors in zoos and another 150 soaring free through the skies of California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California, Mexico. The bad news is that further progress isn't possible under the current program, the panel says. The birds "survive in nature only through constant and costly human assistance and intervention," the report says. Monitoring, feeding, breeding, and protecting the birds costs about $5 million annually, the report notes. But more than 10% of the wild adults still die each year, meaning that the population is not self-sustaining. One of the deadliest culprits is lead, which the birds ingest while feeding on wild pigs and other animals killed by hunters. As a result of that problem, "the program has reached a crossroads," the report concludes. "Progress toward recovery is not sustainable under current conditions because the reintroduction of more condors simply increases the costs required to keep wild birds alive rather than improving the viability of the wild populations." To improve the condor's chances, the panel calls for an immediate ban on the use of lead shot in the areas where the condor lives, preferably to be followed by a similar national ban. It also calls for federal and state agencies to encourage hunters to get out and kill more deer, pigs, and other wildlife in the condor's range. "Eliminating the threat of lead must be accomplished while simultaneously promoting sport hunting for large game," the report says, in part to ensure that the birds don't have to rely on costly feeding programs forever. The report also calls for creating a single new federal office and an independent scientific panel to oversee the condor program and more study into the best ways of breeding the birds and teaching them to feed and survive in the wild. Those recommendations are likely to be far less controversial than the proposed lead-shot ban. The National Rifle Association and hunting groups vociferously opposed but failed to stop efforts by California and a few other states to limit the use of lead shot. And hunters aren't likely to embrace any new proposal for a national ban, predicts Andrew Page of the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C., which supports the idea. Although pro-hunting groups "have actively tried to discredit the science that shows lead ammunition is a problem," he says "more states are beginning to look at the idea." -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: donations From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 17:32:59 -0700 The following donations have been received: Materials and Supplies - Ted and Bonnie Pope, Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., San Luis Obispo -- Swift ultra-lite 8X42 binoculars Peter Dullea, Lompoc -- niger bird seed and hummingbird food Financial donations - Lynne Harkin, Cambria -- $130.00 Janet Hamber, Santa Barbara -- $25.00 Steve Schubert, Los Osos -- $81.00 (40% proceeds from book sales) Judith Hoff, Alameda -- $50.00 Thank-you! Donations can be made by writing a check to "MCAS Hi Mountain Project" and mailing to: Morro Coast Audubon Society              Box 1507 Morro Bay, CA 93443-1507                                                                                                            Contributions are tax deductible under IRS Code 501(c)(3). Subject: good news w/ a little bad news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:17:10 -0700 from the MercuryNews.com (San Jose I think) Two condor chicks survive wildfires; third still missing By Lisa M. Krieger Mercury News Article Launched: 07/17/2008 04:19:45 PM PDT Click photo to enlarge Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director of the Ventana Wildlife Society,... ( Marcio Jose Sanchez ) * « * 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * » Two rare California condor chicks have survived the Big Sur-based Basin Complex fire, enduring dense smoke but untouched by flames. "We're ecstatic," said Kelly Sorenson of Ventana Wildlife Society, which monitors each bird along the vast central coast. "We're so incredibly relieved that two chicks survived." The fate of the third remains unknown. Unlike the two survivors, who lived in coastal nests, the nest of the third chick was located in a more remote interior part of Ventana Wilderness Area, where the fire burned especially hot. In a brief visit to one of the nests on Tuesday, wildlife biologist Joe Burnett found a chick "fat and happy in the cave. Mom and Dad have been keeping this chick full of food despite the disruption of the fire." Among the rarest and most imperiled birds in the world, the chicks belonged to a small group of 23 wild condors in Big Sur. They are part of a reintroduction program administrated by the Ventana Wildlife Society. Only 151 wild condors remain in the world. Because the young birds are only three months old - still covered in downy gray feathers yet already the size of chickens - they were too young to fly and escape the fire. Sorenson and Burnett had hoped to rescue the birds ahead of the advancing fire, but were forced back by heat and smoke. For more than two weeks, they've been braced for bad news. All but one of the older condors in the wilderness have been accounted for. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Nice story From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:26:27 -0700 from newsday.com (an AP writer) After biologists flee Calif wildfire, captive-bred condors prove they can fly on their own By TRACIE CONE |Associated Press Writer 3:21 PM EDT, July 17, 2008 BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) _ As wildfire whipped toward a remote sanctuary of the endangered California condor last month, the rare birds got their biggest test in survival after years of pampering by biologists: They had to live completely on their own. Forced away by flames, their scientist handlers could only hope the birds' animal instincts would kick in. To their delight, they did. The birds found fresh air, and food: a beached whale and decaying California sea lion at the edge of Big Sur's cliffs. After the blaze swept through the area, many even returned home. "It's incredible. They did just what they're supposed to do," said Kelly Sorenson, executive director of the Ventana Wildlife Society, which runs the sanctuary. "I was honestly thinking we'd lose four to six birds. You can rebuild pens, but we only have a limited amount of time to restore a species." The Ventana Wildlife Society near Big Sur is the only nonprofit in California to prepare captive-bred condors for life in the wild, making it an integral part of conservation efforts to save the condor from extinction. Flames from the 188-square-mile fire in the Los Padres National Forest last month destroyed the society's aviary and release pen and thousands of dollars worth of equipment. The fire also displaced the 43 free-flying birds the society monitors and forced a hasty rescue of seven 1-year-old chicks and their adult mentor by the U.S. Coast Guard. For 17 days, biologists were cut off from the sanctuary, monitoring the wild birds by electronic transmitters. "We felt so helpless," Sorenson said. The vulture was declared an endangered species in 1967, when its population --- estimated to be 50 to 60 birds at the time --- was in sharp decline because of poaching, habitat destruction and lead poisoning. In the 1980s, the U.S. government approved an ambitious and costly conservation plan that brought the last of the nearly two dozen surviving California condors into captivity for a captive-breeding program. After teaching the newborns with puppets and other tools how to survive in the wild, reintroduction into forests started in the 1990s. While there have been some setbacks (powerlines have proven a difficult obstacle to navigate), there are now 332 condors, half of which are living supervised in the wild in Arizona, California and Baja California, Mexico. The wildfires near the sanctuary started the night of June 21 with a burst of lightning storms that ignited fires all over Northern California. The blaze near Big Sur was particularly complicated to attack because of the steep terrain. Sorenson was at the remote sanctuary that night, entertaining donors, when he saw a black cloud blow in over the coast. "I had an eerie feeling," Sorenson said. "We know it's dangerous. I told my donors we needed to get out of there." By the time Sorenson and his group reached the highway, he could see four plumes of smoke rising from the mountains behind him. The next day, the Ventana Wildlife staff sought to rescue the seven 1-year-old juveniles and one adult mentor from the sanctuary. They were not ready to be released into the wild to fend for themselves. The birds had to be taken to a sanctuary the group operates with federal biologists from Pinnacles National Monument. With roads impassable, the U.S. Coast Guard airlifted the birds out in two trips through thick smoke and approaching flames. "The clock was ticking," said senior biologist Joe Burnett. All told, biologists have tentatively accounted for all but two birds: a chick that had been in a nest high in a redwood tree and another older condor that was released into the wild two years ago. Last week, Sorenson and Burnett returned to the burned-out sanctuary and hiked to the edge of the feeding site. At the top of a charred Ponderosa pine the alpha male of the group surveyed his blackened canyon. Burnett pumped his fist. "They survived on their own without us," Sorenson said. "It shows us they can do it." -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: AC8, her life and death From: "Helen Snyder" <chickcharney2001 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:00:47 -0000 The yahoo newsgroup raptor-conservation has had an feisty ongoing discussion about Tejon Ranch's plans to put housing developments on some of the high ridges in the middle of condor Critical Habitat. One person wrote that Tejon already had had a "lethal take" when a pig hunter shot AC8 on the ranch. Stan Moore, who is defending Tejon consultant Pete Bloom who apparently said the plans would be good for condors, wrote back very callously about how AC8 was a "very old bird", inplying she was of no use, a waste of space. It got me thinking about AC8 and what a central role she'd played in the whole recovery effort from the start, and I wrote the following to give another perspective to those who would diss her. You can read the exchanges and join the group at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/raptor-conservation/ I put four pictures up on an album I called AC8 here. I bet Jan Hamber could add a lot to the story of AC8! Helen Snyder, Portal AZ **************************** Re: open letter in support of incidental take permit for Tejon Ranch development It was sad to see the shooting on Tejon of California Condor AC-8 minimized as just the death of a "very old condor" by Stan Moore, in such a contrast to the days when every condor's life was special and meant something to the people who cared about saving the species. And among condors, AC8 was definitely a special bird. If a single individual condor can stand as a symbol for the entire recovery program, AC8 is it, an emblem of the intense effort that started in February 1980, and continues today. AC8 played a role from beginning to end in every area of research into why condors were so endangered and what could be done about it. When the intensive recovery effort first started we didn't know what the condor's problems really were. Was it lack of reproductive effort? disease brought back to chicks by adults? unhatchable eggs due to contaminants? incubation problems caused by hormonal disruptions from pesticides? food shortage? adult or juvenile mortality? None of these proved to be a problem, but they had to be addressed, and AC-8 gave us a lot of the answers. In the two busy years before we had permits to trap and radio birds, we mounted intensive nest-watches to try to answer some of these questions. AC8 nested deep in the Sespe Sanctuary, so far in that the nest-watchers spent several days at a time on each shift. We watched during all daylight hours, every day, and learned as much as we could about the causes of the decline. She taught us much life history information during her life in the wild - I remember vividly one spectacular aerial dogfight between her and her mate against a Golden Eagle that was heading toward their nest; I had no idea condors could move so fast as they dove and swerved after the intruder, their wings making loud deep booms as they maneuvered. This and other such responses taught us that Golden Eagle predation was a likely source of mortality for condor chicks. I watched one of her chicks fledge one day when both parents were away, when a gust of wind caught the exploring youngster unaware, lifting it up and away from the nest area and across the canyon where it crash-landed in a bush. This answered the minor question of whether adults led their young into first flights, and what the specialized behavior is that allows an adult returning to an empty nest to re-locate its newly fledged young in the chaparral a quarter of a mile away, another tiny piece of behavioral information we hadn't known, like so many others AC8 showed us. After AC8 was radioed she taught us the importance of Tejon and other areas for foraging and as bridge for safe passage to and from the Sierra Nevada. Before all the condors were radioed we used photos of molt patterns to distinguish between individuals and keep accurate count of condor numbers, and AC8 contributed to this information database too. Over the years, AC8 proved to be the most productive female. Once multiple clutching had been demonstrated she re-laid reliably after eggs were taken and flown to the San Diego Zoo for hatching, and she contributed young and many eggs to the captive flock before all the wild birds were taken in for captive breeding. She continued to breed in captivity. Her eggs were smaller and therefore thinner than the average of eggs in museums, and demonstrated a key fact: any apparent eggshell thinning has to be corrected for egg size when only tiny fragments are measured for contaminant studies. When the first captive-bred condors were released to the wild, Native American tribe members' hands were the ones that opened the release-cage doors, as they believe that the only way to heaven is on the back of a condor. They had objected strenuously to capturing all the free-flying condors, saying that this prevented their tribe members from making the transition to heaven, and they needed free-flying condors to ensure that passage for their people AC8 became an important symbol to the Chumash tribe and I was there in 2005 at the tribal headquarters when John Schmitt was finishing preparing her as a specimen for the tribe. The tribe held a ceremony to guide her on her spirit journey after a pig hunter shot her on Tejon Ranch. I believe her mounted skin is now in the tribe's keeping. I'm about as spiritual as a box of rocks, but it was a deep privilege to be present that day in the Chumash community center as AC8 again resumed the form of a soaring condor, and to realize that another entire community of humans appreciated her as intensely as we biologists did, albeit for completely different reasons. Photos: I created a condor album just now and posted four pictures: one AC8 at her nest in the early 1980s; one of John Schmitt doing the final suturing on AC8's body the day he mounted her for the Chumash tribe; one of the ceremonial material the tribe had in readiness; and one especially disturbing picture I found a few days ago: it's the avatar of a varmint hunter who hunts on Tejon, and posts on an online hunting forum. Helen Snyder, Portal AZ Subject: URGENT: comments needed by Monday on Tejon Ranch's development plans From: "Helen Snyder" <chickcharney2001 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:22:46 -0000 Tejon Ranch is proposing to build two massive developments in the heart of the highly endangered California Condor's legally- established Critical Habitat. This move, if approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, will makes the concept of critical habitat optional: any developer from now on will be confident that legally- declared Critical Habitat is no obstacle to his plans. Tejon Ranch has never been a friend of the condor: over the past decades they worked to prevent any releases of captive-reared birds from occurring anywhere near their borders, and this latest effort to punch a hole in condor critical habitat is just one more example of their lack of concern for this iconic species, so important to so many of us. Tejon is a publically-traded corportation, responsible primarily to its shareholders, not the people of California or the wildlife it supports. The Center for Biological Diversity's website http://www.savetejonranch.org/ gives a good overview of the problems with Tejon Ranch's development plans, and the problems are not all condor-related. The two housing developments are astride (Tejon Mountain Village) or adjacent to (Centennial) two of the western US's most active geological faults, the infamous San Andreas fault and the Garlock fault, and these two future killer faults meet one another just a few miles off Tejon's boundary: here's the map. http://www.savetejonranch.org/rockin/index.html Tejon's website www.tejonranch.com offers their vision of the development plans, complete with pretty pictures and assurances about how much they care about the condor. Audubon California, the NRDC, and Sierra Club signed onto the plan, pledging not to sue in exchange for a promised preserve for part of the ranch. A consortium of high-ranking condor program leaders and other scientists with a history of direct involvement in all phases of the recovery program who are opposed to this assault on critical habitat. See the op-eds and comments in High Country News: one pro, one con: http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=17786 http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=17785 A quick look at websites like firewise.com should be enough to scare off any homesite purchaser: community planners now know that ridges in grasslands are among the absolute riskiest for fire danger. The air quality in the Tejon area is some of the worst in the state, and consistently falls below EPA standards. One wonders if this isn't some kind of Hail Mary pass by the board of directors of a struggling corporation willing to go into debt and risk all. It's a bizarre business model. According to columnist Jim Matthews of Outdoor News Service, one of the state's biggest mule deer herds lives right under the footprint of Tejon Mountain Village. He's hunted there for 40 years, and presents arguments for combining Tejon and adjacent Wind Wolves Preserve into a National Wildlife Refuge by a buyout that would return money to shareholders and preserve this wonderful area forever. Others have argued for park status for Tejon. Similar large-holding buyouts have occurred in the past (Gray Ranch in NM, 321,700+ acres), and are planned for the future elsewhere: the upcoming purchase of private lands in Montana (320K acres) by The Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Lands for around $500 million is one example that's been in the news, and US Sugar's 187K-acre holdings in Florida are proposed for purchase to add to the Everglades at a price almost three times the current value of Tejon Ranch. Something similar can be done with Tejon, and condors and other wildlife, conservation, and hunting [if lead-free, the leftovers are good for condors], will all be the winners. Tejon is offering a contored conservation plan whereby they donate 178K acres to a Conservancy of their own creation, along with the option to secure development rights (but not ownership) of another 62K acres. Read Jim Matthews' comments at the end of the PRO High Country News op-ed by Graham Chisolm, linked to above. Tejon must apply to the US Fish and Wildlife for a "take" of Federally-protected wildlife. The USFWS is inviting comments; MONDAY JULY 7 is the deadline. The notice of intent is published here: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-12426.pdf Comments can be emailed to tu_hcp_eis [at] fws.gov Helen Snyder, Portal AZ Subject: and some GOOD news! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:52:32 -0700 This from Zoo & Aquarium Visitor Mag: FOUR OREGON ZOO CONDORS TO BE RELEASED INTO WILD Last year was a record year for Oregon Zoo condors: An unprecedented seven eggs were laid, including two by condor pairs who had never produced eggs before. Unfortunately, an abundance of eggs doesn't guarantee an abundance of chicks; three eggs were infertile and a fourth proved to be unviable partway through incubation. The low fertility was likely due to the number of young females in the program. California condors don't reach sexual maturity until about 5 to 7 years of age. The condor recovery goal is to establish a captive population of 150 birds and two separate wild populations of condors, one in California and the other in Arizona. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Condor Recovery Program coordinate and implement the recovery program and provide oversight of all program partners. The Oregon Zoo's condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in rural Clackamas County on Metro-owned open space. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors to people, increasing the chances for captive-hatched birds to survive and breed in the wild. The Jonsson Center is currently home to 19 adult condors. The 7 eggs last season made a total of 15 since the center was established, and 10 chicks have hatched. In 2001, the Oregon Zoo became the third zoo in the nation to join the California Condor Recovery Program. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey. The Oregon Zoo was the recipient of the Wildlife Society's Conservation Award for "creating the nation's fourth California condor breeding facility" in April 2005. Condors, the largest land birds in North America, have wingspans of up to 10 feet and weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive, often engaging in play. Their range extended across much of North America during the Pleistocene Era, which ended about 10,000 years ago. By 1940, that range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of Southern California, and in 1967 condors were added to the first federal list of endangered species. In 1987, the 17 condors remaining in the wild were brought into captivity and a captive-breeding program was developed. For more information about the Oregon Zoo's California condors, visit: www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/index.htm . -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Anthony Prieto, V.C. Star editorial From: "Paul Andreano" <himountainpaul AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 15:43:15 -0700 Guest editorial in the Ventura County Star by hunter Anthony Prieto on the new non-lead ammunition regulations. http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jun/29/nonlead-ammo-the-law/ Nonlead ammo the law By Anthony Prieto Sunday, June 29, 2008 New hunting regulations requiring nonlead ammunition in the range of the California condor in Central and Southern California go into effect this week to prevent further lead poisonings of California condors. I am the co-founder of Project Gutpile (http://projectgutpile.blogspot.com/), a Web site for California hunters on the latest data, technology, availability and ballistic information on nonlead ammunition. I've been a volunteer for 10 years with the condor recovery effort and have hunted Southern California for blacktail deer and wild pigs for the past 22 years. I've seen and heard both sides of the lead-am-munition debate and have been side by side with both hunters and conservationists in the field. Hunting with lead ammo left me no choice but to bury my lead-tainted gutpiles. In 1998, I was introduced to the Barnes' 100 percent copper bullet. It shot better. It was faster, retained nearly all its weight, and delivered a humane, knockout blow to the deer and pigs I shot. It is everything a hunter could possibly ask for in a round of ammo. More importantly, it kept lead out of the environment. For eagles, condors, black bears and our own human consumption, lead poisoning is no longer coming from the end of my gun barrel. Lead is a toxic metal. It most adversely affects eagles, vultures and other carrion-eating birds that suffer a slow, agonizing death from lead poisoning. I am one of the 30,000 to 50,000 hunters affected by the new nonlead ammo requirements beginning Tuesday. We've switched from leaded gas to nonleaded, removed lead from paint, and continue to remove lead-painted toys off the shelves. Why the resistance with lead ammo? It was done with bird shot for waterfowl hunting, by replacing lead with more than a dozen nontoxic shot types in the 1990s. In this initial year of the ban, nonlead ammo may be tough to buy over the shelves, unless you go to a Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas — or you can purchase it online. Hands-free phones are also hard to find, but I'm sure most of us will take the time to research and invest in one come Tuesday, the day the handheld-cell-phone-while-driving ban also goes into effect. The simple rule of supply and demand will make nonlead ammo more available. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To Post a message, send it to:Hi_MountainCondor AT yahoogroups.com To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:Hi_MountainCondor-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Message archives and group home page can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondorYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondor/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hi_MountainCondor/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Hi_MountainCondor-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Hi_MountainCondor-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Hi_MountainCondor-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: SADNESS From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:04:37 -0700 * 12:43 01 July 2008 * NewScientist.com news service * *Peter Aldhous* * California's rampant wildfires have claimed an icon of conservation biology: a condor chick, burned in its nest at Big Sur, on the Pacific coast south of Monterey. Officials with the Ventana Wildlife Society have yet to regain access to the site from which they have been reintroducing captive-bred California condors (/Gymnogyps californianus/) since 1997. The team now fears that the fire may have also destroyed their field lab and cabin, as well as the pens used to hold birds prior to release. "We don't know what, if any, loss we have with our structures, but the fire burned our canyon," Kelly Sorenson, the society's executive director, told *New Scientist* on Monday. "One condor nest burned with a chick inside." Thankfully, Sorenson and his team had enough warning to arrange a rescue for eight condors in the holding pens. -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fire From: Debi Schmitt <otisbird AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:51:57 -0700 > >how stressful to be turned up on end & how loud Better then the alternative, but they don't know that. They did make it so they didn't see anything. That was helpful. .---.__ / /6|__\ \ \/--` / \\ debi / )\ / _.' / //~`\\-' =====//===(=))========= jgs /` Subject: Here's the "whole story" of condor evac From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:32:37 -0700 This was the story from Ventana Wildlife Society's web-site... more details... I watched the helicopter video (from the Chronicle story: links.sfgate.com/ZDXG ) as the crates were unloaded...how stressful to be turned up on end & how loud that must've been for them. Now, I want to invent condor headphones to protect their hearing! or invent sound-proof carriers! http://www.ventanaws.org/pressroom/ -- Marcelle SteppingStones *EcoSac* Shopping Bag System *(800) 926-1017* www.bags4you.com e-mail: service AT bags4you.com /Saving on paper & plastic since 1989! Providing the highest quality bags & the BEST customer service!/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fires From: Debi Schmitt <otisbird AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:42:43 -0700 How wonderful they were able to talk the Coast Guard into doing this. Hope it all went well for those eight. And hope the remaining ones found a safe place to ride it out. Very exciting video! Thanks for sharing it. .---.__ / /6|__\ \ \/--` / \\ debi / )\ / _.' / //~`\\-' =====//===(=))========= jgs /`