Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from High Mountain Condor List > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Wednesday, November 4 at 01:44 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Field Sparrow,©Barry Kent Mackay

04 Nov interesting [Marcelle ] 30 Oct Good News! [Marcelle ] 25 Oct Hi Mtn. Lookout Project donations [] 11 Oct photos- Hi Mtn. 8th annual open house/workday [] 08 Oct Yeah, Ivett & condors [Marcelle ] 7 Oct Los Padres Forest Watch Film Festival [] 07 Oct Good News [Marcelle ] 01 Oct Condors need your help NOW [Marcelle ] 30 Sep Could be good news for condors [Marcelle ] 29 Sep Interesting point of view [Marcelle ] 26 Sep Open House event Oct. 10th [steve schubert ] 23 Sep Condor Release 09/26 [Carolina Van Stone ] 21 Sep Hi Mountain "field trip story" [Marcelle ] 18 Sep Using a condor feather as a symbol [Marcelle ] 17 Sep microtrash cleanup along Big Sur coast [steve schubert ] 11 Sep BAD news for condors [Marcelle ] 11 Sep Condor viewing [Marcelle ] 07 Sep Labor Day Weekend at the Lookout ["michaelamkoenig" ] 04 Sep A Brit's experience at the Grand Canyon [Marcelle ] 01 Sep Pass along [Marcelle ] 31 Aug Effects of the Gloria Fire [Marcelle ] 28 Aug Last Weekend (08/22- 08/23) at the Lookout ["breeput" ] 18 Aug Last Weekend (08/15 - 08/16) at the Lookout ["breeput" ] 11 Aug Last Weekend (08/08 - 08/09) at the Lookout ["breeput" ] 04 Aug Condor Release [Marcelle ] 04 Aug Condor/Tejon Ranch news [Marcelle ] 02 Aug A "report" from Hi Mtn Vols visiting Pinnacles [Marcelle ] 25 Jul donations [] 20 Jul photos- Condor Benefit Mixer [steve schubert ] 18 Jul Good News! [Marcelle ] 16 Jul Condor Benefit Mixer [steve schubert ] 15 Jul good news! [Marcelle ] 13 Jul condor chick found w/ lead [Marcelle ] 13 Jul Cal Poly Interns at the Lookout ["breeput" ] 08 Jul condors & Tejon Ranch Development [Marcelle ] 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 [] Subject: interesting From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:44:08 -0800 How can one set of scientists disagree w/ another set... Everyong should know by now the link between lead shot and lead poisoning in raptors, turkey vultures & Calif. Condor but read the 3rd paragaph here! This from "ammoland.com" http://www.ammoland.com/2009/11/04/nra-moves-to-protect-hunters-from-arizona-lawsuit-threatening-lead-ammunition-ban/ *Phoenix, Az. -*-(AmmoLand.com)- As part of NRA's continuing efforts to protect hunters from special interest groups seeking to eliminate the use of ammunition containing lead projectiles, attorneys for NRA filed paperwork in the United States District Court in Arizona on October 14, 2009 asking the Court to allow NRA to intervene and join in the lawsuit Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Bureau of Land Management et al (3:09-cv-08011-PCT-PGR). The court could rule on NRA's intervention request as early as the end of this month. The lawsuit, filed January 27, 2009 by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), alleges that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (BLM, FWS) are illegally mismanaging federal lands in Arizona because those agencies failed to consider the potential impact on local wildlife resulting from authorizing activities like off-road vehicle use and allowing livestock grazing. CBD's lawsuit also claims that California condors in Arizona are becoming ill or dying as a result of eating lead in scavenged game shot by hunters using lead shot or bullets, and that BLM and FWS are violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing hunters to use of lead shot and bullets while hunting. National Rifle Association National Rifle Association NRA has been at the forefront of debunking the so-called "science" behind the theory that lead bullets are responsible for condor illness. NRA most recently worked with experts, researchers, and attorneys in California to defeat proposed state hunting regulations based on the unproven condor/lead bullets link. That success was based in large part on meticulous scientific reports prepared by experts working with NRA that exposed the deficiencies in the science, showing the theoretical link to be rooted in "psuedo-science," as one California Fish and Game Commissioner described it. Because of NRA's previous experience and expertise with this issue in other states, and because there is no guarantee that either BLM or FWS will vigorously challenge the unproven assertions CBD is making about lead-based ammunition, NRA is seeking to intervene in CBD's lawsuit to protect its members' interests. NRA is especially interested in defending against CBD's lawsuit because California condors were introduced to Arizona based in large part on express promises by FWS, among others, that the reintroduction of condors would not be allowed to impact hunting. A copy of the Motion to Intervene, CBD's Opposition, and NRA's Reply Brief is posted at http://www.calgunlaws.com/ . *About:* The California Rifle and Pistol Association "CRPA," founded in 1875, is dedicated to defending the rights of law-abiding citizens to responsibly use firearms for self-defense and the defense of their loved ones, for sport, and for all other legal activities. CRPA is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. A California non-profit association, CRPA is independently directed by its own Board of Directors. CRPA's 65,000 members include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, professionals, firearm experts, the general public, and loving parents. CRPA has always worked to reduce the criminal misuse of firearms and firearms accidents, while actively promoting and organizing the competitive shooting sports and Olympic training programs in California. We are proud to say that many CRPA competitors are among the best in the world. -- 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, 30 Oct 2009 11:48:04 -0700 From the Hollister "Freelance" http://hollisterfreelance.com/news/260563-condor-that-hatched-in-wild-takes-first-flight Condor that hatched in wild takes first flight 11:18 AM By The Free Lance Staff This photo submitted by Pinnacles shows the young condor before it had taken it first flight. Photo by: Special to the Free Lance HOLLISTER The first California condor hatched in the Central Coast region in more than 70 years has taken its first flight near Pinnacles National Monument, according to a press release. Someone first observed the bird perched away from its nest on a cliff on Oct. 17. "The two places I've seen him he definitely didn't hop to," said Jason Bumann, manager at the RS Bar Guest Ranch where the nest is located. The ranch is about 12 miles from Pinnacles, one of the recovery sites for the endangered species. The young condor has been reared by a pair that produced a single egg last spring. Biologists then traded the egg for one produced at the Los Angeles Zoo on April 17, a day before it hatched. The press release also notes that the parents were each released at different recovery sites, the male at Pinnacles and the female at Big Sur. The young condor is a "healthy, growing bird," according to the statement, which notes how condors usually take five and a half to six months before they fly. -- 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: Hi Mtn. Lookout Project donations From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:05:28 -0700 The following donations have been received. Thank-you! Materials and Supplies- Chris Arndt, SLO-- Weather Element solar powered/cellular weather data setup for online weather station, $2,115 Peter Dullea, Santa Ynez-- thistle seed and feeder sock for bird feeding station Nancy and Bill Greenough, Saucelito Canyon Winery, SLO --4 bottles wine, complimentary wine tasting at open house potluck dinner Donations of items for October annual open house silent auction ($144 fundraising income): Marvin Daniels, SLO Marcelle Bakula, Cambria Ruthand Les Christiansen, Los Osos Mike Tyner, Ventana Wildlife Society Staff, Hopper Mtn. National Wildlife Refuge Granite Stairway Mountaineering, SLO Mountain Air Sports, SLO 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: photos- Hi Mtn. 8th annual open house/workday From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:29:39 -0700 photos by Steve Schubert- Hi Mtn. Lookout Project 8th annual open house/workday, 10-10-09   http://www.flickr.com/photos/12571965 AT N07/sets/72157622562671410/ Subject: Yeah, Ivett & condors From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:16:41 -0700 (see bold type) Sounds like this is a really fun event...and an amazing sight to see http://www.kvsun.com/articles/2009/10/07/news/doc4ac2581a25aa8971761606 Published on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 10:19 PM PDT Valerie Cassity Special to the Sun Audubon California's Kern River Preserve held their 15th annual Autumn Nature and Vulture Festival last weekend, Sept. 26-27 at their headquarters in Weldon. The festival celebrates the biodiversity of the Kern Valley, highlighting the annual fall migration of the turkey vultures, which stop off at the preserve by the thousands on their way to winter in Mexico. "It's a good idea exposing animals that aren't endangered to the public," said Andy Ganick, Wildlife Biologist with the Southern Sierra Research Station. "We spend so much time focusing on animals that are endangered, but animals that are doing fine need attention, too!" Turkey vultures take to the air to ride the morning thermals in Weldon. Overhead, "kettles" of vultures soared and rode the thermals, much to the fascination of locals as well as Californians from all parts of the state and visitors from around the world. Festivities on the open lawn included vendors and organizations that informed visitors about the Valley's natural highlights. Buzz Lansford had a large display of local reptiles, including rattlesnakes, lizards, and a desert tortoise which the children enjoyed petting. "I think this is pretty incredible," said Kernville resident Rhonda Stallone." "It helps our local kids get a more intimate view of the nature in our own back yard," she said as her son, Sebastion, worked on an art project. "I've noticed that our local schools don't offer curriculum around the local ecology, and this is a way we can share that science with our children." According to Alison Sheehey, Kern River Preserve Outreach Director and Festival Coordinator, an average of 25,000 have been seen flying over a single point in the South Fork Valley. The vulture count includes only the birds that pass over a single observation point, five miles south of Audubon's Kern River Preserve. This Pacific Flyway vulture migration is one of the five largest known in North America. There were plenty of activities for naturalists at all levels, including nature walks for beginners, bird watching, reptile tours, and a butterfly walk around the Preserve. Desert Mountain RC&D held a small native plant sale while informing the public of fire resistant landscapes that require minimal water. *Ivett Plascencia, of the Fish and Wildlife Service's Bittercreek National Wildlife Refuge, spoke to the crowd about the near extinction and the ongoing efforts to protect and replenish the California Condor population.* Sheehey hosted an amusing wildlife-calling contest. Sounds of birds, barn animals and snakes wafted through the mid-moring air. In the adult category, long-time birder Terri Galleon, of Weldon, won the grand prize with her yellow billed cuckoo and California quail bird calls; Georgie Bergeron was awarded second place for her rattlesnake imitation; and Lynn McDonald took third place with her rooster call. In the children's category, brothers Tyler and Zachary Goss, of Bodfish, tied for first place, and each was presented with a a Kern River Preserve T-shirt. The Kern Valley Turkey Vulture Festival is sponsored by Audubon--California, Friends of Audubon's Kern River Preserve, Kern River Valley Revitalization, Southern Sierra Research Station and TLH. "One of the benefits of the festival is to bring the community and visitors into the Kern Valley to introduce them to one of nature's most unique creatures during its fall migration," said Sheehey. "Audubon California is happy to introduce people to the South Fork Kern River and our efforts to protect the largest riparian cottonwood willow forest in California." For more information, visit http://kern.audubon.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: Los Padres Forest Watch Film Festival From: s_schub AT webtv.net Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 20:38:38 -0700 ANNOUNCING THE SECOND ANNUAL WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL ON TOUR FRIDAY EVENING, October 9, 2009 THE SPANOS THEATRE, SAN LUIS OBISPO RECEPTION 6:30, FILMS 7:30 A BENEFIT FOR LOS PADRES FORESTWATCH   Join Los Padres ForestWatch as we present the 2nd Annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival at Cal Poly's beautiful Spanos Theatre on Friday evening, October 9, 2009. The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival brings together award-winning environmental and outdoor adventure films in a spirit of inspiration and education. This year's films were chosen from among the favorites at the annual film festival held in the Sierra Nevada foothills each January. The festival has grown to receive local, regional, and national acclaim for celebrating the spirit of environmental activism and has become the largest traveling festival of its kind in North America, hitting more than 70 cities across the country.   The festival will also include a pre-film reception, raffle and information booths staffed by local nonprofit conservation organizations. A benefit for ForestWatch, tickets are only $10 adult and $5 for students. See you there!      This event is generously sponsored by the Central Coast Wine Classic and the following local sponsors: Patagonia, Pacific Energy Company, Sage Ecological Landscapes, Clark Valley Organic Farm, and Central Coast Outdoors. Wine provided by Saucelito Canyon and Kenneth Volk Vineyards. Media sponsors include Solstice Green Directory, SLO New Times, Santa Lucia Chapter Sierra Club, ECOSLO, and HopeDance. Please thank them for their support! Subject: Good News From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:26:41 -0700 from Zoo Aquarium at: http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-2315-An_Oregon_Zoo_Condor_is_Released_Into_the_Wild;_Two_More_to_Follow *Portland, OR* - Ewauna, a young, Oregon Zoo-reared California condor, took to the open skies recently at a release site in California's Pinnacles National Monument, joining 22 other wild condor residents in the 26,000-acre park. Zoo officials expect condors Yak'Mo and Kalak-ala also will be released in the coming weeks at sites in Southern California and the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona, respectively. Ewauna (No. 481), Yak'Mo (No. 496) and Kalak-ala (No. 487), all female, were hatched and raised at the zoo before being transferred this summer to the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, in preparation for their release. All of the wild releases are "soft releases," meaning that the birds are allowed to exit the flight pens at their discretion. Once a condor enters the outer holding area of its pen, the inner door closes and triggers the outer door to open, allowing the bird to fly free. "With every successful release, we're another step closer to seeing condors fly free through Northwest skies," said Shawn St. Michael, condor curator. "One day, Oregonians may again see what Lewis and Clark saw when they traveled along the Columbia River more than 200 years ago." The California Condor Recovery Program began reintroducing birds to the wild in 1992, and thanks to continued efforts from its recovery partners, there are now more than 160 condors flying free in California, Arizona and Mexico. "These monumental strides give us great hope for the survival of this species," St. Michael added. 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. 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 center is currently home to 38 condors and has produced 23 fertile eggs since it was established in 2004. Of the 23 eggs hatched in Oregon, 19 chicks have survived; two eggs were sent to other facilities for hatching. 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. 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, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid's lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats. The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information. General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561. Caption: Oregon Zoo condor No. 340 made his first wild flight Sept. 17, 2005, at the Pinnacles National Monument in San Benito, Calif. Photo by Martin Jimenez/The Sunday Pinnacle pool photographer. Oregon Zoo " 4001 SW Canyon Rd. " Portland, Oregon 97221 " 503-226-1561 " www.oregonzoo.org 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: Condors need your help NOW From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:39:30 -0700 *If you didn't see this from Center for Biological Diversity Tejon Ranch, Condors Need Your Help Now * Time's running out to help the Center for Biological Diversity save precious condor territory on Tejon Ranch, California's biggest and most biologically diverse swath of privately owned land. Next Monday, county supervisors will vote on a plan for the sprawling development Tejon Mountain Village, to be built on top of federally protected habitat for the severely endangered California condor and scores of other rare species. Now's the time to tell Kern County, California to preserve, not destroy, condor habitat on Tejon Ranch. The Center has been saying all along that the 270,000-acre ranch should be forever protected as a state or national park. Take action for Tejon Ranch now, and find out more about our campaign to save the ranch . -- 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: Could be good news for condors From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:54:57 -0700 from CBS5 (AP news): http://cbs5.com/wireapnewsca/Judge.tosses.federal.2.1219338.html /PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press Writer/ SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A federal judge on Wednesday tossed out the federal government's plans to open vast tracts of forests in Southern California to new road building. U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in San Francisco ruled that the U.S. Forest Service failed to adequately consider the effects the new plan would have on the landscape and wildlife in Angeles, Los Padres, Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests. The forests are home to several endangered and threatened species. The Los Padres, for instance, is the principal home of the endangered California condor. The species' population has grown to more than 300 since 1982, when all 22 California condors left were rounded up for a captive breeding program. The Forest Service in 2005 proposed opening about 1 million acres in the four forests to road development and the state of California and environmental groups sued three years later. On Wednesday, the judge said high-ranking Forest Service officials failed to adequately address the effects such road development policies had on national forests. She noted also that the federal government recommended very little of the land at issue be designated for permanent wilderness designation, which would prohibit any future development. "If the larger picture is not addressed at this level, it never will be," the judge wrote. She noted that the four forests at issue are "under increasing pressure from urbanization." "Some of the most wild and pristine areas of Southern California's national forests were given a second chance with this court decision," said Ileene Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Center for Biological Diversity. U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Alison Garner said federal authorities haven't decided on their next step, which could include an appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals or complying with the judge's decision. The judge ordered both sides to submit proposed resolutions over the next 49 days. 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: Interesting point of view From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:05:50 -0700 This was published as an opinion in the Santa Maria Times: (in case anyone qualified wishes to write a response) http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2009/09/29/opinion/092909b.txt The trail of condor's evolution I read the recent article about the California condor exhibit at the Santa Barbara Zoo. I am disappointed by one statement in the article. The author states, "In 1982, there were only 22 California condors left in the world, due to development of their habitat, poaching and lead in their food supply." This is a terribly misleading statement, vilifying people, particularly hunters and developers, while totally ignoring the science of extinction and the case for the condor. A little Internet research tells a much more complete story of the condor and its problems. The California condor is a remnant of a time when bigger was better. Mega fauna roamed the landscape in vast herds, pursued by huge predators. With such an abundance of huge carcasses, it is not surprising that mega scavengers evolved, such as the California condor. However, being bigger has its disadvantages. It takes a lot more food to feed large animals, and they need to be able to switch to a variety of forage in hard times. They tend to become highly specialized, and require more area of specific habitat components to avoid over-crowding nesting habitat in craggy areas and specific roosting habitat in trees, and topography to optimally achieve flight with that wide wingspan. And large animals usually have lower biotic potentials --- they breed less often, they carry their young longer in gestation, they have smaller numbers of young per birth, maturity is slower and parental care is more demanding. Therefore, the condor needs many large animals dying frequently on hilly areas within a reasonable range from specific roosting trees and specific nesting cliffs, so they are not taken too far away from their young. These large animals stopped dying there because they went extinct. The condor eked out a living on livestock and roadkill, but steadily declined. It would be extinct now --- if people hadn't had a hand in raising them. I am glad the species is still with us, and I think most hunters would agree with me. They fund state wildlife programs through hunting licenses and tags, fees for drawings to hunt antelope, elk and bighorn --- only to be rejected year after year --- duck stamps, upland game bird stamps, etc. They pay quadruple for non-lead ammunition, and live under the threat of game wardens taking away their guns, trucks, campers, etc. They pay ridiculous fines for funding policies and taxes on every bit of hunting gear under the Pittman/Robertson Act of the 1930s. Our bureaucrats never miss a trick to squeeze funding from hunters, and hunters pretty much just pay it. Data suggests that lead poisoning has affected some of the remaining condors. They have also been poisoned by anti-freeze, but I don't see anyone blaming drivers or banning cars. The Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act has imposed great expense and ridiculous regulation on hunters to correct the lead problem, and it has contributed to significant impacts on 2nd Amendment rights, but again, hunters endure and just pay it. No other group has sacrificed more --- or had more forcibly taken away --- for condor preservation that I am aware of. I think we can get off their backs about lead. Development has certainly changed California. Why don't we reclaim the upland habitat around Santa Barbara and Montecito for a condor sanctuary, and get rid of those pesky mansions? Wouldn't it be easier to make a poaching claim, and completely ignore millions of years of evolution? Mankind has affected every organism on the planet, including the condor. However, to list only development, poaching and lead as the causes for the decline of the condor is to blame the least-popular modern Californians for something they had no control over. This is the logic used in blaming minorities for all crime, which our evolved sensibilities now tell us is wrong, but was perfectly acceptable only a few decades ago. Yet, it is the popular thing to do, just like it was to whip slaves 200 years ago, to beat up effeminate boys 20 years ago, and to bash Bush two years ago. Will liberals manage to adapt, given the lessons of our evolution? Ed Apalategui, a Santa Maria native and a graduate of Cal Poly SLO, has been active in environmental work for the past 20 years. September 29, 2009 -- 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: Open House event Oct. 10th From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:41:51 -0700 8th Annual Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Campout and Open House Event www.condorlookout.org Saturday, October 10, 2009 (all day event) Hi Mountain Lookout, San Luis Obispo County, Los Padres National Forest Come and discover one of the largest and most endangered flying birds of North America. California Condors re-introduced into the wild are radiotracked from Hi Mountain Lookout, flying between Big Sur in Central California and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Southern California. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about condors and the effort to return these magnificent birds back to the wild. The Hi Mountain Lookout Project is a collaboration between Morro Coast Audubon Society, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Pinnacles National Monument. Hi Mountain Lookout has been restored as a biological field research station and visitor center. The interpretive visitor center has condor and other local wildlife displays and an extensive library of local natural history references. The open house event will include condor radiotracking demonstrations, native plant identification, bird watching, and a local geology walking stroll. Volunteers and staff will be participating in a number of work projects throughout the day. Join us for a potluck dinner, complimentary serving of wine by staff from Saucelito Canyon Winery and cheese tasting,live band music, and enjoy the sunset watch. Overnight camping is optional. There will be Hi Mountain hats and other merchandise for sale and a fundraising auction, with the proceeds supporting our lookout project. For driving directions, schedule of events, and other information go to www.condorlookout.org To RSVP for the event please call Steve Schubert at (805) 528-6138 or e-mail at s_schub1 AT msn.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Condor Release 09/26 From: Carolina Van Stone <carolina792 AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:46:59 -0700 Hi All, This Saturday is the Condor Release at Pinnacles National Monument. Is anyone planning to go that might enjoy carpooling? Most everyone is very busy right now or has other obligations. Let me know if you are planning to go. I want to go, have a little 2-seater Honda Insight, can take one other person. If there's another car, bigger, with more people, I could go along. Give a shout, Carolina Van Stone Hi Mountain Volunteer 805-528-4271 carolina792 AT earthlink.net Subject: Hi Mountain "field trip story" From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:20:52 -0700 The Treasures in Our Lives We've all heard or been reminded of the importance of being "aware" of the value of each day and of the special times in our lives.... Well, sometimes events become immeasurably /more/ than the moments of time: it's the *people *who /are/ the treasures of whom we need to be aware; the people who create the magical moments; the people who allow us an opportunity we never would have or could have had; those who have paved the way; the /really/ special people who we are simply lucky enough to meet or know....*The interns and volunteers of the Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Project were fortunate to have one of those amazing and unforgettable experiences last Wednesday (9/16).* Steve Schubert (Hi Mtn. Volunteer Coordinator), Bree Putnam (Cal Poly summer '09 intern) along with Hi Mountain Volunteers: Sara Silverberg, Carolina Van Stone and myself (Marcelle Bakula) went on what I had casually called a "Hi Mountain field trip." The plan for this trip was born out of our previous "field trip" to Pinnacles (allowing Sara & Carolina their first glimpse of a California Condor), the fact that Bree interned and tracked birds this summer at the Lookout without an opportunity to see a live bird, and that we had been hearing so much about the new Condor Exhibit at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Upon arrival at the Zoo, we were delighted to learn that Estelle & Tiffany had arranged for one of their educators, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young man, Sean, to give us a tour of the whole Zoo! We had a delightful time viewing all of the animals. Some of our favorites were the Snow Leopard, Gomo the Gorilla, an African-spurred Tortoise who had just been flipped by another, struggling to get right-side up, watching the hand-feeding of the penguins and Bree's forté (her Senior Project): the rattlesnakes! The new California Trails exhibit sits at the top of the Zoo property overlooking the lagoon and freeway below with the mountains off in the distance. As you go up the hill, you pass the majestic Bald Eagles, who, as you catch sight of the California Condors perched on their snags up ahead, now look small by comparison... Here, Sean handed us off to Rachel, who graciously answered our questions about the brids and the exhibit. There were four juveniles in the pen (all from Idaho). Three were perched on the tallest post sitting on "branches" and one was on the rocky outcrop above a cave. He delighted us as he flew from the rock to another snag, and then into a treetop before bumping aside his brother on the main snag. They all kept their backs to us and to the sun, looking out at the Santa Ynez Mountains and the cars on the freeway below whizzing by. We enjoyed our visit very much! Since we were scheduled for a meeting at the Natural History Museum for lunch and a tour, we reluctantly departed the Zoo. Any of you involved with condors and the Condor Recovery Program likely know the name *Janet Hamber*, but for us neophytes, this was a rare opportunity and much-appreciated moment in our lives to be able to meet and spend time with Jan as she talked about her lengthy and in-depth experiences with condors. She took us to the collection area where we viewed the expertly mounted (by John Schmitt) AC-3 & one of her offspring. I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes hearing her tell the stories of the tragic losses of these rare birds. We viewed the dioramas and the replica of a California Condor in the display halls as well as another of AC-3's offspring "Bos." And then: what a treat! Jan showed us her little office. As you would expect of an "expert" and "lover" of /Gymnogyps californianus../.. it was complete with condor photos on the walls, stuffed toy and hanging condors, t-shirts, posters in addition to many four-drawer filing cabinets, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with amazing field notes, books, photos and valuable data. It was so gracious of her to take the time to talk with us and give us this tour. We were grateful that she allowed us to interrupt a project that she was working on: collating specific data that an interested scientist had requested for presentation at an upcoming conference in Europe. What a treasure-trove of information! What a treasure Jan is as a pioneer! Now she's about 80 years of age and when I realize all of the information and memories that Jan holds, I dream of finding someone to do a video documentary of her experiences in those special remote locations, watching those bird's nesting sites and the behaviors of once-wild and now-wild-again California Condors. I am reminded once again to pay attention, be aware and rejoice in understanding just how much of a difference one person (a woman) can make! Submitted by: Marcelle Bakula, Hi Mountain Lookout Volunteer -- 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: Using a condor feather as a symbol From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:03:05 -0700 This from Cincinnati: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090918/NEWS01/909190329/Zoo+director+to+sign+book The long list of man-made threats to wildlife includes habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, hunting and poaching. "Yes, there are serious challenges facing wildlife," said Thane Maynard, executive director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. "That said, how are we going to get everyday people to save wildlife? I think the answer is to talk about success stories rather than just talk about doom and gloom." That's the approach taken by "*Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink"* (Grand Central Publishing; $27.99), a new book co-authored by Maynard, writer Gail Hudson and one of the most famous scientists on the planet. The latter is Jane Goodall, the legendary primatologist best known for her work with chimpanzees. She gets top billing among the authors, with Maynard saying he considers himself lucky "to sing back-up in the Jane Goodall band." Then again, Maynard is no newbie when it comes to writing books. This is his 13th. He'll discuss it and sign copies at 11 a.m. Saturday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Norwood. Maynard and Goodall began collaborating on the book shortly after the zoo brought her to Xavier University's Cintas Center in October 2002.* During her speech, she held up a feather from a California condor, the largest flying bird in North America.* The feather, she said, symbolized that hope for almost-extinct species was still alive. Twenty years earlier, fewer than two dozen of the birds remained, but their comeback was accomplished through captive breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Today the condor's numbers top 300. "I've seen them flying in the Grand Canyon and in southern California," Maynard said. The book also highlights people on the front lines of the fight to save endangered species, including Cincinnati Zoo researchers Terri Roth, who has pioneered captive breeding of Sumatran rhinos, and Bernadette Plair, who has spearheaded reintroductions of blue and gold macaws in Trinidad. Goodall and Maynard collected so many stories, not all fit into the book. Those can be read online at www.janegoodallhopeforanimals.com . Click on "exclusive." -- 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: microtrash cleanup along Big Sur coast From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:50:08 -0700 Saturday, September 19 Ventana Wildlife Society’s 3rd Annual Condor Cleanup Day Meet at VWS Discovery Center in Andrew Molera State Park 8:30 AM Will be cleaning up the pullouts along Highway 1 where the condors hang out. Transportation and supplies provided. More information contact Sayre Flannagan at sflannagan AT ventanaws.org http://www.ventanaws.org [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: BAD news for condors From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:39:28 -0700 from the Mountain Express *Tejon Mountain Village Wins 3-2 Vote from Planning Commission* http://mountainenterprise.com/atf.php?sid=5628¤t_edition=2009-09-04 -- 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 viewing From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:02:24 -0700 (while Hwy 1 is still "open" before the rainy season) Among the 130 threatened or endangered wild-animal species in our state is the California condor. The largest flying bird in North America, it can be found in areas from Big Sur on down to Southern California's Sespe Wilderness, as well as in the Grand Canyon , according to the Ventana Wildlife Society. This nonprofit group, which works to conserve various native animals and their habitats, conducts *viewing tours *of the birds in Big Sur on the* second Sunday of every month,* and the next one is this *Sunday, Sept.. 13*. On these tours, you have a very good chance of seeing one or more condors, organizers say, and are virtually guaranteed to learn at least a little something along the way. Starting at the organization's "bird-banding lab" in Andrew Molera State Park , the two-hour tour is by caravan, in participants' own vehicles. Driving along the coast, tour-goers stop at pullouts in areas frequented by condors, while the guide presents information regarding condor biology, the Big Sur birds individually and as a whole, and the organization's condor restoration program. The guide can determine whether birds are close by, thanks to radio telemetry equipment. Tour participants get the chance to try out the equipment too, and they can even help collect data when condors are spotted. "Our tours are successful in viewing condors 95% of the time, although they are wild animals and we can never guarantee sightings," said Alena Porte, the Ventana Wildlife Society's education coordinator. "There are 40 or so birds in the Central Coast flock, so I would say it is possible to see a party of 10 or more on a good day," she said. Advance registration is required, and the cost is $50 per person. Other, more-involved tours are also available; see the organization's website for details. *Contact:* Ventana Wildlife Society , (831) 455-9514 -- 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: Labor Day Weekend at the Lookout From: "michaelamkoenig" <michaelamkoenig AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:22:35 -0000 Hello All- Bree and I spent the Labor Day weekend at the Lookout. The weather was perfect. A breeze from the southeast, sunny but not too hot. We picked up a fair about of birds from Hopper NWR, Ventana WS and Pinnacles NM. Sunday morning we had signals from the 2006 wild born chick 412 flying over the Carrizo Plains. The Wrentits and the California Thrashers were loving the bird bath at the lookout. At one point I saw four Wrentits in the bird bath at once, with a fifth in the bush to the east and a sixth in a bush to the west! Besides these visitors we really had a very quiet weekend. Have a great day! Michaela Koenig Intern Subject: A Brit's experience at the Grand Canyon From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:29:02 -0700 This woman won a travel-writing competition (fun-read) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-writing-competition/6131894/Just-back-catching-a-condor.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: Pass along From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:51:26 -0700 I know all of you are "educated" about things like this.. but maybe it's good to remind friends & family in our address book... And, if you are ever ANYWHERE in Calif. (especially along the Big Sur Coast these days) and you see small pieces of shiny objects, glass or plastic, PLEASE pick it up - you may be saving an endangered species' life! (VF - it's the chick of the pair you sent me photos of) *Subject: **Two young condors show off along the Big Sur coast, another dies from trash* Last week two condor chicks born in the wild on the Big Sur coast were flying together around Grimes Point. It was such a sight of magnificent success for the Ventana Wildlife Society program. Visitors to Big Sur were watching in awe as the pair soared around. A VWS biologist was tracking them with her radio equipment said, "They're showing off." Then we got the news about the fate of another condor. Our team of biologists and collaborators found the body of a condor chick at the base of its nest tree while ascending to check on its condition. Unfortunately, the chick died from ingesting a large amount of trash and potentially from other complications. For more information please go to http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=286212351&u=3146966 For Immediate Release: *August 4, 2009 Contact: Kelly Sorenson, 831-455-9514 Big Sur, CA.* *Biologists Find Condor Chick Dead in Big Sur, Trash the Likely Cause* **Biologists from Ventana Wildlife Society's Condor Recovery Project in Big Sur made a disappointing discovery on July 21st. They found the lifeless body of a wild California condor chick lying in thick brush beneath its redwood nest tree in Landel-Hills Big Creek Reserve. Joe Burnett, Sr. Wildlife Biologist for the VWS Condor Project and who recovered the chick personally said, "Although the loss of a wild chick is never easy, we still feel very fortunate to have four chicks surviving in the wild this year. In 2007 and 2008 we had a combined total of three chicks produced and they still thrive today and 2009 is on track to be the most productive year yet for condors in central California." Mark Readdie, Manager of UC-Santa Cruz Landel-Hills Big Creek Reserve added, "We are excited that the pair is nesting at Big Creek Reserve but it's tragic how their chick died." VWS Biologists located the deceased chick while preparing to conduct a routine nest check and exam on the chick. Upon closer examination, Biologists and local Veterinarian, Dr. Amy Wells, noticed an unusual protrusion from the chick's ventriculus (stomach). Dr. Wells found a matted ball of trash (glass shards, plastic, a piece of metal, and a penny) and animal hair in the chick's stomach. Condor #503 was then sent to San Diego Zoo's Pathology Lab for a full necropsy. The necropsy results confirmed our suspicions with the discovery of even more trash (additional glass shards and pieces of rubber) lower in the stomach. Pathologists suspect the penny, which is high in zinc and very toxic to birds when ingested, could have also played a role in this chick's death. Pathology noted that the carcass of the deceased chick was in an advanced state of decomposition and toxicity tests were inconclusive. Veterinarian of Monterey's Avian and Exotic Animal Health Clinic, Dr. Amy Wells said, "Based on the results of the necropsy exam, the most probable cause of death for chick #503 was trash ingestion and digestive blockage, which stopped the intake of food and eventually led to starvation." The parents have been diligently providing food for the chick they find along the Big Sur coast, which includes sea lion and whale meat. We suspect the parents are finding small pieces of trash while on the search for food. VWS biologists regularly clean up vehicle pullout areas on scenic Highway One in Big Sur as a preventative measure. However, the task is just too big of a job for just a few people. "We are alarmed at the amount of trash left behind along the scenic Highway One in Big Sur and its effects on wildlife. We need help to clean up and more importantly we people to dispose of their trash appropriately", said VWS executive director, Kelly Sorenson. The wild female chick, known as #503, was approximately 3 1/2 months old and is the offspring of condors #208, aka "Solo" and #168 aka "Beak Boy" . For more information about current status of condor conservation and these individual condors, go to www.mycondor.org Why the condor parents of this chick are collecting these small trash items is largely unknown, but biologists suspect it is a case of mistaken identity and that birds are accidentally picking up trash when they would normally be finding small pieces of animal bones as a calcium source for their chicks. Although, biologists still feel the most disturbing trend is the amount of trash available to the condors along Big Sur's scenic highway. Condors aren't alone with the trash issue; sea birds (albatross) and other animals (dolphins, sea otters) are also impacted by discarded trash. The beauty of Big Sur and its animal inhabitants are breathtaking, but beneath this amazing scenery there lies a trash problem that potentially threatens it all. Condor #503 is one of five condors chicks produced in the wild in central California this year. The four remaining chicks continue to do well. For more information go to www.ventanaws.org or www.mycondor.org juvenile Ventana Wildlife Society is the only non-profit organization releasing and monitoring California condors in California and is a member of the California Condor Recovery Program, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ventana Wildlife Society began condor releases in Big Sur in 1997 and then initiated a second release site in 2003 at Pinnacles National Monument in collaboration with the National Parks Service. Currently, Ventana Wildlife Society and the National Parks Service monitor and manage a flock of 48 wild condors in Central California, roughly half the population for California, which is currently 94 birds. /Posted by Margie Whitnah/ -- 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: Effects of the Gloria Fire From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:55:37 -0700 Talking about the Gloria Fire, near Pinnacles Nat'l Monument (excerpt from an article http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20090829/NEWS01/908290308/1002/NEWS01 Pinnacles closes nearly 35 miles of trails The entire west side of Pinnacles National Monument was shut down Friday, and officials said the east side of the park was open only for picnics and camping, with nearly all of its hiking trails closed. Carl Brenner, Pinnacles public information officer, said only the nearly 2-mile Bench Trail is open for hiking. The trail leads from the campgrounds down along Chalone Creek and up to Bear Gulch, one of the park's headquarters. The park has about 35 miles of trails, he said. "Our main concern is visitor safety," Brenner said. It's unclear when the monument will reopen its trails, he said, but officials will assess the situation on a daily basis. The Pinnacles National Monument in the Gabilan Mountains northeast of Soledad is home to an ancient volcano, caves _and a group of 23 endangered California condors._ The Pinnacles has been part of the California Condor Recovery Program since 2003. Brenner said *five California condors that were kept in a flight pen have been taken to Big Sur.* -- 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: Last Weekend (08/22- 08/23) at the Lookout From: "breeput" <breeput AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:39:30 -0000 Hello Condor Lovers, Last weekend at the lookout we were hit by unexpected weather! I rained on Saturday and it was cold and cloudy on Sunday. I suppose it was a nice change from the usually hot days. Also, last weekend a boyscout troop from Arroyo Grande came up. They were very excited about the condors and they had many interesting questions for us. We showed them how to use the telemetry receivers and we picked up a signal from one bird while they were there. The boys also helped up pick up bullet casings and any trash around the area. We had a good time with the troop and we hope to have more troops visit us in the future. Till next time, Bree Subject: Last Weekend (08/15 - 08/16) at the Lookout From: "breeput" <breeput AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:13:10 -0000 Hello Fellow Condor Enthusiasts, Last weekend at the lookout was relaxing and beautiful (as always) even though the view from the top was a little smoky. On Saturday I tracked many condors and over the whole weekend I picked up signals from Hopper, Ventana, and Pinnacle birds. The La Brea fire is still visible, but the smoke columns are thinning out due to the excellent work of the firefighters. Overall it was a good weekend and the condors are out and about. ~Bree Subject: Last Weekend (08/08 - 08/09) at the Lookout From: "breeput" <breeput AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:22:44 -0000 Hello all, Last weekend at the lookout we were suppose to have a boyscout troop come up, which we were really excited about. Unfortunately they had to reschedule, but they will be coming up in about 2 weeks from now. We had a few visitors at the lookout on Saturday and one person made a donation. We could also see the La Brea fire from the lookout which was very beautiful at night to see a glowing mass off in the distance, but sad at the same time to see all that land being burned. All in all it was a good weekend with gorgeous views as usual. Till next time, Bree Putman (intern) Subject: Condor Release From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:40:09 -0700 (from the Hollister Free Lance) *Another condor release scheduled* 4:38 PM By The Free Lance Staff On September 26, up to two California condors will be released into the wild at Pinnacles National Monument, according to a press release from Pinnacles National Monument. According to the release: The public is invited to attend the event to witness the first free flights of these condors from a viewing area located approximately a mile from the release site. This viewing area is normally closed to the public. Arrival at the park between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. is recommended in order to reach the viewing area before the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. The event will take place on the east side of the park off of Highway 25. Shuttle services from designated parking areas will transport guests to within 1.5 miles of the viewing area. Guests unable to walk the trail can request special assistance. Spotting scopes, binoculars, water, layered clothing, and comfortable hiking shoes are highly recommended. Car pooling is encouraged since parking is limited, and is on a first come, first served basis. Because of the significance of this event and the desire to make it accessible to everyone, Superintendent Eric Brunnemann has scheduled the event to coincide with National Public Lands Day, a day when entrance fees are waived at all National Park sites. "We are encouraged by the success of this program and the support of the local communities and park neighbors," said Brunnemann. The return of the California condor to the central coast of California provides excellent opportunities for condor viewing in the park, and we are proud to be a part of the recovery of this magnificent species.  Four juvenile condors - two female and two male - will be set free in Pinnacles National Monument this fall, joining the park's 22 wild resident condors. Up to two birds may be soft released through a double-door trap released on September 26, and once these birds give indications that are acclimating to their new surroundings, the park plans to release the remaining juveniles over the following weeks. There is a chance that no birds will enter the trap on the day of the event. However, there is a good chance to see previously released free flying birds. The 1-2-year-old juvenile condors are a result of successful captive breeding programs at the Oregon Zoo and Peregrine Fund World Center of Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. -- 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/Tejon Ranch news From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:58:04 -0700 News release from the Center for Biodiversity: (I hope we can all support the idea of a new National Park - visit: /http://www.savetejonranch.org / For Immediate Release, August 4, 2009 Contact: Adam Keats, (415) 632-5304, (415) 845-2509 (cell) *Tejon Ranch to Release Secret Condor Documents At Long Last /Meanwhile, Massive Development Plans Move Forward and Company's Lawsuit Against Condor Protection Remains Active /* LOS ANGELES--- The Tejon Ranch Company announced yesterday that it would seek to lift the protective order it had filed in its own lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the reintroduction of the California condor. The announcement comes after years of effort by the Center for Biological Diversity to obtain the secret documents and just days before the expected filing by the Center of its own lawsuit demanding the release of the documents. The request also comes nearly a month after the Fish and Wildlife Service stopped accepting comments on the draft habitat conservation plan that is at the heart of Tejon's lawsuit, making the documents all but worthless to the public for use in contributing to the agency's deliberations. The draft plan would allow Tejon to harm the California condor and destroy thousands of acres of designated critical habitat for the endangered bird. "Tejon Ranch's timing is remarkably convenient," said Adam Keats, urban wildlands program director at the Center. "For seven years straight, the corporation has prevented these documents from seeing the light of day. Only now, after the door has been slammed shut on the public process, does it seek to release them to the public. But the lawsuit Tejon filed to prevent the successful reintroduction of the California condor remains active, poised like a gun to the head of the agency that's reviewing the company's application." On June 11, 2009, the Center informed the Fish and Wildlife Service that its continued withholding of the documents was a violation of the Endangered Species Act, and that the Center would file suit in 60 days to halt the review process for the draft plan. The Endangered Species Act requires that "information received by the [Fish and Wildlife Service] as a part of any application [for a "take permit," which allows the harming, harassing, or killing of protected species] shall be available to the public as a matter of public record at every stage of the proceeding." "As Tejon admits today, its lawsuit against the Fish and Wildlife Service led directly to the proposed habitat conservation plan," said Adam Keats. "But getting a take permit from the federal government can't happen with some back-room deal made to settle a lawsuit --- it's a serious undertaking that the law requires the public be invited to at every stage." The Fish and Wildlife Service is currently reviewing an application by Tejon Ranch for a habitat conservation plan and "incidental take permit" for 26 endangered, threatened, or rare species on Tejon Ranch. The permits are essential to Tejon's plans to develop Tejon Mountain Village, the controversial luxury-home subdivision planned for the heart of designated critical habitat for the California condor. In 1997, just as officials with the Condor Recovery Team were starting to release captive-reared California condors to the wild, Tejon Ranch sued the Fish and Wildlife Service to curtail the condor recovery program and relegate the condors to a special status without protection under the Endangered Species Act. Tejon's legal arguments, although arguably specious and at best very weak, were not seriously opposed by the government, which instead settled the case for what is believed to be a sweetheart deal that has resulted in the current plan and take-permit application. In 1999, at Tejon's request, the entire record for the lawsuit was sealed by court order and the case indefinitely stayed, leaving the case (and the order) active for the past 10 years. The terms of the order are not limited to just court-filed documents, though, as it includes all documents "related" to the settlement in any way, apparently including documents related to subject of the settlement: the proposed plan, condors, and Tejon's development plans. The Service has since demonstrated its willingness to give this language as expansive a definition as possible. /Preserving Tejon Ranch as a new national or state park would protect a bounty of native plant and animal communities, cultural and historic features, and scenic vistas. See http://www.savetejonranch.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: A "report" from Hi Mtn Vols visiting Pinnacles From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:52:06 -0700 *Hi Mountain Volunteers Visit Pinnacles National Park's Condor Program* *Tuesday, July 28th *- We arrived at Pinnacles National Monument's East entrance about 10:45 AM. The day was beginning to warm up and it was expected to reach over 100 degrees. We met several of the personnel involved with Pinnacles National Park's Condor Recovery, Research and Resource Management Team: *Daniel George*, Condor Program Manager; *Scott Scherbinsky*, Crew Manager; *Dan,* crew member/biotech and a visitor, *Michael Moore,* Associate Biologist from Camp Roberts. Scott helped us set up at a campsite for our overnight stay. After we set up our camp by the pines, oak, and sycamore, we explored the Visitor's Center's displays, books, and condor merchandise . At around 3:00 PM, we regrouped and had a question & answer session about condors and the Pinnacles program with Dan, Scott, and Michael (who by now had finished his training with the LoTech receiver as Pinnacle's and Ventana birds have begun to fly over in Camp Robert's territory). We sat on the porch and the shade and breeze were welcomed. We were then able to go into the Visitor Center office & watch live feeds of the condors in their flight pen (aka the Facility). This is done via the strategically placed web-cams within the pen as well as at the feeding site for the free-flying birds. At present, the flight contains four juveniles being observed and readied for release as well as a mentor bird recovering from surgery (her wing transmitter had loosened and presented potential further damage to her patagial membrane so her transmitter was removed and the area surgically repaired. As she recuperates, she is acting as a mentor for the others. The web-cam allows personnel to view the birds from several angles and can pivot 360 degrees as well as zoom in (22X) for amazing close-ups. We saw the four panting juveniles (temperature reached 106 degrees that day) perched together on the flight's prime perch. The view was tight enough to watch the nictitating membrane close over the eye of one bird. We learned that even though it's very hot, the birds chose to stay on the perch in the sun because they enjoy the wide, three-directional, panoramic view of the area. They prefer this wide-angle perspective which seems to prevent them from moving into the cooler shade. This capability to view the condors via web-cam is very exciting for the Pinnacles personnel as well as time-saving. It was difficult to pull ourselves away as we three sat watching the screen and were mesmerized. Those birds really showed their personalities! That night was a scheduled night to put out fresh carcasses for the wild birds. Carcasses are placed after dark to prevent condors from associating food with humans. We arranged to meet after dinner for the trip to the feeding site, known as the Hilltop. At 8:45 PM, Scott and Laura, one of their interns, arrived and we set out. The terrain is steep and bumpy. Two gates protect access to the area of the Park which is closed (even to Pinnacles personnel unless they are directly connected to the Condor Program). One of the gates keeps the wild hogs out of the public area of the park. On the way, we passed by the huge generator that pumps water to the Facility. Although condors can go many days without food, they must have water. At the Hilltop, old carcasses were removed, fresh ones placed and chained down so they are not dragged off, and fresh water was added into the watering hole. An electric fence surrounds the feeding area from unwanted scavengers. The temperature had dropped considerably and the air was fresh. The bright half-moon and stars were beautiful. Laura scanned frequencies and took compass coordinates for that night's roosting sites. We arrived back at camp at 11:00 PM and finished the Crazy Eights game started after dinner and soon retired for the night. (/We missed you, Michaela and Joel.)/ *Wednesday, July 29 *- Breakfast, coffee, and camp tear-down.. At 9:00 AM we met *Alacia* *Welch*, Crew Manager, and she took us back up the same road as the night before. This time we stopped below the Facility and watched the condors in the flight pen through a spotting scope. Oh what joy! Carolina & Sara's first views of live condors in the wild! Alacia explained many aspects of their Program and since the staff knows the birds so well with their histories, personalities and behaviors, we were fascinated. The antics of the dozens of turkey vultures overhead, and a visit from a wild condor which seemed to create much movement of the birds to and from the perches captivated us. We did tear ourselves away as we had to return to the Visitor's Center to meet with other staff from Habitat Restoration Crew who would be filling-in while Scott is out of the state and Alacia is out of country on well-deserved vacations. On the way out, Carolina asked about a particular plant that was new to her and learned it was Wooly Yerba Santa, a California endemic (existing in no other place in the world). We were also introduced to Adam, a second-generation Hollister native and the Park's Concessionaire; Erica, an intern, and Tessa, the Restoration Crew Volunteer Coordinator. Invasive species that the crew are working to eradicate include: yellow star thistle, Italian thistle, poison hemlock, horehound, bull thistle, and milk thistle. Alacia gave us all an in-service on the Yagi antenna and receivers used for tracking. We practiced and picked up a few frequencies. We were delighted to learn that a common roosting tree sat upon the hill right above the campground! Daniel George planted two transmitters elsewhere in the Park and two students played what Carolina calls "The Mystery Transmitter Game." Carolina was fortunate to be one of the participants in the game and successfully located the hidden transmitter. She stated, "It was a transformative experience." At about 1:30 PM, we said our thank you's and goodbyes before driving back to S.L.O. County. We are indebted to the generous hospitality of all those we met and thankful that the Monument personnel were able to spend this valuable amount of time with three of our Hi Mountain Volunteers. Submitted by: *Marcelle Bakula, Sara Silverberg, and Carolina Van Stone.* -- 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: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 22:15:40 -0700 The Hi Mountain Lookout Project has received the following donations. Thank-you! Materials and supplies: Doug Stinson, Wild Birds Unlimited, San Luis Obispo -- Vortex Skyline 80 spotting scope- 20-60x magnification- with tripod Marcelle Bakula, Cambria and Sara Silverberg, Arroyo Grande-- food and supplies for Condor Benefit Mixer at Saucelito Canyon Vineyard Tasting Room, 7-19-09 - name tags, crackers, cheese, oil/vinegar, mixed nuts, muffins, fruits, jam, dipping olive oil, etc., (value more than $100.00) Trader Joe's, Arroyo Grande-- crackers for Condor Benefit Mixer (value $25.71) Scolari's Market, Pismo Beach-- 2 flats strawberries for Condor Benefit Mixer (value $31.84) Dr. Francis Villablanca, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo-- gifts of 2007 Hi Mountain Red Wine for band members playing music at the Condor Benefit Mixer Staff, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, San Luis Obispo-- gifts of 2007 Hi Mountain Red Wine for volunteers working at the Condor Benefit Mixer Financial donations: Jean Kuntze, Paso Robles-- $300.00 (purchases of food and supplies for Condor Benefit Mixer) Nancy and Bill Greenough, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, San Luis Obispo-- $500.00 Mary Freeman, San Luis Obispo-- $100.00 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: photos- Condor Benefit Mixer From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:03:33 -0700 Hello all, The 'Condor Benefit Mixer' was held on July 19th from 3-6 pm at Saucelito Canyon Vineyard Tasting Room in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo. Attendees commented on the good wine, food, live music, and enjoyed socializing with friends and interacting with the staff and volunteers. Working at the wine tasting fundraising event were twenty-nine staff and volunteers from Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, Hi Mountain Lookout Project, The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, and Morro Coast Audubon Society. Eight members of the Foggy Bay String Band played music and eighty-six ticket-buying participants attended the event, a good turnout on a warm summer's day. Thank-you to all the volunteers and staff who worked long hours planning, putting out publicity, purchasing food and supplies, setting up and staffing the event. Generous gifts of 2007 Hi Mountain Red Wine to volunteers and donations of funds for the Hi Mountain Lookout Project were gratefully received, and ticket sales generated income for our project. It was quite a collaboration and we are already talking about conducting another Benefit Mixer in the future! Steve Schubert Volunteer Coordinator, Hi Mountain Lookout Project Photos of the Condor Benefit Mixer are posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/12571965 AT N07/sets/72157621625185833/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Good News! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:06:34 -0700 from: ktvz (central Oregon) http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=10748919&ClientType=Printable /Associated Press - July 18, 2009 1:55 PM ET / PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon Zoo keepers say they have moved four California condors in their breeding program to the next stage of their release into the wild. *Three females and one male* that hatched at the zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation in Clackamas County *will move to Boise, Idaho, where they will prepare to be released to wild flocks *in Arizona, California and northern Mexico. The Oregonian reports the California condor is North America's largest land bird with a wingspan up to 10 feet. The species was nearly extinct in the 1980s when about two dozen birds were known to exist. Breeding programs boosted the population to about 360 with half of those flying free. Zoo keepers also say they've brought in five birds to join the breeding stock. -- 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 Benefit Mixer From: steve schubert <s_schub AT webtv.net> Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:22:02 -0700 Hello all, A reminder...the 'Condor Benefit Mixer' is taking place this Sunday from 3-6pm at Saucelito Canyon Winery Tasting Room on Biddle Ranch Rd., off of Hwy. 227 (Broad St.). Hope to see you there! If you are intending to attend the event an RSVP is appreciated at s_schub1 AT msn.com 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 other wildlife professionals 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 staff and volunteers. More info at www.condorlookout.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news! From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:57:21 -0700 from the Hollister Freelance: http://www.freelancenews.com/news/257660-3-month-old-california-condor-doing-well *3-month old California Condor doing 'well' * Jul 14, 2009 By Colin McConville Biologists of the Pinnacles National Monument and the Ventana Wildlife Society are lowered down to the California Condor's nest 30 feet below. Photo by: Special to the Free Lance HOLLISTER Local authorities report that a three-month old male California Condor, the first hatched in San Benito County in more than 70 years, is doing "well," according to a press release from the Pinnacles Partnership. The nestling was checked-up on by biologists from Pinnacles National Monument and the Ventana Wildlife Society on the RS-Bar Guest Ranch, a private, 18,200-acre ranch near the monument. To get to the nest, National Park Service biologists Scott Scherbinski and Alicia Welch were assisted in a 30-foot cliff-top descent by Ventana Wildlife Society biologist Joe Burnett. The release said the bird appeared "normal and in good health," and feathers are developing. The bird weighs more than 11 pounds. "Thus far, the nesting appears to be maturing at a normal rate," said Daniel George, condor program manager at Pinnacles, in the release. /Read the full story in this Friday's edition of The Weekend Pinnacle./ -- 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 chick found w/ lead From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:42:00 -0700 from the Salinas Californian http://thecalifornian.com/article/20090713/NEWS01/90713015/1002/Lead+found+in+wild-hatched+condor+chick+in+Pinnacles+National+Monument+area July 13, 2009 Lead found in wild-hatched condor chick in Pinnacles National Monument area / BY KIMBER SOLANA ksolana AT thecalifornian.com/ Lead has been found in the first California condor chick to be hatched in San Benito County in at least 70 years, biologists announced Monday. But despite the findings, scientists said, the 3-month-old male bird is doing well and expected to take flight in about two months. "So far, so good," said Daniel George, Pinnacles Condor Program manager. Recent lab tests of a small blood sample found 18 micrograms per deciliter in the condor, officials said, indicating that the nestling had ingested some lead during the previous month. George said the lead may have come from carcasses of animals that may have accidentally swallowed lead ammunition. Scientists said the lead level was not high enough to prompt emergency treatment. George said no set guidelines exist regarding lead levels in condors, so scientists rely on those set for children by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends actions be taken when children have more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. George said treatment for lead exposure is hard for the birds. "We wait until there's an imminent threat," he said, adding that the lead level found in the bird may cause learning disabilities and affect proper development. Biologists first saw the bird's parents - condor 313, a male from the Los Angeles Zoo, and condor 303, a female from the San Diego Wild Animal Park - perching together in February. The nest, found on private property just outside Pinnacles National Monument, was spotted in March. California condors remain one of the rarest birds in the world, with a current world population of about 350. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- 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: Cal Poly Interns at the Lookout From: "breeput" <breeput AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:44:08 -0000 The lookout this weekend was slow, but enjoyable. There were very few visitors all weekends and very few condors that were able to be tracked. Joel (a volunteer) came up on Sunday with Bree (an intern)to meet Michaela (other intern). It was nice having three people at the lookout and we got a lot of cleaning done. All in all it was a beautiful productive weekend up at Hi Mountain. Subject: condors & Tejon Ranch Development From: Marcelle <marcelle AT bags4you.com> Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:36:22 -0700 Update on "opinions" on the Tejon Ranch Development and Calif. Condors http://mountainenterprise.com/atf.php?sid=5244¤t_edition=2009-07-03 *Printed From The Mountain Enterprise* 2009-07-03 ** /BREAKING NEWS: /* Scientists Submit Opinion on Survival of California Condor Under Tejon Ranch Plan* (FRAZIER PARK July 7, 2009 9:30 a.m.)---A consortium of scientists who are specialists in recovery of the California Condor from the brink of extinction have submitted their evaluation of a habitat conservation plan (HCP) proposed by Tejon Ranch Company and DBM Associates, Inc. for the development of Tejon Mountain Village. The HCP seeks to secure "incidental take permits" for 27 species, including the California Condor. The comments from the scientists are included here. Also posted are comments from the Center for Biological Diversity which chose not to participate in the Tejon Ranch Conservancy pact. The five organizations that did become part of that agreement did so at the cost of forfeiting the right to participate in the public debate regarding the impact of Tejon Ranch's development plans on the well-being of threatened and endangered species. Click to read Comments from Scientists on the TUMSHCP (52 KB PDF) Click to read Comments from the Center for Biological Diversity (5.2 MB PDF) -- 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 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 ½ 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).