California condors continue decades-long return from annihilation
A dozen more condors are sailing Kern skies as part of a yearslong conservation effort that has recently included local clean energy companies to save the endangered bird.
In a May 1 announcement, energy company Avangrid announced it exceeded conditions set in a conservation plan it created with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2021 to fund the raising of a dozen California condors at the Oregon Zoo.
Following the completion of this plan, the service issued the company an incidental take permit for its 126-turbine Manzana Wind Power Project in Rosamond. A similar program is being implemented through the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“I am heartened to see this news coming from Oregon and California,” Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra wrote in a statement. “(It) demonstrates Avangrid’s commitment to responsibly accelerating a clean energy transition.”
Funding by Avangrid went toward staffing at the Oregon Zoo’s captive breeding facility, which has helped to repopulate the endangered bird for decades.
Of the dozen, 10 were released back into the wild between 2022 and 2023. The final two are expected to be released this fall.
Deemed "the largest bird in North America," the California condor once roamed most of North America. But by 1982, only 22 remained in the wild. The last of the wild birds were captured in 1987, and moved into captivity breeding programs in Los Angeles and San Diego — with more recent programs established in Boise, Idaho and Portland, Ore.
Captive-bred California condors were first released in the wild in 1992.
“The Service is proud to be part of this collaborative effort,” said Paul Souza, the regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's pacific southwest branch. “Which is not only a success for our agency, Avangrid and the Oregon Zoo, but also for our iconic California condors.”
Today, nearly 600 California condors remain on the planet, with more than 300 living in the wild and the rest in captivity. Despite their cross-country stamina, the birds’ range has diminished to the mountains of Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.
“Conservation is all about partnerships, especially when it comes to a species like the California condor,” said Travis Koons, with the Oregon Zoo’s recovery team. “We are so thankful to everyone for helping bring this iconic, critically endangered bird back from the very brink of extinction.”
In Kern County, some can be seen flying over the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, a 14,000-acre site in the Cuyama Valley that has been established as one of several release areas.
With the rise in construction of wind turbines through Kern’s backcountry, more companies are connecting with the federal wildlife service to protect the endangered bird.
While there have not been any windmill-related deaths, according to the news release, attempts to reintroduce the birds have proven tricky. Guzzling antifreeze, landing on power lines and eating carcasses shot with lead bullets have all led to condor deaths over the years.
Two condors died in Kern in 2013 after they drowned in open-air water tanks used by county firefighters.
That’s why most free-flying California condors are outfitted with transmitters to track their movements. At the Manzana site and others, a geofence is set up around the turbines, and triggers a shutdown when a bird flies too close.
While the bird has steadily winged its way back from annihilation, it remains designated a “critically endangered species” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
