(3.13.10) A Conservation Success Story

Meet the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus). A celebrated symbol of Native American mythology, this magnificent vulture once soared over the Western skies, uninhibited by such nuisances as humans, taunting us with its nine foot wingspan. During the 20th century, however, condor populations were decimated due to a spectrum of anthropogenic forces: zoos, poaching, lead poisoning, coyote trapping schemes, DDT poisoning, habitat destruction, "general harassment", and power lines. By 1982, 22 individuals clung to the skies and huddled in zoos. Forget it, cried the pessimists. The population is too small, the gene pool is too fragile, the species can't recover. Let us accept our shame and move on. Champions of the bird disagreed. Conservations, led by the San Diego Zoo, compelled the federal government to fund a controversial captive breeding and reintroduction program. All 22 birds were captured and held for breeding. In 1992, Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing the birds in California. In 1996, 6 captive-bred condors were released in the Grand Canyon. Since then, the condor population has expanded to almost 350 individuals, 160 of whom are wild. In the spring of 2009, Mexico celebrated its second wild condor hatchling in 80 years.

When conservationists and their critics despair, overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the environmental degradation at our doorstep, we must remember the California condor. In the face of great obstacles, a great conservation comeback has taken place in a mere 20 years. It should be noted, however, that the condor conservation program is also the most expensive conservation program in the US. An estimated $35 million has been spent on this large scavenger since World War II. I'm no economist, but I have a hunch that preemptive measures and a holistic ecological world view may have been a slight bit cheaper. And we never would have been deprived of the silent king of the skies for even a short while.

From first hand knowledge, I can attest to the magnificence of these birds. I had the privilege of watching a trio swoop and soar over the Grand Canyon this weekend.