Plans to help the California condor return to Redwood National and State Parks are the topic of a series of public meetings starting Monday/Gavin Emmons photo via NPS

A series of public meetings, beginning Monday, will give the public an opportunity to comment on a proposal to return the California condor to part of Redwood National and State Parks in northern California.

The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are among 16 partners working on the recovery plan to return the largest land bird in North America into its historical range in Yurok Ancestral Territory. The partners signed an agreement to cooperate in support of conservation of this iconic species. 

Due to a number of factors, including lead poisoning, the California condor was on the verge of extinction in the 1980s. Over the past several decades, conservationists and scientists have committed to saving condors from extinction and reintroducing birds into the wild. The number of condors in captivity and in the wild has increased from a low of 22 birds to over 400. Since 2003, the Yurok Tribe has spearheaded efforts to reintroduce condors into the Pacific Northwest, where the bird has not been seen for more than a century. Reintroduction into Redwood National Park would contribute to the recovery of this species through reestablishing a breeding population within its historical range.

“The park is excited to work with the Yurok Tribe and our partners to return the California condor to its historic range along the north coast of California,” said Redwood National Park Superintendent Steven Prokop. “This cooperative effort to expand the current range of condors is critical to the long-term survival of California condors. Condors are a key factor in the ecological and cultural vitality of the redwood ecosystem.”

“Partnering with Redwood National Park at this point makes sense for the successful restoration of this sacred bird in our Yurok ancestral territory,” said Thomas P. O’Rourke Sr., chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “The Yurok Tribe has been working diligently to make the condor reintroduction a reality and we are very close to completing our goal of seeing prey-go-neesh fly over Yurok skies.”

Despite a century-long absence from the Pacific Northwest, the bird has continued to play an important role in Yurok tribal ceremonies. In support of condor recovery, the tribe has undertaken the scientific groundwork needed to determine if the region still has the ecological capacity to support this large vulture. Results of the work indicate that the sparsely populated redwood coast contains ample nesting, foraging, and breeding habitat. This habitat is quite different from other recovery areas in central and southern California, the Southwest, and Baja California, Mexico. Reintroduction along the northern California coast would greatly diversify resources available to the species.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is excited about the potential to bring back California condors to the Pacific Northwest,” said Amedee Brickey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service California condor coordinator. “This effort should improve our ability to recover this iconic species by having multiple populations of condors throughout their historical range.”

The proposed reintroduction program includes establishing a release facility and monitoring program in Redwood National Park. The NPS, USFWS, and Yurok Tribe are preparing a plan to examine impacts of condor reintroduction on the natural and human environment in the park and the region.

The public meeting schedule and locations in northern California and Oregon in January to receive input on the California Condor Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment are:

Monday, January 23
6-8 p.m.
US Fish and Wildlife Offices
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, California

Tuesday, January 24
6-8 p.m.
Wharfinger Building
1 Marina Way
Eureka, California

Wednesday, January 25
10 a.m.–noon
Yurok Tribe Headquarters
190 Klamath Boulevard
Klamath, California

Wednesday, January 25
6-8 p.m.
Jackson County Auditorium
7520 Table Rock Road
Central Point, Oregon

Thursday, January 27
6-8 p.m.
Oregon Zoo
4001 SW Canyon Road
Portland, Oregon