Condor #87 gets wet in Pipe Creek along the Tonto Trail in Grand Canyon National Park / NPS Photo/M. Quinn
On Saturday, September 28, four captive-bred California Condors will be released into the wild at Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. The release, which is open to the public, will happen at 1pm MDT and be live-streamed on The Peregrine Fund's Youtube Channel. The release is part of a celebration of National Public Lands Day by The Peregrine Fund and the Bureau of Land Management Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
California Condors are the largest non-oceanic bird species in North America. They were declared extinct in the wild in 1987, but have since been reintroduced in parts of Arizona, Utah, California, and Baja California, Mexico. The releases are often open to the public and broadcast live.
The Arizona-Utah California condor conservation effort is a cooperative program by federal, state, and private partners, including The Peregrine Fund, the Bureau of Land Management’s Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and the Bureau of Land Management in Utah (BLM), Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Parks, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Kaibab and Dixie National Forests, and tribes (Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians [Kaibab-Paiute Tribe] and Navajo Nation), among many other supporting groups and individuals.
The first California condor release at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was on December 12, 1996. 2023 marked the first year a release did not take place due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which killed a total of 21 condors in the Utah-Arizona flock. To prevent additional infections, no condors were released until it was determined the outbreak had ceased. During the outbreak, one California condor nestling, “Milagra,” or miracle, made national news with her inspirational story of perseverance in a time of tragedy. Before hatching, her mother died from HPAI, and Milagra hatched at Liberty Wildlife before being transported to The Peregrine Fund’s propagation facility to be raised by foster parents. After over a year in The Peregrine Fund’s care, Milagra is set to enter the wild at the 2024 release event.
In 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team took the celebration online reaching more than 10,000 event viewers. Because of that success, the event will be live-streamed again in addition to the in-person event.
The Bureau of Land Management will host the annual California conder release at the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument condor release site. “The BLM is happy to work alongside The Peregrine Fund and other state and federal agencies in supporting the recovery of this great species,” said BLM Vermilion Cliffs National Monument manager Robert Bate. “We are excited to host this event once again on-site and virtually so that the scope and reach of this incredible and successful collaborative recovery effort can continue to inspire people worldwide. The BLM is proud to host this event and manage the habitat and landscapes that allow these magnificent condors to thrive,” said Bate.
“This year's condor release will be especially impactful given the losses we experienced in 2023 from HPAI and lead poisoning,” said Tim Hauck, The Peregrine Fund’s California condor program director. “With only 85 condors remaining in the Utah-Arizona flock and lead poisoning still a prominent issue, the release of these four condors will have a significant impact on the recovery program. But the California condor release this year is not just a celebration of these four condors, it is a moment of triumph for the biologists, volunteers, wildlife rehabilitators, recovery partners, and supporters who persevered through the last year,” said Hauck.
Because the condor team is unable to predict exactly when the birds will choose to leave their release pen, the live-stream event will have a picture-in-picture set up with a camera trained on the release pen and will include videos and interviews with the condor biologists and conservationists who work with these massive birds! Viewers will also have their questions answered live by the condor team.
Those attending the event in person will have the opportunity to talk with condor biologists and ecosystem managers, learn about the birds and their habitat and enjoy a festival-like atmosphere while waiting for the condors to take their first flight from the Vermilion Cliffs. Details about the in-person event are below.
The young condors hatched at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho and several partner organizations, including the Oregon Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and were transported to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument for release to the wild.
The historical California condor population declined to just 22 individuals in the 1980s when the California Condor Recovery Program was initiated to save the species from extinction.
As of June 2024, there are 85 condors in the wild in the rugged canyon country of northern Arizona and southern Utah, and the total world population of endangered California condors’ numbers more than 560 individuals, with more than half flying free in Arizona, Utah, California, and Mexico.
Set a reminder to join the live stream of the condor release on
The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube Channel
(The live stream begins at 11:30 a.m. MST, 12:30 p.m. MDT)
Information about attending the event in person:
● Driving directions: Take Highway 89A from Kanab, UT, or Page, AZ 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 for almost 3 miles. If traveling from Utah, please note the differences between time zones as the event begins at 1 p.m. MDT (noon MST, northern Arizona Condor Time)
● Bring: Spotting scope or binoculars, sunscreen, hat, ample water, snacks, a chair, and layered clothing as the closest facilities to obtain supplies are 40 minutes from the remote release site.
● Details: Informational kiosk, shade structure, and restroom at the site. Map: https://on.doi.gov/3dW2f4m
For more information about The Peregrine Fund California Condor recovery project: https://peregrinefund.org/projects/california-condor
