"I can promise
you some chapters in the condor tale that you've never heard before."
With that introduction, Sanford R. "Sandy" Wilbur takes
you into parts of Condor Country where few have ever been. Based
on sixty years of interest, and twelve years (1969-1981) of intensive
study, Sandy gives you full benefit of his knowledge of the California
Condor. How did National Audubon Society first become involved
in condor preservation? How did Carl Koford become the first condor
biologist? How were the Sisquoc and Sespe condor sanctuaries set
aside by the Forest Service? What prompted the Fish and Wildlife
Service to finally get involved with the condors' plight? How
many condors were there, and what really caused them to become
endangered? What was the Condor Recovery Plan? How did it become
a condor "contingency plan?" How did all the condors
end up in cages?
Drawing much of his information from lesser known publications
and unpublished government files, and often quoting directly from
his own journals and field notes, Sandy describes the California
Condor from the Pleistocene to the 1980s. More than that, he gives
you a ringside seat for the interactions and controversies of
people and politics that make condor preservation one of the most
exciting conservation stories of all time.
CONDOR TALES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedications 9.
Introduction 11.
A Quick Look at the Condor 15
PART ONE -- EARLY DAYS
Prelude: Condor Dreams 19
Chapter 1: Earliest Evidence 21
Chapter 2: The Indians 23
Chapter 3: First Europeans 29
Chapter 4: The Settling of the West 33
Chapter 5: Quiet Years 43
Chapter 6: The Sisquoc 45
Chapter 7: At Last, A Real Condor Study 57
Chapter 8: Sanctuary in the Sespe 63
Chapter 9: Cages for Condors? - Part I 69
PART TWO -- HEATING UP
Prelude: Back in Touch 75
Chapter 10: More Quiet Times 77
Chapter 11: Miller-McMillan 79
Chapter 12: The Sisquoc Again, and the Sespe 83
Chapter 13: Enter the Fish and Wildlife Service 89
Chapter 14: The First Survey 95
PART THREE -- PATUXENT BEGINNINGS
Prelude: Nearly There 101
Chapter 15: Enter Fred Sibley 103
Chapter 16: More Condor Counting 111
Chapter 17: Bird in the Hand 115
PART FOUR -- GETTING MY FEET DRY
Prelude: The Transition of a Duck Biologist 123
Chapter 18: The First Time 127 [Read
it]
Chapter 19: Observer Network 131
Chapter 20: The Phosphate Mine 137
Chapter 21: Ike Joins the Sierra Club 147
Chapter 22: In the Field 159
Chapter 23: A Weekend on Mt. Pinos 165 [Read
it]
Chapter 24: Condor, in Quotes 169
PART FIVE -- THE BIG QUESTIONS
Prelude: What Happened to Gymnogyps? 175
Chapter 25: Museums and Libraries 177
Chapter 26: Condor Down! 185
Chapter 27: Thought for Food 193
Chapter 28: Condor Popsicles 199
Chapter 29: Animal Control 209 [Read
it]
Chapter 30: The "1080" Story 217
Chapter 31: Contaminants 225
Chapter 32: Condors in Baja? 229
Chapter 33: The Wilbur Line 233
Chapter 34: Developing Population Estimates 241
PART SIX -- A RECOVERY PLAN
Prelude: Philosophies and Strategies 249
Chapter 35: Master Work 253
Chapter 36: Nests and Roosts 257
Chapter 37: Space to Forage 259
PART SEVEN -- CONTINGENCIES
Prelude: Are Things Really that Bad? 269
Chapter 38: Biting the Bullet 271
Chapter 39: To Trap and Mark 277
Chapter 40: Cages for Condors? - Reprise 281
Chapter 41: Testing the Waters 289
PART EIGHT -- PEER REVIEW
Prelude: What do the Biologists Say? 297
Chapter 42: Blue Ribbon Guys 299
Chapter 43: Worldwide Vulture Culture 305
PART NINE -- WILBUR'S END
Prelude: The Coup 311
Chapter 44: My First Mistake 313
Chapter 45: Condor Coordinator 319
Chapter 46: The Takeover 325
PART TEN -- AFTERMATH
Prelude: Poor Sandy Wilbur 357
Chapter 47: New Brooms Sweeping Clean? 359
Chapter 48: The Collapse 365
Chapter 49: Looking Backward 371
Chapter 50: A Clash of Symbols 377
Chapter Notes 383
Index 395