CONDOR TALES

California Condors: Past, Present, Future

In December 1969, Dean Carrier walked into my new office in the Ojai Ranger Station. He tossed a piece of paper on my desk. It was obviously old, it was grammar school-type wide-lined paper, and the brief message was written in pencil in a not very practiced handwriting. It had been received at the Los Padres National Forest headquarters on 1 June 1954.

"Dear sir," it read, "Please send me any information you have on the Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary and the condors nesting there. Sincerely yours, Sanford R. Wilbur - 3903 Rhoda Ave., Oakland 2, California."

I noticed that Dean had appended a little note: "Now it becomes evident... You've had your eye on the condor job for a hell of a long time..."

I bring this up just to point out that I've been interested in the California condor for a long time. It started in the 1950s with childhood trips to Pinnacles National Monument to see the condors that reportedly nested there. (They didn't.) It continued with participation in the First October Cooperative Condor Survey in 1965. Following were twelve years as condor researcher and recovery plan developer, then three more years as Chief of Fish & Wildlife Service's endangered species program in the West. It led to books and papers on condors published, hundreds of talks given, months of library and museum research, and lately to this website. The website is my way of doing three things:

(1) Although I have published a lot about condors, there is information in my files that nobody has but me (the result of me being the last person to do an in-depth study of the original condor population). Not many people seem interested in the historical perspective right now, but someday somebody might be. Before I die, I'd like to share what I know.

(2) Although I'm not involved in condor business on a day-to-day basis, I try to keep informed. When an issue arises that I know something about (or have an opinion about, which is not always the same thing), I'll likely say something about it.

(3) Looking into the future, I'd like to see California condors inhabiting more of their former range. I'll share my ideas about where reintroductions might be planned, and about what needs to be done to extend the program.

Comments, questions, alternate opinions, etc., always welcome.

Sanford "Sandy" Wilbur - June 2011

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