Condor Heaven

No one can guarantee that the California condor will ever again soar freely on its 10-foot wingspan over the grasslands, canyons and mountains of Southern California in numbers that permit the breed to sustain itself. But that is no reason not to try.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is commended for its decision to spend up to $4.5 million to buy the 11,000-acre Hudson Ranch in southeastern Kern County for preservation as a critical habitat for the giant vulture. It would have been easy enough for the service to pass up the opportunity, even though Congress already has appropriated the needed funds. So far as is known now, only three condors survive in the wild. Soon there may be none.

The remaining wild birds are due to be trapped on the assumption that they will not be able to survive under present circumstances and that the best prospect for the endangered species is through reproduction in captivity, with later release into the natural environment. That has been a controversial decision, but it is justifiable--given the mortality rate of birds in the wild in recent years. Scientists are not sure why the condors have died, so it is impossible to guarantee the survival of the remaining birds.

But buy a condor farm with no condors? Fiscal fussbudgets and naysayers may cry boondoggle. But this is an investment in the future. The purchase is justified by the record of success in bringing back other threatened species such as the falcon, the alligator and the wolf. The condor is a peculiarly American bird. It deserves a chance.