Biologists to Release 4 Condors in Wilds

Biologists at the Ventura field office of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service plan to release four endangered California condors in the back country of San Luis Obispo County early next year.

The four birds, which are being held at a center in the hills north of Fillmore, will be 8 months old when they are released in February.

The condors have been held at the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge facility since August, undergoing aversion training to teach them to stay clear of power poles and people.

The San Luis Obispo County location known as Castel Crags is about 40 miles northwest of Lions Canyon, the spot in remote Santa Barbara County where 134 of the giant vultures are now flying free in the wild.

The newest release site was chosen because it is far enough away from Lion Canyon that biologists will be able to evaluate the birds’ behavior without having them influenced by older birds who have been longer in the wild.

“If they interact with the other birds, they would just emulate their behavior,” said David Clendenen, senior biologist on the Condor Recovery Team.

The San Luis Obispo site has been evaluated through an environmental assessment that calculates the impacts the condors might have on people or natural resources. Anyone interested in reading or commenting on the assessment can call the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 644-5185.