Comments Sought on Release of Condors
The U.S. Department of the Interior is inviting the public to comment on a proposal to release up to nine young endangered California condor chicks at the Grand Canyon this spring.
The proposed site is at Vermillion Cliffs on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which administers the Condor Recovery Program at its Ventura office, hopes to establish three populations of 150 wild birds to bring the animal back from the brink of extinction.
Releasing birds in Arizona this spring would create the third wild population. There are now 13 condors flying free in northern Santa Barbara County, and biologists plan to release more birds to San Luis Obispo County later this month.
“By returning condors to their historic range in [Arizona], biologists hope to give the new population a greater degree of security and isolation than they have had . . . in California,” Fish & Wildlife Service spokesman David Klinger said.
To comment on the release, send written statements by Feb. 1 to U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2321 W. Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021.
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