For the first time in 100 years, the endangered California condor will return to the Pacific Northwest.

Once on the brink of extinction, this iconic species has made significant steps towards recovery.

This month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the Yurok Tribe announced a final rule that will help facilitate the creation of a new California condor release facility for the reintroduction of condors to Yurok Ancestral Territory and Redwood National Park, which is in the northern portion of the species' historic range.

The rule will designate the condors affiliated with this program as a nonessential, experimental population under the Endangered Species Act.

This status will provide needed flexibility in managing the reintroduced population, reduce the regulatory impact of reintroducing a federally listed species, and facilitate cooperative conservation.

"The California condor is a shining example of how a species can be brought back from the brink of extinction through the power of partnerships," said Paul Souza, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's California-Great Basin Region. Together, we can help recover and conserve this magnificent species for future generations."

With a wingspan of almost 10 feet, the California condor is the largest soaring land bird in North America. These massive vultures are essential members of their ecosystems and play a significant role in the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the Yurok Tribe, as well as many other Tribes throughout northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Over the past twelve years, the Yurok Tribe has led this reintroduction effort and completed a tremendous amount of legwork to prepare for the return of condors to the Pacific Northwest.

Extensive environmental assessments, contaminant analyses, and community outreach were just a few of the requisite tasks. The Tribe completed this endeavor because the condor is an irreplaceable part of a sacred cultural landscape. Pending completion of the condor release facility, the anticipated release of condors would be fall of 2021 or spring of 2022.

"We are extremely proud of the fact that our future generations will not know a world without prey-go-neesh," said Joseph L. James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe.

California condors prehistorically ranged from California to Florida and, in contemporary times, from Western Canada to Northern Mexico.

By the mid-20th century, condor populations drastically declined due to poaching and poisoning. In 1967, the California condor was listed as endangered. In 1982, only 23 condors survived worldwide. By 1987, all remaining wild condors were placed into a captive breeding program. Thus began an intensive recovery program to save the species from extinction.

As a result of exemplary conservation partnerships, and intensive captive breeding and reintroduction efforts, there are now over 300 California condors in the wild in California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California.

"The return of condors to the skies above Redwood National and State Parks is a critical step toward recovery of this majestic landscape," said Steve Mietz, superintendent of Redwood National and State Parks. "Working with our friends and partners… we will continue the unparalleled success story of condor recovery allowing all Americans to visit the tallest trees in the world while watching one of the largest birds in the world soar overhead."

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