Welcome...
To Condor Country!™

9/5/05

Condors & Tejon Ranch:
Click http://www.savetejonranch.org/condors/index.html to review all of the issues related to the importance of Tejon Ranch lands in continuing the succcessful restoration of the Condor.

Flight & Viewing Tips:

The crown jewel of bird - watching, the California Condor flies in the areas south and west of Mt. Pinos and Mt. Abel, and in the far, southerly end of the San Joaquin Valley, Carizzo Plain, Tejon Ranch area, Sespe Condor Sanctuary, Frazier Mountain, Lockwood Valley, etc.  Valle Vista, on Mil Potrero Hwy. by Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, is a popular viewing location.  Pine Mountain Club, to the west of Frazier Park has had condors visit local residences- see story below.

• Condors fly at MAJOR heights, especially in front of incoming storm clouds. 

• They have been known to be serious divers, even at workers or viewers, based on our own personal experience.

• Afternoons are best, because of rising heat and winds, which offer soaring opportunities.

• Cuddy Valley pond, west of Frazier Park, is a popular nesting spot for ducks, geese and many other migratory birds, as is the pond in Frazier Mountain Community Park, Mil Potrero Park (Fern Lake) and Quail Lake.  Numerous other species exist and a couple of local "birding" guides have been published.  

• Visit THIS LINK for species and location info for the Southern San Joaquin Valley, Mt. Able and Mt. Pinos.  Also see Birding.com for more California info. 

CONTACT US FOR TOURS OF CONDOR COUNTRY™
AND HABITAT FOR POSSIBLE SIGHTINGS, WATCHING, ECO-TOURS, ETC.
We visit Mt. Pinos, Mt. Abel, Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Valle Vista and other possible sighting locations, and take a lunch break.  Tours start at 8 a.m. and finish at dusk. 
Email us for more information, pricing and reservations.

We Also Have:

Condor T-Shirts- White- Short Sleeves- $12.50
White- Long Sleeves- $16.50

Condor Sweatshirts- Hooded, Crew or Zipped-  $24.99

USFWS Recovery Program Posters- Free With Purchase, or $2.50 mailing/handling costs.

Links to More Condor Stories and Info:

http://www.peregrinefund.org/press/condor0301.html

http://www.audubon.org/chapter/mi/mas/jpw/7606/cal_condor.html

http://www.awea.org/wew/871-2.html

http://www.faultline.org/place/2003/03/ac8.html  The Life and Death of AC-8

http://endangered.fws.gov/

http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/SpeciesProfile?spcode=B002

http://www.fws.gov/

http://www.geocities.com/shioshya/egg.html Grand Canyon Condor Info

http://www.wilderness.org

More Condor Info

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/B109.html California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System - California Department of Fish and Game California Interagency Wildlife Task Group-  B109 California Condor

http://www.ca.blm.gov/bakersfield/ch9f.htm Critical Habitat for California Condor

http://myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=condor_AP

Audubon-Calif.'s Kern River Preserve

Birding Sites in California

http://www.natureali.com/Kern_Audubon/about.htm Kern Audubon Society

Calif. Waterfowl Association

Calif.'s Wildlife Refuges & Marine Sanctuaries

Nature Conservancy

So. Calif. Wilderness

Watchable Wildlife in California
Center for Biological Diversity Imperiled Species (Agreement to Protect 29 Species, ESA Backlog, Species Profiles)
Timeline for California Condor Recovery Program - http://www.lazoo.org/ctime.htm 

Upcoming Local Objectives for Condor - Related Activities, and this website:

• Chumash Literature, Tradition and Ceremony

• Condor Art, Photos & Videos

• Cooperative Condor Exhibit & Information Center with The Frazier Park Visitor Center, USFWS, Audubon, Peregrine Foundation, Fish & Game and other involved agencies, groups and individuals. 

California Department of Fish and Game Habitat Conservation Planning Branch

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

1966-1969 66.01 Mallette, R.D. and J.C. Borneman. 1966. First cooperative survey of the California condor. Calif. Fish and Game 52(3):185-203. (Proj. W-47-R-14, Job I-5)   67.01 Mallette, R.D., J.C. Borneman, F.C. Sibley, and R.S. Dalen. 1967. Second cooperative survey of the California condor. Calif. Fish and Game 53(3):132-145. (Proj. W-47-R-15, Job II-1) 68.01 Mallette, R.D. 1968. Status of rare and endangered species, management and special survey investigations. Calif. Dep. of Fish and Game, Special Wildl. Investigations rep., Proj. W-47-R-16, Job II-2. 3pp. + append.     68.02 Sibley, F.C., R.D. Mallette, J.C. Borneman, and R.S. Dalen. 1968. Third cooperative survey of the California condor. Calif. Fish and Game 54(4):297-303. (Proj. W-47-R-16, Job II-1)

Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
c/o Hopper Mountain NWR
PO Box 5839
Ventura, CA 93005
(805)644-5185
CALL FOR MORE INFO

Tejon Ranch Again Seeks Permit to Harm California Condors and Other Rare
Wildlife
Permit Request Coincides With Condor Lead Poisoning Crisis
June 4, 2008- Los Angeles- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today a revised
scoping notice associated with Tejon Ranch Corporation's application for
permission to "take" or harm the iconic and extremely endangered California
condor <http://www.savetejonranch.org/condors/index.html>  and other rare
wildlife. The corporation is seeking federal permits under the Endangered
Species Act in association with its massive development plans in the
Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles.  

This new version of the proposed permit specifically seeks to exclude Tejon
Ranch's hunting program from the list of activities covered by the permit,
in spite of the fact that AC-8, one of the last condors to be born in the
wild, was shot and killed on Tejon Ranch in a hunting event authorized in
2003. 

The revised application also coincides with recent reports of a huge spike
in lead poisonings of southern California condors, suspected to be caused by
ingestion of lead ammunition shot by hunters on Tejon Ranch. At least seven
condors have been found with lead poisoning in recent weeks. 

Although Tejon Ranch announced a ban on lead ammunition for all hunting and
predator control beginning last fall, and claims on its Web site that it
requires the use of non-lead ammunition for all hunting on its property,
Tejon has been slow to implement the ban. Recent condor poisonings suggest
that it is not enforcing its own rule.  

"Tejon Ranch's noxious development plans will inflict terrible harm on the
wildlife of the ranch, including the California condor, as demonstrated by
this permit application," said Adam Keats, urban wildlands program director
at the Center for Biological Diversity. "And Tejon Ranch's 'promise' to ban
lead ammunition appears to be nothing more than one more effort to greenwash
those plans. Their efforts should not be rewarded." 

One of the condor's last bastions of wild habitat is threatened by
<http://www.savetejonranch.org/bulldozers_or/index.html> mega-developments
in northern Los Angeles and southern Kern counties, planned by the Tejon
Ranch Company, a publicly traded company largely controlled by investment
funds. The Center for Biological Diversity is actively opposing these
projects. 
http://www.savetejonranch.org.

Date:	Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:24:42 -0700
From:	Jeff Miller <jmiller@biologicaldiversity.org>
To:	jmiller@biologicaldiversity.org
Subject:	Endangered condors turning up with lead poisoning

Hunters are apparently still shooting with lead ammunition on Tejon Ranch and condors feeding on Tejon are among the birds that have been lead poisoned. This article contains a brief discussion of Tejon Ranch's likely role in the lead poisonings:   Endangered California condors turning up with lead poisoning By Noaki Schwartz ASSOCIATED PRESS June 3, 2008 LOS ANGELES - U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials are in "crisis mode" because seven endangered California condors have been found with lead poisoning in the weeks leading up to a statewide ban on lead bullets. The birds started turning up sick about a month ago during random trappings at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley foothills of Kern County. One bird died during treatment at the Los Angeles Zoo, where four other birds are still undergoing treatment. A chick and its mother were on their way to the zoo to undergo treatment. Given that there are only about 34 of the endangered birds in Southern California, officials called the number significant. "This is the highest lead exposure event we've had in 10 years," said Jesse Grantham, the agency's condor coordinator, who called it "alarming" and said they were in "crisis mode." While officials won't know the source of the contamination until next week, Grantham said the birds were likely poisoned by eating tainted carcasses at Bitter Creek, Lake Piru or on Tejon Ranch. Of the three areas, only Tejon Ranch currently allows hunting. Tejon spokesman Barry Zoeller said the publicly traded landholder is worried. The ranch, which charges anywhere from $900 for individual access to as much as $20,000 for a guided hunt for bull elk, banned the use of lead bullets six months ago. "We're really concerned about what's going on and we're taking our responsibility very seriously," he said. "We don't want to stop and wait for what the source is." Zoeller said Tejon is working with the federal agency to draw up more safeguards, including setting up clean feeding stations for the condors. The ranch will also ban hunting for 30 days until the source of the contamination is found, he said. A state law prohibiting hunters from using lead bullets in areas where condors live takes effect July 1. The ban was proposed by supporters who said condors are at risk of death and illness from ingesting carcasses of animals killed by lead ammunition. If the birds were poisoned on the ranch, it could create problems for Tejon's development plans. Tejon Ranch sits atop the Tehachapi Mountains 60 miles north of Los Angeles and is home to elk, wild turkeys, coyotes, bears and eagles, as well as a critical habitat for condors. Tejon Ranch Co. has been trying for years to develop three projects, including one that would put boutique hotels and about 3,500 luxury homes and condos on land used for foraging by the condor. The ranch hired a panel of condor experts to put together a plan they say will protect the bird. Others have blasted the plan saying that development in critical habitat should never be allowed. Noel Snyder, one of the country's leading experts on condors in Tejon, hopes that this will be a wake-up call for the developer to do more to protect the bird. "Maybe they'll be stimulated now to really do it," he said. "That's the hope."    Center for Biological Diversity Web site: www.biologicaldiversity.org <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/> The Center for Biological Diversity works through science, law, and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction.

----- Original Message -----

From: Internet Outdoors Unl.

To: shopoutd

Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 3:14 PM

Subject: Tejon Pays off Consultants? +Blog +AV Press Story

Business gets condor experts' silence in land deal
>
> By NOAKI SCHWARTZ –
>
> LOS ANGELES (AP) — Biologist Noel Snyder got an intriguing call from  
> a development-company representative a day after it announced it was  
> moving forward with plans to build nearly 3,500 luxury homes, condos  
> and hotels on land used by the endangered California condor.
>
> Would he like to make $3,000 for just one day's work reviewing the  
> company's plan to safeguard the condor from the development?
>
> There was just one catch: Snyder would have to sign a promise not to  
> publicly criticize the Tejon Ranch Co. project.
>
> "My jaw dropped to the floor," said Snyder, one of the foremost  
> experts on North America's largest flying bird. "It was very clear  
> to me I could've asked for $10,000. I could've asked for $50,000."
>
> The Portal, Ariz., scientist said he turned the job down for fear it  
> might prevent him from objectively evaluating the plan and, if he  
> disagreed, from testifying against it in court. He has since decided  
> the project could significantly harm the condor.
>
> But others have taken the offer from Tejon (TAY-hone). The developer  
> has retained the services — and secured the public silence — of  
> three condor experts. That's a significant portion of the half-dozen  
> or so scientists specializing in condors on Tejon, according to the  
> developer's chief consultant on the bird, Peter Bloom.
>
> In truth, many environmentalists are delighted by the deal, under  
> which Tejon will set aside an extraordinary 375 square miles for the  
> bird and other wildlife. It would be the biggest parcel in  
> California history to be designated for conservation.
>
> Five of the nation's most influential environmental groups,  
> including the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and  
> AudubonCalifornia, helped negotiate the plan and gave it their  
> blessing when it was announced earlier this month.
>
> But critics say that with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake,  
> Tejon is systematically trying to stifle any remaining opposition to  
> its plans, which are still awaiting approval from various government  
> entities.
>
> "Given the small number of experts with knowledge of this land and  
> given Tejon's behavior to now, I think one of their tactics is to  
> bottle up some or all of those experts so there can be no dissent if  
> this lands in court," said Adam Keats, an attorney with the Center  
> for Biological Diversity, which is considering suing over the project.
>
> Tejon spokesman Barry Zoeller bristled at the criticism.
>
> "If there is any assertion or implication that any attempt was made  
> to get an opinion or buy an opinion from someone, that is absolutely  
> incorrect and flies in the face of the independent evaluation" of  
> the conservation groups, he said. "They're putting their credibility  
> on the line as well."
>
> Zoeller said Tejon routinely requires consultants to sign  
> confidentiality agreements because information leaks can harm the  
> company's stock and its shareholders.
>
> Companies often hire environmental experts as consultants with the  
> expectation they will give an honest assessment but not publicly  
> bash a plan. In the past decade, however, developers have  
> increasingly required consultants to actually sign contracts with  
> clauses preventing them from speaking out, said Tom Scott, a former  
> biological consultant who is now a natural resources specialist at  
> the University of California,Berkeley.
>
> The condor has near-mythical status in California and virtually any  
> project seen as even remotely threatening to its habitat faces stiff  
> opposition. Getting the conservation groups and the condor experts  
> to sign off on the deal — and, in the case of the experts, not  
> publicly criticize any parts of it — gives the project a major boost.
>
> David Clendenen, a condor expert who declined to work for Tejon,  
> criticized those who accepted the consulting job, saying the  
> arrangement "destroys their credibility completely."
>
> "For us, the ultimate line in the sand is you don't allow  
> development in designated critical habitat, and it's that simple,"  
> he said.
>
> Tejon Ranch Co. is a publicly traded company dating to 1936. Its  
> primary asset is Tejon Ranch, a 426-square-mile area about 60 miles  
> north of Los Angeles that is the largest unbroken expanse of land  
> under single ownership in California.
>
> The land was mainly used for farming and ranching for decades. In  
> 2000, the company began looking to develop parts of the property but  
> ran into resistance from environmentalists.
>
> The project to build 3,450 housing units on land used as a feeding  
> ground by condors is just one piece of far larger Tejon Ranch Co.  
> plan to build what amounts to a mid-size city that could eventually  
> bring more than 70,000 people to the area.
>
> Two years ago, the company began negotiating a compromise with the  
> environmental groups, ultimately agreeing to set aside a huge tract  
> atop the Tehachapi Mountains that is home to elk, wild turkeys,  
> coyotes, bears, eagles and the California condor.
>
> "We had to give up something and we gave up the right to oppose the  
> development," said Joel Reynolds, an attorney at the Defense Council.
>
> The California condor nearly went extinct in the 1980s. In 1987, the  
> last 22 wild condors were trapped and taken to zoos for a breeding  
> program that raised their numbers to just under 300. Now there are  
> some 200 in the wild, with about 60 in California, many of which use  
> Tejon for foraging.
>
> As for the consultants hired by Tejon, "experts expect to get paid  
> and it doesn't mean their integrity goes by the wayside," Reynolds  
> said.
>
> Bloom, who previously worked on condor issues for the National  
> Audubon Society, was Tejon's lead condor consultant during the  
> confidential negotiations. He said he was paid "a healthy amount"  
> but would not be more specific, saying it would "taint people's  
> opinion" about a deal he feels provides adequate protection.
>
> Lloyd Kiff, who once called Tejon Ranch Co. the "anti-Christ for  
> condors," was hired to scrutinize the condor plan about a month  
> before the agreement was made public.
>
> He, too, declined to say what he was paid but said he was persuaded  
> to take the job because of the impressive roster of environmental  
> groups that signed off on it. Kiff said he endorsed the plan only  
> after Tejon incorporated many of his suggestions.
>
> Bob Risebrough, the third hired condor consultant, said he was  
> pleased with the final product but declined to comment on his deal  
> with Tejon, citing the confidentiality agreement.
>

>
> Many  environmentalists are delighted by a deal under which Tejon will set  
> aside 375 square miles for a bird and other  
> wildlife sanctuary. It would be the biggest parcel in California  
> history to be designated for conservation.

---

Not in My Back Yard http://www.cuddyvalley.org/blogs/nimby/?p=95  Jan’s Tejon/Grapevine Blog

« The Tejon Model

Experts for Sale

Let us assume Noaki Schwartz’ article on Tejon’s hiring of condor experts is completely factual. Then there are some remarkable statements in there.

Barry Zoeller says Tejon routinely asks their consultants to sign non-disclosure agreements, because “information leaks can harm the company’s stock and its shareholders”. That sounds honest enough — it shows where Tejon’s priorities are. But it is disingeneous, because the agreement actually requires the hired help not to oppose the planned developments. Barry “bristles” at the idea that Tejon has attempted to “buy an opinion”, because that ”flies in the face of the independent evaluation” by the conservation groups. I guess he means those conservation groups that, as part of their so-called independent evaluation, also signed agreements not to oppose Tejon Ranch developments.

Joel Reynolds says “experts expect to get paid”. Sure, but biologists do not expect to get $ 3000 per day — that should alert them that perhaps something fishy was going on. And also, do those experts actually expect to get paid to be silent ? Joel is a lawyer, not a scientist, he can sign all the non-disclosure agreements in the world without losing an ounce of his credibility. But science does not exist without peer-review and without results that are, at least in principle, reproducible. It also does not exist without continuous vigorous criticism. Thus, by definition, science is open, science always opposes, and non-disclosure is anathema.

If you hire experts, and silence them, then they are no longer scientists and become consultants. There is nothing wrong with being a consultant, but consultants should not be confused with people engaged in scientific research and in the gathering of public knowledge. In addition, what Tejon is clearly doing is buying part of the knowledge base — which is then no longer available to the public, and which consequently limits the public’s inputs to the CEQA and HCP processes. That may be in the interest of the shareholders, but it is not in the interest of the people of California.

---

TRC "Pig-O-Rama" Seals CondorAC-8's Fate
Copyright, March 15, 2003, 9:00 a.m., Lloyd Wiens
FRAZIER PARK ENEWS
All Rights Reserved; Reprint or Use Requires Permission of the Author

Perching Condor	Condor, adult male	Condor, wing plumage	Condor, juvenile male
	Flying Condor	Condor, juvenile gang

Click on the images to see a larger image.
Credit for all but first two condor photos to Richard A. Walter, Mountain Man Photography

CLICK FOR MORE LOCAL FLORA & FAUNA

"Bad Bird"™

COCKSURE CONDORS
(The Wrecking Crew!)Filed: 09/09/1999 - (One of the best bird stories we have heard!)
By BOB SABERHAGEN Californian correspondent
PINE MOUNTAIN -

When former Sierra Club national chairman Les Reid helped pass the 1992 Condor Range and Rivers Act to provide habitat for the endangered California condor, he never thought he would have them in his bed. Monday, while working at the computer in the downstairs den of his rustic Pine Mountain home, the 84-year-old environmental activist heard noises coming from the top floor.  There Reid was greeted by eight giant California Condors cavorting in his bedroom. They had ripped through the screen door leading from an outside deck of the hillside home nearly 6,000 feet above sea level. One bird was carrying Reid's underwear around in his mouth, he said.  "It was a beautiful moment," said Reid. "They just stood there looking at me. They weren't afraid of this old white-haired gentleman." 

The group in Reid's bedroom was part of a gang of 15 young birds that invaded the mountain community a week ago and decided to stay.  The 15 are among only 29 of the huge vultures flying free in California, part of a recovering population that totals only 167 after nearly becoming extinct in the 1980's.  Dubbed the "The Wrecking Crew" by biologists chasing them, the wandering birds have spent the past few days making their presence well-known to residents of the mountain community south of Bakersfield.  But so far, to the dismay of some residents, a team of biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's California Condor Recovery Program has been unable to chase the endangered birds back to the wild. 

While many locals marvel at their graceful daily flights over the village, others are not so pleased.  The giant vultures, averaging 20 pounds each with wingspans of 9 or more feet, have been soaring from home to home at the higher elevations, startling several occupants with destructive, noisy - and messy - visits to their decks and rooftops.  Homeowners report the birds have destroyed patio furniture, potted plants and insulated wires. They've also torn up roofing shingles while leaving huge amounts of droppings in their destructive wake.  Recovery team members have been in hot pursuit, chucking pinecones at them when they land, but the birds just flee from house to house.  Their apparent lack of fear toward humans has Fish and Wildlife biologists concerned for the safety of the group. The birds were born in captivity in San Diego and released over the past three years in Lion Canyon near New Cuyama in northern Santa Barbara County.  "If they keep this up they could end up back in captivity," said biologist Mike Barth who, with team partner Tom Williams, has spent the past several days trying to convince the birds to leave the area and shy away from contact with humans. Pine Mountain resident Patti Fields resorted to squirting them with a garden hose after they ignored her shouts, but they continue to return to her home each time biologists flush them from another.  "I just scrubbed the deck the day before they first showed up," she said, her nose wrinkled at the mess on her roof and wooden deck. "They sound like an army marching across your roof."   The birds can drop a cup or more of excrement at a time, Williams said.  While undesirable, the group's behavior is not all that unusual. Condors have in the past been known to frequent areas populated by humans.  "It's normal for juveniles to hang out together and they have a tendency to tear things up," Williams said. 

This group recently spent some time in the Stallion Springs area of Tehachapi, where Fish and Wildlife workers are presently going door to door telling people not feed or encourage them. They have also visited homes near Lake Cachuma. Recovery program officials said they are being tolerant - for now.  "We're hoping that when they start breeding they'll stop this kind of behavior," said Deputy Project Coordinator Greg Austin. "We don't want to see these birds doing these things. Right now we're giving them some slack."  Austin said the birds, ranging in age from 2 to 5 years old, will reach sexual maturity at age 6.  Only 167 California condors are in existence today. They were near >extinction in 1987 when the last of 22 remaining wild birds were captured and placed in a captive breeding program. So far, 49 condors have been released to the wild since 1992, when the first 13 were released. Twenty of those are presently in Arizona with the remaining 29 in California.  Ideally, biologists prefer the California-released birds remain within the 467,000 acres of habitat in the Los Padres National Forest provided for them in the Condor Range and Rivers Act. 

Outside the wilderness the birds face a host of urban dangers. Condors have died drinking anti-freeze, by electrocution after landing on power poles, and others have become ill eating carrion containing lead bullets.  Many of the problems have been solved by using aversion training methods, including use of mock power poles that jolt them with a low voltage shock.  But this group of juveniles seems to have forgotten lessons taught in the negative conditioning classes, especially the portion regarding fear of humans.   Among other perils they face here is the possibility they might collide with power lines during their low-level flights through the community.  "They can spread their wings and electrocute themselves," Barth said.  Austin said efforts to train the birds are being thwarted by well-meaning people who feed and encourage their presence.  Officials ask that residents stay at least 100 feet away from them. "If they approach, clap your hands and yell to scare them off," said Williams.   Above all, don't feed them, he stressed.  Williams said condors normally feed up to twice weekly on the carcasses of deer, cattle and other large, dead animals found in the wilderness.

fficers said they will continue attempts to persuade the birds to leave the area where their activities will be constantly monitored.  "We're going to keep tabs on them, document where they go and what they're feeding on," Williams said. "We just want to keep them out of trouble," he added. 
Copyright© 1999, The Bakersfield Californian

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