Fall 2008 - Ventana Wildlife Society

In This Issue
Rising From the Ashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Celebrating the Survival of Three Wild Chicks . . 1, 4
Dramatic Rescue Saves Eight Trapped Condors. . .2
Membership Categories and Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . .2
Remembering the Big Sur Condor
Rescue Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Lemonade and Cookies for Condors. . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Notes From the Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Bald Eagles Continue to Thrive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
The Condor Emergency Fund:
Rebuilding with Your Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Rebuilding the Condor Sanctuary:
One Step at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
VWS Board & Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Dear Ventana Wildlife Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Summer Program Thank You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Summer Programs Expand –
With a Little Help From Our Friends . . . . . . . . . . . .7
VWS’ 2nd Annual Condor Release Auction:
Wings Over the World 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Condor 251 has a Special Place in
Jeanne Holmquist’s Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
An Update on the VWS Bird Banding Lab . . . . . . . 9
Save the Date: VWS Open House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Thank You to VWS Supporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Ways to Give to VWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
VWS Contact Info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
VWS Merchandise for the Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Membership
Categories & Benefits
Associate $50 - $99
Senior/Student $35 - $49
• Quarterly newsletter On the Wild Side
• Invitations to hikes and general
community lectures
• Name listed in the annual report
• Early / discounted registration for Natural
Science Discovery Camp
• Ventana Wildlife Society Logo decal
Friend $100 - $499
• All of the above, plus
• Bald Eagle Tour
• 3-5/16” x 4-7/8” Wildlife Bronze Plaque
($250 or more)
Sponsor $500 - $999
• All of the above, plus
• Invitation to Annual Membership
Appreciation Reception
• 4-5/8” x 8-15/16” Wildlife Bronze Plaque
Steward $1,000 - $4,999
• All of the above, plus
• 7-5/16” x 9-7/8” Wildlife Bronze Plaque
Leadership Circle $5,000 and above
• All of the above, plus
• Picnic at exclusive Ventana field station
with Executive Director
Adopt-A-Condor Program $50 & above
• Receive Associate or Friend membership benefits
• Personalized certificate with Condor Chick
photograph
Dramatic Rescue Saves Eight Trapped Condors
By Joe Burnett, VWS Senior Wildlife Biologist
On June 22, the Basin Complex fire
was rapidly approaching the VWS
Condor Sanctuary in Big Sur. Eight
condors–including seven juveniles and
our veteran mentor bird Hoi– were
trapped in a large aviary directly in the
fire’s path.
We made the decision to go in and
evacuate the birds, but with the roads
closed and most available helicopters
devoted to the firefighting effort, the
obstacles seemed overwhelming. A
VWS volunteer called the Coast Guard
to see if they could provide a helicopter,
and amazingly, by late that afternoon,
Mike Tyner (VWS wildlife biologist),
Henry Boniface (intern biologist) and I
were airborne and headed for Big Sur.
However, with just a few hours of
daylight left, the biggest challenges
were yet to come. As we approached
the site, the size and intensity of
the fire were terrifying, with flames
shooting as high as 100 feet in the
air. The closest feasible landing area
was about 2 1/2 miles away from
the Sanctuary, connected by a steep,
rough, dirt road. As we rushed in on
foot, we found still another obstacle– a
large bay tree blocking the road.
While Mike took the camp ATV and a
chainsaw out to clear the tree, Henry
and I started trapping the birds and
securing them in large dog kennels for
transport. We were able to shuttle five
birds out with the ATV by the time the
helicopter got back from refueling, but
they had bad news– the fire and smoke
situation now made this an “extreme
danger zone.” We needed to have the
remaining birds ready to go the minute
they returned from delivering the first
five to Monterey.
And those last three were the
toughest– not only because the heat
and smoke had cut our normal energy
levels in half, but also because the last
bird was very clever at eluding us. It
took the three of us (plus a bit more
aggressive handling than we might
ordinarily use) to get her safely into the
kennel. To add to the excitement, the
ATV was beginning to overheat, at one
point cutting out completely.
With Mike driving that last elusive
condor up in the ATV– and Henry and
I running behind– we squeaked it out
just in the nick of time. The smoke had
become so thick that the pilots needed
their GPS system and night vision
goggles to land. The eight birds were
delivered safely to the Pinnacles Condor
program, where they were released in
early November.
The loss of these carefully reared birds
would have been a tragic blow to the
condor recovery program. I’ve said
it many times, but I want to again
express our heartfelt gratitude to
Coast Guard pilot Lt. Harry Greene
and crewmembers Casey Michaelson
and Lt. Brad Donaldson– they were
incredible and truly carried the day!
We also owe a huge “thank you” to our
volunteer, Rebecca Dmytryk Titus, who
connected us with the Coast Guard
helicopter.
Biologists with
the National Park
Service at the
Pinnacles National
Monument
transported the
eight rescued
condors on the
last leg of their
journey to safety.
The seven condor
chicks were
released to the
wild in November
2008.
ON THE WILD SIDE FALL 2008 2