Video: Wild condor survives Big Sur fire
2008 Wings Over the World Event
Young Stewards in Action - our new Fundraising Opportunities page showcases some extraordinary young leaders in stewardship!
IN THE NEWS:
NPR, All Things Considered, November 11, 2008
Big Sur's California Condors Get New Lease on Life
AP News slideshow of condors in the fire zone
Ventana Wildlife Society's heroic efforts to rescue Big Sur's condors
LA Times, More on the condor evacuations in Big Sur
Big Sur Eco-Experiences
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Our Mission
Conserving native wildlife and thier habitats.
Our Goals
- Create opportunities for youth to enjoy and appreciate the natural world through summer camps, after school programs and other activities.
- Restore self-sustaining wild population of California Condors in California.
- Monitor wild populations of birds in Central California to identify declining species in time to prevent intensive recovery and management efforts.
- Conserve monarch butterflies in Central California.
- Assist power companies nation-wide to reduce bird collisions with overhead wires and wind turbines through research, education, and collaboration.
- Protect and restore habitat benefiting native wildlife.
- Monitor and maintain healthy wild population of bald eagles in Central California.
- Train next generation of biologists through wildlife internships.
- Provide eco-experiences for families and adults to enjoy and appreciate the natural world through condor and bald eagle tours and overnight camps.
About Ventana Wildlife Society
Beginning in 1986, Ventana Wildlife Society released bald eagles into Big Sur, California, completely restoring our national symbol to the region.
Since 1992, our Research and Education Center at Andrew Molera State Park has filled a vital niche in providing quality outdoor educational experiences for the children and young adults of Monterey County. Through our summer science education camps and school year programs, Ventana Wildlife Society staff work to deepen the connection that children and young adults feel towards the natural environment.
The bird banding lab, a project of the Ventana Wildlife Society’s Conservation Ecology program, was established in 1992 as a long-term avian monitoring station for the central coast of California. Ventana Wildlife Society operates one of only a few long-term, year-round bird monitoring efforts in North America and one of the only with unrestricted public access. The monitoring efforts of the bird banding lab play an important role in bird conservation by acting as an early warning system, identifying population declines before they become critical or irreversible. Results from our research are used to guide habitat restoration and conservation efforts in order to prevent wildlife from becoming threatened or endangered.
Since 1996, Ventana Wildlife Society has been responsible for reintroducing California condors to the central coast region of California. Ventana Wildlife Society is the only private, non-profit organization in California responsible for restoring the California condor to the wild and we continue to play an integral role in the current success of the project nationwide.
Through our research, restoration and education programs, we are able to provide unique training opportunities for college and graduate students. The experience these young professionals gain not only enables them to move out into the working world with better knowledge and skills, it also helps to create greater stewards of our environment. Read more about Ventana Wildlife Society
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Call (831) 455-9514
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Thank you for your interest in joining Ventana Wildlife Society. Your support allows us to continue to better serve our community and the environment through our inspirational education programs, active research and monitoring programs and our important restoration projects. Our mission is to conserve native wildlife and their habitats.
You can Join or Renew online using our secure online system for entering credit card information or Join by Mail with our pdf form to be printed and mailed with your check or credit card information. Note: To make a donation without joining VWS, please use our Donation page.
To make an online donation to Ventana Wildlife Society, please use our secure system for entering credit card information. To donate by mail, please print this form and mail it with your check or credit card information.