by Sandy Wilbur
Sanford "Sandy" Wilbur was leader of the California Condor research and recovery effort from 1969 to 1981, and was the principal formulator of the plan from which the current captive breeding and release program was developed. Using color slides and readings from his recent book, "Condor Tales: What I Learned in Twelve Years with the Big Birds," he will describe how the condors became endangered (reaching a low point of only about fifteen birds in the early 1980s) and how the condors came to be taken from the wild for a captive breeding program. He will also talk about the past status of condors in the Pacific Northwest, and how they might be reestablished in our area.

     In addition to the California Condor, his endangered species work has included rails, terns, vireos, spotted owls, and Hawaiian birds. He has written many scientific papers and magazine articles and several books, including "Condor  Tales," "Birds of Baja California, Mexico," and "Vulture Biology and  Management. "

       His website contains both historic and recent information on California condors and other wildlife. Currently, he and his wife Sally live in Gresham, Oregon in the winter, and  far northern  New Hampshire in the summer.

           http://home.netcom.com/~symbios/wildlife.html