Response to a presentation from the Yurok Condor Restoration Program

The Yurok Condor Restoration program was developed in order to protect and restore the California condor as a culturally significant and endangered species.

Condors are culturally important to the Yurok tribe, for several reasons. Williams mentioned that their feathers are one of the strongest sources of power for doctors. Condors themselves are (Feathers are most powerful source for doctor, are considered important aspect of world renewal help to restore the cycle of the world, and allow for balance.

Williams mentioned that in 1982 there was a total number of twenty-two condors in CA. Condors have been bred successfully in captivity, however, condors only lay one egg every other year (or whatever it is), and this slow reproductive cycle makes them difficult to rehabilitate. She compared the condor to the “canary in the coal mine”, as they need a perfectly balanced environment to survive. Habitat studies by the restoration program have designated the Minez and Bald Hills areas well suited for condor habitat. Factors involved in this determination were distance from power lines and roads, vegetation, and terrain ruggedness.

The loss of the condor brought a loss of culture. Williams relayed there had been a specially designated condor song in the Jump Dance. The need for feathers for ceremonial regalia has also provided an issue. The solution to this issue is found in feather repositories, which collect the feathers from endangered birds (which by law cannot be disposed of). Tribes can request these feathers, and after significant waiting period are granted feathers for cultural use. I think the repositories are a great idea. I attended a presentation by the Umatilla on the process of such repositories. This issue they mentioned was the low number of repositories, so distance and access may be an issue for some tribes. Although the process is tedious, it is a beginning to the type of collaboration that must occur between government and tribes.

I really commend the hunter outreach programs; they provide education and communication in a great community based way. It shows that working together (between agencies or individuals) is more productive than working against each other.

In conclusion, I believe the Yurok Condor Restoration Program is a prime example of how not only agencies and tribes can collaborate, but how to educate the community. An interrelated web of communication holds stronger than separate threads of tension.