Dear KAREN,
The majestic California Condor is the largest bird of North America and literally the stuff of legends.
Last year, I woke up at dawn in Pinnacles National Park. On a spectacular six-mile hike, I watched 14 condors as they faced the morning sun, basking gloriously with their giant 10-foot wingspans outstretched.
This incredible bird's journey hasn't been easy – in the 80s, the California Condor's population fell to just 22 birds.
Thankfully, due to the work of trailblazing scientists like Jan Hamber, one of our Women's History Month heroines, the Condor's population has been steadily improving. Today, there are more than 300 California Condors.
Condors are powerful symbols of how conservation works – really works – even against the odds.
California is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. It is a global biodiversity hotspot, a distinction for only 36 bioregions across the planet.
With its dramatic coastlines, lush forests, blooming valleys, salt lakes, and vivid deserts, California is home to a whopping 450 species of birds. It's a thrilling state for all you listers out there.
At the same time, the New York Times just reported that we have the most imperiled biodiversity of any state in the United States. Right now, 30% of California's species are threatened with extinction. We have 170 bird species that are threatened by climate change.
This means that the conservation we do locally truly matters on a global scale.
At Audubon California, we see huge opportunities to prioritize biodiversity conservation across diverse landscapes and bird species. We focus on four landscapes, including deserts, coasts, the Central Valley, and urban rivers.
Visit our California Biodiversity Hotspot Storymap to experience a flyover of where we work and watch our California Biodiversity Hotspot webinar to learn more about conservation in the golden state.
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