We are a group of dedicated volunteers that provide educational and outreach programs through community presentations, conducting guided tours on the condor refuges, organizing refuge work days, staffing condor viewing booths, and participating in microtrash cleanups. In 1987 California condors were on the verge of extinction, with fewer than 30 alive, as the last free flying condor, AC9, was taken from the wild. With the help of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Condor Recovery Program, and public support, AC9 and other condors were returned to their natural habitat beginning in 1992. The greatest threat to the California Condors living in the wild is lead. The primary source is from lead fragments that the California Condors eat along with the meat from animals shot within their feeding range. More information on alternatives to lead am******on can be found at www.huntingwithnonlead.org. Sadly more condors continue to die from ingesting lead each month including 428, called the wanderer for her long flights, including two to Kings Canyon. She had just reached breeding age. Find details for upcoming events here and on the Events page of our website. As of 2021 there are over 500 California Condors alive in the world, with more than 300 of those flying free in California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California, Mexico. Friends of California Condors Wild & Free continues to help with the condor’s success. We are the voice of the California Condor for future generations.
