Volunteers Wanted (7/26/2010)
Tim George (Trails Supervisor) is seeking volunteers to assist with the trail maintenance/restoration projects. If you are interested, please contact him directly and let him know you general availability over the next few weeks.
Tourist Trap Closure (7/1/2010)
The Tourist Trap formation on the East Side of Pinnacles is closed until the end of July for restoration. The Trails Crew will be working to repair, rehab, and restore some of the lower access trail at the site.
The Park hopes to begin restoration of multiple access trails at heavily used climbing areas, starting with Tourist Trap this year and hopefully extending to Discovery Wall and beyond in upcoming years. The Trails Crew work will help stabilize some of the climber access areas that have been degraded through erosion and heavy traffic over time.
Opportunities to volunteer to assist with the trail work may be possible. Contact Trail Supervisor Tim George if you are interested in volunteering.
Climbing Closures Update (6/2/2010)
There has not been a official announcement as of this posting, but the emergency closure of Resurrection Wall imposed to protect nesting Condors has been lifted along with several other regularly closed areas.
While the lifting of closures is normally good news for us climbers, in this case the action has been predicated on a rather sad occurrence. Those of you who have been following the events surrounding the first naturally occurring Condor nest in the park for over 100 years are already aware that the male Condor had to be evacuated and treated for lead poisoning. Since then it has been determined that the nestling also had very high lead levels in its blood. Both birds have been evacuated to the Los Angeles zoo for treatment. Needless to say, the nest is no longer viable for the season.
Our heart goes out to all those individuals in and related to the Park Service who have work so hard to give this Condor pair and their nestling every possible opportunity. Let us hope for great successes in the future.
You can send comments and best wishes to the Park through Raptor Biologist Gavin Emmons.
Prescribed Burns Planned at Pinnacles for June and in Fall (6/1/2010)
Fire Management staff at Pinnacles National Monument plan to burn 10 acres in the previously burned Entrance Meadow the week of June 13 and an additional 5 acres in McCabe Canyon later this fall, if weather conditions allow. No road or trail closures are anticipated, however, please use extra caution when driving or hiking if smoke is present. Appropriate wind, temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure will ensure safe and effective prescribed fire operations with good smoke dispersion. The 2 areas to be burned are along Highway 146 inside of the park’s east boundary.
The Entrance Meadow burn is to control yellow star thistle, an invasive, non-native plant. Timing will be dependent on plant flowering, to kill the plants before new seeds are produced. About 12 million acres in California are invaded with this aggressive weed. Three consecutive years of burning, in combination with other integrated plant management techniques, can effectively control yellow star-thistle. Prescribed fire can treat large areas quickly. Burning at the right time of year will greatly reduce the number of seeds that the plants will be able to produce. Fire also recycles nutrients back into the soil, and burns off dead mulch which stimulates the growth of native plants such as lupine, California poppies and perennial grasses.
The 5 acre McCabe Canyon burn later this fall will stimulate the healthy growth of deer grass stands which are naturally and culturally significant to the park and local Native American tribes.
Safety is the foremost objective in all fire management activities. Prescribed fire is only conducted when the windspeed is low and the air is not too dry. Weather readings will be taken every hour or more during the burn. If an unforcasted weather event creates unfavorable conditions, the burn will be shut down. Extra firefighters and engines will also be on hand as an added precaution.
Burning requires approval from the air quality district to prevent any major smoke impacts on the airshed. Smoke particles may settle with cool air at night and create a trace of haze the morning after burning. If this happens, it will lift as the day warms.
To receive an email when the burn day is confirmed, contact the park at 831-389-4486 x222 or email Denise Louie.
Wild Condor Chick Evacuated from Pinnacles National Monument due to Lead Exposure (5/14/2010)
Pinnacles National Monument –
Condor biologists at Pinnacles National Monument and Ventana Wildlife Society tracking the health of a wild condor nestling (chick) in the park discovered last week that the bird had extremely high levels of lead in its blood. Park Service biologists then trapped the parent male, condor 318, and discovered he also has toxic levels of lead in his blood.
The adult condor was immediately taken to the Los Angeles Zoo for chelation (a treatment to remove lead from the body) while the 50-day old chick was treated by veterinarians and condor biologists in the nest during early morning climbs into the rocky cliff cavern.
Although the adult female continued to care for its young and the nestling received several emergency chelation and hydrating fluid injections, the young condor’s health degraded further. As a result, biologists decided yesterday that, for the survival of the nestling, it needed to be evacuated for intensive care.
National Park Service and Ventana Wildlife Society biologists are trying to trap the adult female of this pair to determine if she too has been exposed to lead.
Hundreds of park visitors over the past two months have enjoyed the rare opportunity to witness an active condor nest in the wild. For those interested in expressing thoughts on this story, please visit the Pinnacles National Monument website, and use the “Contact Us” link.
This condor nest was the first inside Pinnacles National Monument since re-establishment efforts began there in 2003 and the first documented nest in the park in over one hundred years.
Pinnacles National Monument will keep the temporary closure area around the nest in place until biologists determine whether the nestling can be returned to the wild.
Additional Facts
- Parent Condor 318 was originally released along the Big Sur coast by Ventana Wildlife Society, while parent condor 317 was released at Pinnacles National Monument.
- The National Park Service and Ventana Wildlife Society collaborate to manage the central California flock of 52 condors.
- More information on the National Park Service program can be found on our Web site
- More information on Ventana Wildlife Society’s program can be found on their Web site
- Chelation is a process used in condors in which calcium EDTA, a chemical that binds with heavy metals, is injected into the animals to prevent retention of lead in the tissues.
- Condors are exclusively scavengers, feeding on a wide range of dead mammals.
- Hunting plays a key role in the condor ecology by generating food resources for these critically endangered scavengers.
- Prior research has established that the principle source of lead exposures among condors is lead ammunition.
- Shooters who have made the switch to non-lead ammunition have made an invaluable contribution to the health of scavenging wildlife.
- Lead Ammunition has been banned in a wide region of central and southern California
- There are four captive rearing facilities involved in Condor Recovery – The Los Angeles Zoo, The San Diego Wild Animal Park, The Oregon Zoo, and the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho
- There are five condor release sites in western North America – Pinnacles National Monument operated by the National Park Service, Big Sur Coast operated by the Ventana Wildlife Society, Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Vermillion Cliffs operated by the Peregrine Fund, and El Parque Nacional San Pedro Mártir in Baja California – a joint venture of the Zoological Society of San Diego and several Mexican agencies and organizations.
- Video information related to condor recovery efforts at Pinnacles National Monument can be found on our Web site
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The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
