Wildlife

Act 2: Decline of the Condor

The beginning of European colonization marked the start of one of the darkest periods in condor and Native American history. When early settlers first arrived in the Pacific Northwest, they often caused harm to the great vultures by shooting, poisoning, and capturing them. This came in addition to hunting the large game that the condors relied on for carrion. 

Act 1: Early History and Cultural Importance of condors

The free flying California condor is a rare sight in the wild, one which many people have not ever witnessed. But those lucky few who have described the experience as nothing less than awe-inspiring. It’s no wonder that this ancient species, with an impressive 9.5 ft wingspan of inky black plumage, commands the skies and holds a place in our minds and our hearts -- and why many are working incredibly hard to bring “thunderbird” back from the brink of extinction. 

The Nez Perce people fished for lamprey and other species, not only for food, but as a vital aspect of their culture. Unfortunately, lamprey are not as abundant as they once were and the Nez Perce are dedicated to changing that.

Learn about the under-appreciated species that doubles as a Brita filter, is older than your grandparents and hitchhikes our rivers!

When we safeguard our rivers and waterways, we’re not just protecting them for people. An incredible diversity of wildlife reap the benefits of Wild & Scenic River designations!

Beavers 

These ecosystem engineers (and Oregon’s state animal) provide a number of benefits to riparian environments such as creating and restoring habitat like wetlands, capturing excess sediment, recharging groundwater, and much more. It has been said that next to humans, beavers do more to shape their environment than any other animal.  

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will soon decide whether or not to uplist the marbled murrelet -- a rare nesting seabird -- from threatened to endangered. Please join us for an advocacy training on Monday, June 21st where you’ll craft and submit public comments in support of this imperiled species.

In October 2017, The Oregonian released a series starring a newborn polar bear cub named Nora, which swiftly went viral. Kale Williams who reported the story went on to win the Scripps Howard Edward J. Meeman Award and the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for his work on the series, which also won a regional Emmy. Since then, Williams has continued to follow Nora's story, while expanding his lens, spending time with traditional Arctic hunters and closely tracking the research of one of the leading wildlife biologists studying how polar bears are struggling to adapt to climate change.

2021 has been a busy year for wildlife advocates in Oregon! Between the state legislature in session, changing of the guard at the Interior Department, litigation, and much more, there’s a lot to tell you about in this month’s wolf pack newsletter.

WOLVES

Let’s start with the bad news first, so that we can end this section on a happy note!