Join Friends of California Condors Wild and Free for a captivating free lecture exploring the remarkable journey of the critically endangered California Condor! Discover the origins of the groundbreaking captive breeding program. Get an insider’s look on lessons learned from 35 years of breeding captive California condors. We’ll also discuss the current status of wild condor populations and the profound impact of breeding and release efforts on their survival.
Our guest speaker, Mr. Mike Clark, is a retired LA Zoo Keeper. He will speak to the public in the Topping Room at the Ventura Public Library located at 651 E. Main St. from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Sunday, July
27, 2025.
Mike Clark had an interest in birds his whole life. Before graduating high school, he had started breeding pigeons, chickens, and pheasants; and, he even started falconry. He began his career at the LA Zoo in a keeper class in 1988. His experience with bird incubation was a perfect fit for the new California condor breeding program in 1989. He worked 2 part-time jobs for 5 years, until the LA Zoo hiring freeze ended and he was offered a full-time position. He worked at the zoo as a condor keeper until his retirement in November 2024. Mike was a key personnel in the California Condor Recovery Program as a voting member for 8 years, while working at the zoo and in the field.
The California condor was listed as an endangered species in 1967. In 1987 California Condors were on the verge of extinction with only 27 alive, as the last free flying condor, AC9, was taken from the wild. In 1992, the USFWS began reintroducing captive-bred condors to the wild to reestablish the population. Today, there are over 560 birds with over half of them flying free in the wild in various populations including California, Arizona, and Baja Mexico. The California Condor is a resident of the local area and can be found in the mountains behind
Ojai, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Barbara.
The Recovery Program is currently focusing its efforts on the captive breeding and reintroduction of California condors to the wild in the hopes of establishing a self sustaining population of two geographically separate populations, one in California and the other in Arizona, each with 150 birds and at least 15 breeding pairs.
Friends of California Condors Wild and Free is a nonprofit 501c3 all volunteer organization, that has the mission to enhance public awareness of the endangered California Condor and to
ensure that they are protected, healthy, and free.
Come learn about the endangered California Condor, North America’s largest land bird. Learn how
you can help the California Condor recovery effort. Become a volunteer! Be informed!
Also check out other Workshops in Ventura.
