A Southwest Conservation Experience and the Status of California Condor Conservation

Abstract

The objective of this Senior Integrated Project was to gain a better understanding of careers in conservation by gaining firsthand experience doing physical field work, and by conducting academic research on the subject. For my experiential SIP, I went to Arizona to work for a conservation corps called the American Conservation Experience, where I had the opportunity to work alongside and gain career insight and new skills from experienced professionals in the field of land management and conservation. The work I did took place on federal lands, specifically Coconino National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park. In doing this work, I happened to witness the critically endangered California condors in the wild. I was quite intrigued by my encounters with them, and this inspired me to make them the subject of my research in the latter half of this paper, which reviews the literature on the anthropogenic threats this species faces, and what conservation efforts are being made to protect them. The findings of this research illustrate how these efforts have managed to start bringing California condors back from what was at one point the brink of certain extinction, and have instead put them on a trajectory of growth. Having gained this new experience and knowledge, it has become clearer to me how rewarding and impactful conservation work can be.