Swarovski and American Park Network Help California Condors Take Wing
American Park Network, publisher of the world's largest outdoor guide, and Swarovski Optik, maker of fine optical equipment, are pleased to announce their support of the California Condor Reintroduction program and NestWatch program in Grand Canyon National Park. The program began two years ago with the release of captive California condors into the wilds of the Grand Canyon. Shortly thereafter, the park welcomed the first successful hatching of condor chicks in Arizona's wilderness in nearly a century. Since the first chick fledged in November 2003, several other chicks have followed, marking an extraordinary success for the Condor Program at Grand Canyon. For the first time in decades, visitors to the Grand Canyon have an opportunity to see this endangered species soaring free. The birth of these new condor chicks brings the total population of California condors in the park to 51 - fully half of all condors living in the wild!
In spite of these gains, the California condor has a long way to go to ensure continued survival. Currently, the park has just one full-time wildlife biologist who is responsible for managing more than one million acres and over 600 wildlife species in the Grand Canyon. This single park biologist is unable to provide the intense monitoring and management required to ensure the success of the condor reintroduction effort, much less educate the visiting public on the importance of this effort.
The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation has secured funding to help continue to protect the condors within the park. American Park Network and Swarovski's gift of EL and SLCnew series binoculars will be used in conjunction with the foundation's "Condor Nestwatch Program." The program, which pairs visitors with a wildlife technician, allows volunteers to use the binoculars to help collect pertinent breeding and nesting data.
"We are grateful for Swarovski's cooperation in supporting the national parks through public/private partnerships like the Condor Nestwatch Program. The amazing comeback of this once critically endangered species is a testament to the successful efforts of public/private partnerships to restore this magnificent bird to its natural habitat. Our gift will not only provide critical equipment to these programs, but will also improve visitor education and experiences in the parks," says Joel Saferstein of American Park Network.
The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation's mission is to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance Grand Canyon National Park. For more information visit www.gcnpf.org.
