THE SPECIES: California Condor
THE UPSHOT: Drastic measures can turn the tide.
California Condors once soared over much of the contiguous United States, but habitat loss, eggshell thinning caused by DDT, and lead poisoning took a severe toll. In 1967 the bird was declared endangered under the Endangered Species Preservation Act (ESPA), the precursor to the ESA. Empowered by the ESA, the FWS established a recovery program in 1979 to protect remaining condor habitat and grow the population through a captive-breeding program. But the scavenger’s numbers continued to dwindle. By 1982 only 22 condors existed, and the FWS and partners took the unprecedented, highly controversial step of capturing every wild bird and
