The INDEPENDENT, February 1, 2007
Page 13
Condors to Idaho for release preparation City of Banks hires city manager
Their range extended across
much of North America during
the Pleistocene Era, which
ended about 10,000 years ago.
By 1940, that range had been
reduced to the coastal moun-
tains of Southern California,
and in 1967 condors were
added to the first federal list of
endangered species. In 1987,
the 17 condors remaining in the
wild were brought into captivity
and a captive-breeding pro-
gram was developed.
For more information about
the Oregon Zoo’s California
condors, visit http://www.oreg
onzoo.org/Condors/index.htm.
The search has ended and
Donald Whitman will start work
for the city of Banks on March
5, 2007. He will be the first city
manager the city of Bank’s has
hired. Whitman is moving from
Caney, Kansas, where he was
the city manager. He signed an
open-ended contract with an
annual review.
Whitman’s contract signifies
the end of a year-long process
undertaken by the city to estab-
lish a city manager position for
Banks.
Don’t miss Soup Festival on Feb. 3
The Banks 2007 Internation-
al Soup Festival will be Satur-
day, February 3, at the Banks
Elementary School cafeteria
from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Advance tickets are avail-
able (at discounted prices) by
calling Denise Dethlefs at 503-
324-2422. Tickets can also be
purchased at the door for
$10.00 (adults) and $5.00
(child). Children five and under
are free.
ASSE looks for international team members
Four condors from the Ore-
gon Zoo were recently sent to
The Peregrine Fund’s World
Center for Birds of Prey in
Boise, Idaho, for preparation
leading to release in the wild in
Arizona. Among these birds is
Tatoosh (No. 367), born in April
2005, the second condor to be
hatched in Oregon in more than
a century. The others are Meri-
wether (No. 379), also hatched
in 2005, and Ursa (No. 404)
and Wiley (No. 420), both
hatched in the spring of 2006.
Tatoosh and Meriwether are
slated for release this summer
into the Vermilion Cliffs Nation-
al Monument of northern Ari-
zona, and the younger two will
be released during the summer
of 2008.
The zoo also acquired a new
condor, known as No. 385,
from The Peregrine Fund. Con-
dor No. 385 hatched in May
2005 and is considered too “ge-
netically valuable” to be re-
leased into the wild, according
to assistant condor curator
Shawn St. Michael. The zoo
plans to use No. 385 for breed-
ing purposes when he reaches
maturity in six years.
The past two springs have
been successful breeding sea-
sons for condors at the Oregon
Zoo, and the zoo hopes this
season will be successful as
well. “We are just starting the
breeding season, but are see-
ing lots of encouraging behav-
ior so far,” says St. Michael. “All
of the pairs are showing good
breeding behaviors, and we
have high hopes for a very pro-
ductive season.”
In 2001, the Oregon Zoo be-
came the third zoo in the nation
to join the California Condor
Recovery Program. California
condor captive-breeding pro-
grams are also operated at San
Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park,
the Los Angeles Zoo, and The
Peregrine Fund’s World Center
for Birds of Prey in Boise, Ida-
ho. The Oregon Zoo was the
recipient of The Wildlife Soci-
ety’s Conservation Award for
“creating the nation’s fourth
California condor breeding fa-
cility” in April 2005.
The zoo’s condor recovery
efforts take place at the Jons-
son Center for Wildlife Conser-
vation, located in Clackamas
County on Metro-owned open
space. The remoteness of the
facility minimizes the exposure
of young condors to people, in-
creasing the chances for cap-
tive-hatched birds to survive
and breed in the wild.
Condors, the largest land
birds in North America, have
wingspans of up to 10 feet and
weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They
are highly intelligent and inquis-
itive, often engaging in play.
Action
ASSE International Student
Exchange Programs (ASSE) is
seeking volunteers to serve as
Area Representatives in their
communities. ASSE provides
academic year, semester and
short-term exchange programs
in the United States for high
school-aged students from
around the world. Students are
15-18 years old, have passed a
series of academic and charac-
ter requirements, and are anx-
iously awaiting an opportunity
to embark on their American
adventure.
Area Representatives recruit
and screen prospective host
families, interview students to
study abroad, and supervise
the visiting exchange students
in their community. Area Repre-
sentatives are reimbursed for
their expenses and are provid-
ed with some travel opportuni-
ties.
ASSE’s primary goal is to
contribute to international un-
derstanding through exchange
programs, enabling students to
learn about other languages
and cultures through active
participation in family, school,
and community life. ASSE Area
Representatives are the cor-
nerstone of the organization,
making placements possible!
For more information, call
Bonnie Chalmers at 541-514-
4565, or at the regional office at
1-800-733-2773. ASSE looks
forward to welcoming new Area
Representatives nationwide –
striving toward a world of un-
derstanding, one child at a
time!
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