Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sore high above California.
Imagine looking down and seeing deep canyons pass by.
Mountains gilded in the warm light of sunset.
A sparkling silver ocean that slowly comes into view.
Or a town, filled with life and laughter just below.
This is one of the rarest views in the world, as seen through the eyes of one of the rarest
creatures: the California Condor.
And there is great hope for it’s future on the horizon.
Here we’re surrounded by natural habitats.
More California Condors live in Ventura County than anywhere else.
Most of these students didn’t even know they had Condors or what a Condor was.
We have read about the condors, we’ve researched, but until we see it, its not going any deeper
than that.
So that’s what I’m excited and I look forward to that, is to just see that excitement
on their face, seeing something for the first time.
We bring the stories of these animals and their habitats to our visitors, that way they
can learn how they to can become advocates for these species.
It’s very hands on, very interactive.
It’s exciting.
We’re not spending all of our time just reading a book or just writing a paragraph.
We are actually interacting within nature and all these different things.
The Condor Kids program and connecting people with nature is extending way beyond the classroom,
they are way ahead of the general public on the knowledge of condors, and more importantly
conservation in general.
Between US Fish and Wildlife Service and Santa Barbara Zoo, we’re conservation partners.
The role of Zoo’s has changed.
We’re also doing work in the field, because we feel responsible for these animals.
If the Condors can’t successfully fledge a chick, they don’t have a fighting chance.
So some of the techniques that are used in the Zoo’s were developed by the US Fish
and Wildlife Service rescuing Condors from the wild.
Whether it’s Zoo Camp, Condors Kids.
The education side is critical.
Creating the passion is easy in kids.
They want to be passionate, they want to enjoy school, they want to enjoy life.
I think the teacher has to have the passion too.
You need someone who is going to take that passion, and you want to make sure they are
passionate about things that are positive and help our environment.
When I have the opportunity to work with children who live right there with the Condors, and
see their enthusiasm my heart swells.