California condors to be released in north coast redwoods

REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The endangered California condor could return to the wild in the state’s far north coast redwood forests on Tuesday for the first time in more than a century.

Two captive-bred birds were expected to be released into Redwood National Park, located about an hour’s drive south of the Oregon border, under a project aimed at restoring the giant vultures to their historic habitat in the Pacific Northwest.

The release was dependent on the birds voluntarily leaving a pen by moving into a gated staging area with one end providing access to the outside world. If the birds did not leave by 4 p.m., officials planned to try again Wednesday.

The birds were last spotted in the park area around 1892, authorities said.

Condors can live for 60 years and fly vast distances, so their range could extend into several states.

Federal and local fish and wildlife agencies are involved in the restoration project headed by the Yurok tribe, which traditionally has considered the California condor a sacred animal and has been working for years to return the species to the tribe’s ancestral territory.