he United States Air Tour Association has expressed concern that the planned reintroduction of California Condors to the Vermillion Cliffs area, scheduled for mid-June, will interfere with air tour activity over Grand Canyon and economic interests of the industry. They also raised safety issues, and asked that the program not be initiated until their concerns are addressed.
The proposed population of Condors is designated “nonessential experimental,” which means it will be treated as a threatened population rather than endangered. This designation, in accordance with section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, as amended, allows the Fish and Wildlife Service to develop special regulations for management of the population that are less restrictive than the mandatory prohibitions that apply to endangered species. According to Robert Mesta, who manages the program for Fish and Wildlife, “That flexibility helps to insure that current and future land use activities such as, but not limited to forest management, agriculture, mining, livestock grazing, sport hunting, and non-consumptive outdoor recreational activities in the area will not be restricted.”

With this designation, the Condors clearly pose far less threat to the future of air tours than the endangered Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, who have been sharing the skies in much greater numbers with the air tour industry for years. There have been no impacts or limitations to the industry as a result; there is less reason to think that a Condor population, listed only as threatened, would necessitate restrictions. According to Mesta, Condors have very similar life habits to turkey vultures, and he is not aware of any collisions of aircraft with that species. They soar more than fly, and are sufficiently agile to get out of harm’s way. Also, since they are much bigger, they would be easier to see and avoid. Most reported bird strikes have involved smaller species, such as swifts. Mesta predicts that if Condors move into Grand Canyon, they will spend most of their time soaring below the rim, well out of the flight path of tour aircraft.
Mesta emphasized that the goal of the program was to integrate the Condor into current uses, not the other way around. Grand Canyon River Guides supports the introduction of the California Condor to the Vermillion Cliffs area, and hopes that the air tour industry will come to recognize the value of the project, and prove themselves capable of seeing Grand Canyon as something more than a lucrative venture.

Jeri Ledbetter