Threatening California condors

Wind farms in California threaten the survival of the state's condor population. The National Audubon Society is launching a campaign to stop the newest lethal threat to the California condor - an Enron Corporation proposed wind farm literally next door to US Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical California condor habitat.

The California condor is perched on the brink of extinction. A controversial captive-breeding program has succeeded in restoring about 50 condors back into the wild in California. The California condor is being given a rare second chance to roam the skies again. Yet, at this critical moment in the recovery of the California condor, Enron is proposing to build a giant condor death trap. They plan to build 53 wind turbines at the crossroads of the California condors' range.

Two hundred-foot tall spinning blades would be placed in the heart of Condor Pass. This must be stopped. Wind power may well play an important role in America's energy future. But the choice here is clear. If Enron builds this wind farm there is little future for the California condor. The survival of the condor comes first. In an effort to save the California condor, the Audubon Society are launching the "Kill the Condor?" campaign.

Billboards with this question and the web site www.condor-pass.org were up at that time in Los Angeles and Houston, the corporate home of Enron. To help educate Members of Congress, the Audubon Society have placed advertisements in Capitol Hill publications and are distributing a brochure to the Senate and House of Representatives. The brochure can be viewed on the web site.

Daniel P. Beard Senior Vice President for Public Policy said, "Fortunately, we believe there is a solution. The Wind Energy Tax Credit expired this summer. Without this federal tax subsidy, Enron would not find it profitable to build the wind farm at Condor Pass. We urge that when the Congress renews the Wind Energy Tax Credit, it say that no wind farm can receive the federal tax subsidy if it is within 10 miles of designated critical condor habitat. We urge people to contact their Members of Congress in support of the condor and this vital change in the Wind Energy Tax Credit."

"People can use the web site to send this message to Congress. The California condor is one of the rarest of North America's birds. The Fish and Wildlife Service spends a million dollars a year to try and help this magnificent bird recover in the wild. It is hard to imagine a worse idea than putting a condor Cuisinart next door to critical condor habitat. Kill the Condor? The answer must be no. We look forward to working with Members of Congress and the public to ensure a future in the skies for the California condor. "