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The Washington Ornithological Society is pleased to announce that it will be a co-sponsor of John Moir's presentation of his new, highly praised book Return of the Condor: The Race to Save Our Largest Bird from Extinction. John will be speaking on Wednesday, November 8th at 7:30 pm at the Elliott Bay Book Company in downtown Seattle.

To quote from the book's website: "RETURN OF THE CONDOR is a riveting account of one of the most dramatic attempts to save a species from extinction in the history of modern conservation.
"The California condor, North America's largest bird, lives fifty years or more, is highly intelligent, often mates for life, can fly 150 miles in a day, and was believed by Native Americans to have supernatural powers. But its strength and endurance were not enough to save it from near-extinction. Human greed and ignorance caused the great bird's decline. Human ingenuity and insight became the bird's only hope.

"Down to only 22 individuals in the 1980s, the condor owes its survival and recovery to a remarkable team of scientists who flouted conventional wisdom and pursued the most controversial means to save it. Conservationists and scientists have fought what at times has seemed a quixotic battle to save the species. Theirs is a story of passion, courage, and bitter controversy, one that created a national debate over how to save America's largest bird.

"RETURN OF THE CONDOR chronicles this epic story. We meet Jan Hamber, the biologist who made the agonizing decision to capture AC9, the young male who was the last living wild condor; Carl Koford, the brilliant scientist whose flawed conclusions delayed a captive-breeding program until it was almost too late; and two of the condors whose survival was critical, including AC9, himself. There is tragedy and triumph in their stories. Today, condors are more numerous and far easier to see than at any time in the past century, and their expanding territory is home to millions of Americans. For America's 52 million birders and anyone who cares about saving our natural heritage, this inspiring story shows what happens when we commit ourselves to working with nature instead of against it."

John Moir is an award winning science writer and birder, whose interest in the condor eventually led him to publish a feature article Bringing Back the Condor in the January/February 2005 issue of ABA's Birding magazine. He then felt compelled to expand his researches into Return of the Condor. More information about Return of the Condor may be found by visiting the website at: http://returnofthecondor.com

Join WOS and the Elliott Bay Book Company in welcoming John to Seattle, and in hearing him talk about his book.

Brian H. Bell
Past President Washington Ornithological Society
Woodinville WA
mailto bellasoc at isomedia dot com