With a wingspan of nearly 10 feet, the California condor is North America's largest land bird. Historically, this apex scavenger and relic of the Pleistocene soared the skies from British Columbia to Baja California. By 1982, the species had vanished from the Pacific Northwest and its population had fallen to just 22 birds, due to habitat loss, lead poisoning, and other human-caused threats. Intensive conservation averted extinction; today roughly 560 condors exist, about 360 of them in the wild.
Now, for the first time in over a 125 years, qú'nes is poised to return to its northernmost range as soon as 2031. Led by the Nez Perce Tribe (Nimíipuu), this historic, multi-year reintroduction aims to restore a species that is both ecologically essential and culturally sacred. The effort would establish the first Inland Northwest population, expand the species' range into habitat identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as among the most promising unoccupied areas, and strengthen genetic and ecological resilience through greater geographic spread..
"Since time immemorial, the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) people and qú'nes (condor) have shared this landscape," said Eric Kash Kash, Director of the Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division. Its return represents both ecological restoration and spiritual renewal for our people and the land. Our partnership with the Colossal Foundation honors our sovereignty and our enduring connection to our homeland as we fulfill our sacred responsibility to restore balance by bringing a relative home."
The Nez Perce Tribe is a recognized leader in conservation, with a track record of successfully restoring iconic Pacific Northwest species, including gray wolves, Pacific salmon, and bighorn sheep. Since 2016, the Tribe's Wildlife Division has conducted rigorous assessments confirming that the Hells Canyon ecoregion provides ideal habitat for a reintroduced condor population, with abundant food sources, excellent geography for soaring, and low human density. This scientific work complements the Tribe's traditional ecological knowledge, which has long identified the region as condor homeland, and is reflected in the naming of a local canyon as ananasocum, meaning "the place where condors used to be" in the Nez Perce language.
"Our traditional knowledge told us this was a home for qú'nes, and our scientific assessments have confirmed it. Hells Canyon is ready to welcome them back," said Aaron Miles, Director of Natural Resources for the Nez Perce Tribe. "This generous, long-term commitment from the Colossal Foundation provides the catalytic energy to turn years of careful planning into action. It allows us to build our internal capacity and, most critically, to proactively address the lead threat before the first bird is released, giving this new population the greatest possible chance to thrive."
Colossal Foundation's long-term investment will help accelerate and scale the Tribe's efforts with federal and regional partners to bring condors home. Funding will accelerate the final, critical phase of the Tribe's vision: completing reintroduction plans, scaling the "Get the Lead Out" campaign to guarantee a safe, lead-free food web, facilitating knowledge-sharing with other condor conservation groups like the Yurok Tribe, and strengthening local capacity through the hiring and training of dedicated tribal biologists.
"The Nez Perce are leading one of the most visionary species recovery projects in North America," said Matt James, Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences and Executive Director of the Colossal Foundation. "Their leadership demonstrates how cultural knowledge and cutting-edge science together can reweave the living fabric of ecosystems. We're honored to help bring qú'nes home."
The project is further strengthened by the involvement of INDIGENOUS LED, an organization dedicated to advancing Indigenous-led conservation across North America, and a founding member of Colossal's Indigenous Council. The organization's newly launched Story-Spirit Collective curates ancestral knowledge for modern times and will help identify collaborative opportunities to elevate braided stories, like the Nez Perce Condor Recovery Program, where science and Indigenous wisdom are woven together in service to the restoration of keystone relatives and their homelands."
"This initiative reflects what's possible when Indigenous nations lead conservation at scale," said Cristina Mormorunni, Co-founder and Executive Director of INDIGENOUS LED, and Co-lead of Colossal's Indigenous Council. "Tribes like the Yurok and Nez Perce are setting a standard for how culturally grounded stewardship can shape species recovery, and we're honored to help elevate their leadership in a shared, intertribal effort to bring this ancestor back home."
This collaboration builds on the Colossal Foundation's Species Reintroduction Fund and its similar commitment to support Bolson tortoise recovery and rewilding. It also reaffirms Colossal's partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe, who sit on Colossal Indigenous Council. Through these joint efforts, the Foundation helps restore keystone and culturally significant species while empowering local stewardship. By working with sovereign tribal nations, Colossal is forging new pathways for lasting ecological and cultural renewal.
ABOUT THE COLOSSAL FOUNDATION
The Colossal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the use of cutting-edge technologies for conservation efforts globally to help prevent extinction of keystone species. The organization deploys de-extinction technologies and support to empower partners in the field to reverse the extinction crisis. Learn more at www.ColossalFoundation.org
ABOUT THE NEZ PERCE TRIBE WILDLIFE DIVISION
The Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division works to protect, restore, and enhance the fish and wildlife resources of the Tribe. Grounded in the cultural values of the NimAppiipuu, the Division utilizes the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge to manage species and habitats within the Tribe's ancestral homelands. For decades, it has been a regional leader in the recovery of culturally significant species and the defense of the Tribe's treaty-reserved rights.
ABOUT INDIGENOUS LED
INDIGENOUS-LED was founded by Indigenous People for Indigenous People to elevate the power of Indigenous-led conservation to address our planetary & relationship crises. We work to build Indigenous voice, authority & power and demonstrating how Indigenous-led conservation can uniquely protect, heal & celebrate the natural world and the Native culture & communities who live in its intimate embrace.
WEBSITE & SOCIALS
Websites: www.colossal.com / www.colossalfoundation.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colossal/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@colossal
Twitter: https://x.com/colossal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colossal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itiscolossal
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colossal
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/itiscolossal.bsky.social
SOURCE The Colossal Foundation
Share this article