Because this area once supported California condors, and still provides a high level of remoteness, ridges and cliffs for soaring, and caves for nesting, the probability of a successful reintroduction was deemed very good. In 1995 a release site was chosen near the edge of the Vermillion Cliffs on the southwestern corner of the Paria Plateau in northern Arizona just north of Grand Canyon. To the south and east of the Plateau lies the steep precipice of the Vermilion Cliffs, rising over 1,000 feet from the floor of House Rock Valley. Uplifting and differential erosion has created complex geologic structures and a diverse variety of habitats in a small geographic area. The cliffs are sharply dissected by canyons and arroyos and the lower slopes are littered with enormous boulders.
Numerous springs emerge from the sides of the cliffs.
Whether the California Condor will survive in the wild is currently an open question. Ultimately it may be decided not only by the past land use history of the Colorado Plateau, but also by land-use decisions that we make today. Brodkorb, P. 1964. Catalogue of fossil birds. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum .