After a 14-year journey, the Yurok Tribe — in partnership with Redwood National and State Parks, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and many others — has successfully brought Prey-go-neesh (California Condor) home to the Pacific Northwest. This restores a critical member of our ecological community, promotes reconnection to this amazing species, and cultural revitalization for the tribal people who have long lived in relationship with him. Tiana Williams- Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, and Chris West, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program Manager, will provide a brief
introduction to the incredible Prey-go-neesh and discuss the traditional paradigm guiding the Yurok Tribe’s efforts to bring the birds home to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. They will discuss the management approach the Tribe is taking for reintegrating condor into the region, and provide an update on how the newly released population is doing, flying free in Northern California once again.

Tiana Williams-Claussen, Director

Tiana is a member of the Yurok Nation, from the village of Wehl-kwew’, and Director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University and was instrumental in the creation of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Program and the development of many of its conservation initiatives, including the effort to reintroduce California Condors to Yurok Ancestral Territory. Tiana relies on her native upbringing and formal education to bridge the beliefs, knowledge, and practices of the Yurok with those rooted in Western science, and to work toward a cohesive, well-informed perspective on holistic ecosystem management.

Chris West, Senior Wildlife Biologist

Chris has been involved in California Condor conservation since 1999. He began working for the Yurok Tribe and toward condor reintroduction to the Pacific Northwest in 2008, and was integral in the creation of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Program. As Manager of the Yurok Condor Restoration Program, Chris oversees the Yurok Tribe’s efforts to recover the condor in northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Chris earned his B.A. degree in Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and completed his M.S. degree at Humboldt State University in Wildlife Management, where he researched reintroduced California Condor behavior. Chris’ passion for wildlife and wild places led him to become a certified California Hunter Education Instructor and also drives his hobbies, which include hiking, birding, bee keeping, and all types of wild foraging, including hunting and fishing.