A once-endangered bird has doubled its numbers in Yosemite National Park thanks in part to the most unlikely of saviors: rock climbers.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the 15-year conservation turnaround of the peregrine falcon, which nests in cliff sites within the park that are also part of popular rock climbing routes. Climbers have been cooperative in a program that closes these climbing routes during the peregrine breeding season from March to July.
This effort, along with other conservation measures, has helped boost peregrine falcon numbers from eight breeding pairs in 2009 to 17 today. In all, naturalists have observed 51 cumulative nests year to year since 2009, and 383 chicks have hatched since then, according to the publication.
Per the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology, peregrine falcons and other predatory birds are helpful to farmers as they prey on crop-destroying animals and insects. Plus, they have served as important symbols across many cultures, including Native Americans and Ancient Egyptians.
The San Francisco Chronicle explained that the species' numbers plummeted after World War II because of the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. It was designated as a federal endangered species in 1970 and a California endangered species in 1971. These birds weren't seen in Yosemite for 36 years until rock climbers discovered a pair in 1978.
Yosemite's peregrine falcons aren't the only birds that have benefitted from concerted conservation efforts in recent years. For instance, scientists are rejoicing in the comeback of the tricolored blackbird in California. The conservation success followed years of collaboration with farmers, who postponed their grain harvests to avoid accidentally killing newborn chicks, which were being struck by combines.
Meanwhile, two rare bird species in Wales that had once been driven to the point of near extinction have returned to their native marshlands thanks to a successful restoration of these habitats.
As for Yosemite's peregrine falcon rebound, it's a sign of even bigger things for that landscape.
"Peregrines are at the top of the food chain and the most susceptible to contamination," said Frank Dean, president of the Yosemite Conservancy, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "So to have them bounce back to this degree is a sign of the health of the entire Yosemite ecosystem."
Ken Yager of the Yosemite Climbing Association added, "I didn't think this program would work, but it did. It's a joy to be climbing up there and to hear the peregrines screech and to see them fly. They are the fastest animals in the world and a very regal bird. It is just beautiful to see them in the wild and to share that rock with them."
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