Live Oak Students Donate to Condor Conservation After Fundraiser ● UPDATING

A group of third-grade students from Del Mar Elementary School in Live Oak has made a significant impact on wildlife conservation. Leah, Itzel, Lorelai, and Scarlett, who are passionate about animals, formed the Del Mar Wildlife Association to help threatened and endangered species.

The students sold handmade crafts and baked goods at the Earth Day event held at the Live Oak School District Farm, raising over $200 in donations.

The girls decided to donate the money to the Ventana Wildlife Society, an organization founded in 1977 in Big Sur that has been instrumental in the reintroduction of bald eagles and California condors to the Central Coast. A visit to the Ventana Wildlife Society office in Monterey allowed the students to hand-deliver their donation and learn about condor conservation.

They discovered how condors are tagged and tracked, that the leading cause of death for condors is lead poisoning from bullet fragments in rodents, and how the society works with local farmers to promote sustainable practices, such as offering free copper bullets to replace lead.

Biologists monitor the free-flying condors using visual observation, radio telemetry, and satellite GPS tracking. The Ventana Wildlife Society currently manages a flock of more than 100 condors in Central California.

Each student received an adoption certificate for a condor they symbolically adopted, making the experience both educational and memorable.

In other local news, Bay Federal Credit Union announced its Education Scholarship recipients: Anahi Cortez Jacobo, Angela Cuevas, Lillian McGee, and Sarah Cobos, each receiving a $2,000 scholarship. Employees Jocy Corona, Alex Valdez, and Aaliyah Villafuerte were awarded the Mac McCormac Employee Scholarship.

Additionally, several students from the region were named to Dean's and President's Lists at universities across the country, including Brynna Ruf of Santa Cruz, Jamie Lafollette of Soquel, Mackenzie Tellez of Watsonville, Kiersten McGuckin of Aptos, and others.