California Condor Ebon J. Nichollan 28 October 1963 At five o'clock in the evening I returned to the valley floor and drove to Mottler Station on Highway 99 where I should Lebec in the hopes of contacting a Mr. Cory who had pursued cattle on Frazier Mountain during the deer hunting season. But I was unable to contact him. Returning to San Emigdio Ranch, I visited with the Walter Slaton family until nine o'clock p.m. Mr. Slaton is a young fellow who, with his wife and three young children, came to the San Emigdio Ranch in the capacity of foreman in the late spring of 1962. Both he and Mrs. Slaton are interested in the outdoors. Mr. Slaton saw Condor last year but has not seen any in 1963. Mrs. Slaton has never seen a Condor. Walter Slaton told me of seeing about five hundred white pelicans pass over Salt Creek where he was working, about ten days ago, heading towards the Mount Pinus Complex, but they soon returned, circling, and drifted out towards the Tojon Ranch area. This was in the evening. Mrs. Slaton also told me about a squirrel poisoning campaign that is now going on at San Emigdio Ranch, under the direction of the Kern County Agricultural Commissioner's Office, which is closely allied with the California State Department of Agriculture. Mrs. Slaton was quite disturbed with this project as her children's pet dog had died, from what she felt, was surely the effects of this 1080 poison, last week, and their pet cat had died, from the same causes. She thought, today, she said that twenty seven blackbirds and starling had fallen dead from the Eucalyptus trees that line the road leading into San Emigdio Ranch Headquarters, during the last few days, and that seven or eight of them had been opened for examination by personnel of the Agricultural Commissioner's Office. But she had not heard of their findings. Mrs. Slaton was concerned over the possibility of her children picking some of this poison up and getting it into their systems.