Press Releases
03/11/2020
Avangrid Foundation Awards Grant to Oregon Zoo to Support California Condor Recovery
Avangrid Foundation Awards Grant to Oregon Zoo to Support California Condor Recovery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Avangrid Foundation Awards Grant to Oregon Zoo to Support California Condor Recovery
New equipment will enhance the Oregon Zoo’s ability to rear endangered condors
PORTLAND, Ore. — March 11, 2020 — The Avangrid Foundation today announced a $50,000 grant to the Oregon Zoo Foundation to support California condor recovery efforts. In rural Clackamas County, the Oregon Zoo operates the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, where efforts are underway to restore this critically endangered species to its historic range — from the Baja Peninsula into British Columbia.
This grant award will fund the purchase of a new, larger commercial freezer to store and handle food for condors at the Jonsson Center, expanding the zoo’s ability to raise condors for reintroduction into the wild.
The California condor was one of the original animals included in the Endangered Species Act and has been listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1967. In 1982, only 22 of these birds remained in the wild and by 1987, the last wild condors were brought into human care in an attempt to save the species from extinction. Thanks to recovery programs like the Oregon Zoo’s, condor numbers now total around 500, with most of those flying free.
“The new equipment funded by the Avangrid Foundation will enhance our ability to rear and care for juvenile condors,” said Julie Fitzgerald, executive director of the Oregon Zoo Foundation. “This supports our goal of restoring California condors to their historical range across the western United States.”
The grant is aligned with the Avangrid Foundation’s programmatic focus on the protection of avifauna and supports the Avangrid Foundation’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The Avangrid Foundation seeks to fund organizations and projects whose work contributes to the improvement of biodiversity and prevention of species extinction.
“The Oregon Zoo is a natural partner for the Avangrid Foundation,” said Nicole Licata Grant, Foundation Director. “We are proud to support their efforts to restore this iconic species to the skies above the American West.”
The Foundation provided the support as part of ongoing partnerships with more than 300 partners in over 30 states. During 2019, it invested over $3 million in grants, scholarships, and matching gift programs across the United States.
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About Avangrid Foundation: The Avangrid Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that funds philanthropic investments that primarily impact communities where AVANGRID, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate. Since 2002, the Avangrid Foundation and its predecessors have invested more than $21 million in partnerships that focus on building sustainable, vital and healthy communities; preserving cultural and artistic heritage; advancing education; and improving people’s lives. The Avangrid Foundation is committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the United States. For more information, please visit www.avangridfoundation.org.
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $34 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
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About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
