Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office
A Unit of the
Pacific Southwest Region
Ecological Services | California
Help Wanted: Saving California’s only freshwater turtle
Food, water and shelter for California’s only freshwater turtle are all becoming scarcer across the Western U.S. Wildlife experts say that worsening drought conditions, habitat loss and fragmentation, and invasive species could threaten the long-term survival of western pond turtles in the wild. That’s why federal, state and private partners across four western U.S. states and Mexico have developed a range-wide management strategy to help guide efforts to enhance, protect and restore habitat that is vital for western pond turtles in the future.
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Improving overwintering habitat for western monarch butterflies in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
Mary Teague, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began working with the Ventura County Resource Conservation District and private landowners in 2020 to restore and enhance three monarch butterfly overwintering groves in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
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A blueprint for recovery of endangered wetland plant on California’s Central Coast
La Graciosa thistle (Cirsium scariosum var. loncholepis), a spiny wetland plant with white flowers tinged with a lavender hue, now has a blueprint for recovery, thanks to a draft plan prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners.
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What to do if the California condor visits your home
For those who live in ‘Condor Country,’ this one’s for you! You may have recently seen images on Twitter of about 20 endangered California condors “having a party” at a residential home near Tehachapi in Southern California. While this is a remarkable sighting, this behavior can be problematic if not quickly discouraged. Check out this article to learn more about what to do if the California condor visits your home.
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Our 2020 Year in Review
As you turn the pages of our 2020 Year in Review, you will see inspirational conservation successes from the people of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners who work to protect fish, wildlife, plants, and natural habitats of the central and Southern California coast. This year, we have many successes to celebrate.
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What's Your Passion?
Now more than ever, it is important that we take time to focus on the things that bring us joy, whether that’s cooking our favorite dish, spending time outdoors, or channeling our inner-artist! Join us as staff from the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office share their passions in a new video series called “What’s Your Passion?” We hope that these videos will inspire you to explore your own passions and share them with us!
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How California Condors and other rare wildlife weather wildland fires
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with land managers and fire response agencies across California to monitor potential impacts of wildland fires on rare wildlife and plants.
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Celebrating Women in Science
Every year, we honor the instrumental contributions of remarkable women to our ultimate mission: the conservation and protection of rare fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. In this video series, you’ll hear what inspired these women to pursue careers in conservation, and what advice they have for young women today.
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Surf’s up! Celebrating public recreation and shorebird conservation at Surf Beach in Santa Barbara County
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California Coastal Commission and the community of Lompoc came together this year to amend a closure policy to provide increased beach access to their closest beach, Surf Beach in Santa Barbara County.
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Op-ed: Preserving a conservation legacy for future generations in Santa Barbara County
The rolling hills of the Santa Barbara backcountry offer a pristine backdrop of undeveloped, contiguous lands that provide safe haven for wildlife and a way of life for generations of Californians. From orchards and vineyards to cattle ranches and preserved open spaces, these lands make Santa Barbara County one of the most picturesque and serene places on Earth.
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Emerald predators: Ohlone tiger beetles find their way home with the help of local scientists
The Ohlone tiger beetle, while small in size, is a ferocious predator “with jaws like the fangs of a saber tooth tiger” that is fighting to survive in the last remaining grassland habitats of Santa Cruz County.
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A magical place: Women in Wildlife scientists partner to save critically endangered Nipomo Mesa lupine and last of California’s dunes
The Ohlone tiger beetle, while small in size, is a ferocious predator “with jaws like the fangs of a saber tooth tiger” that is fighting to survive in the last remaining grassland habitats of Santa Cruz County.
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2019 Year in Review
Conservation success stories from the people of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who work to protect fish, wildlife, plants, and natural habitats of the central and Southern California coast.
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Marsh of dreams
“It’s a very secretive salt marsh bird. You could be 20 feet away from them, but you'll never see them.” The light-footed Ridgway’s rail once inhabited the wetlands that occupied California’s coast. The last sighting of the rail in Santa Barbara County’s Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve was in 2004.
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From Devastation to Collaboration
In December 2017, the largest wildfire in modern California history threatened the city of Ojai. Miraculously, Ojai remained mostly unscathed, thanks to firefighters from across the West. Just outside of town though, 1,500 out of 2,300 acres of Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s open space was burned by the fire.
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One river remains
Despite channelized or leveed waterways that resemble concrete canals more than Instagram-worthy landscapes, only the Santa Clara River remains untouched by development in Southern California
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Hanging by a thread
California’s ‘liveforevers’ face new threat: poachers engaged in lucrative, illegal succulent trade
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Flourishing return: Once presumed extinct, plant returns following successful first year planting
The San Fernando Valley spineflower, once believed extinct, is now flourishing in the hills above the Santa Clarita Valley in Los Angeles County.
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Celebrating Women in Science
Meet the women of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura, California.
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'All is not lost.' Rare California red-legged frogs fight for survival following SoCal wildfire
Amid an ashy creek bed in the Simi Hills, rare frogs are fighting for survival following the Woolsey Fire, which swept across Ventura and Los Angeles Counties this November, prompting mass evacuations.
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Hawkeyes, tritons and rails? Unique partnership helps rare birds share land and sky with military aircraft
Sixty-five miles northwest of Los Angeles, Naval Base Ventura County houses a diverse array of tactical aircraft from E-2 Hawkeyes to MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft Systems. But did you know that this Naval Base is also home to other rare aerial wonders from the secretive light-footed clapper rail to the California least tern?
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Artichokes and amphibians: Watsonville Slough Farm brings land conservation and farming together
Less than a minute’s drive from the outskirts of Watsonville, California, is a hidden gem: a small coastal farming community alive with flora and fauna known as Watsonville Slough Farm. It's 500-acres lies in the heart of one of California’s largest coastal wetlands.
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Serenity in the slough: Sea otters lure the world to tiny coastal town
It’s a serene morning at Elkhorn Slough, one of the largest wetlands in the state of California. It’s 20 miles north of Monterey in the town of Moss Landing, population 204. Gena Bentall raises her binoculars to get a closer look at kayakers near a group of sea otters resting in the water. She likes what she sees.
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A marriage of opposites? Condor conservation, oil research link couple
Can a committed conservationist find happiness with a guy whose living focuses on the search for oil? Absolutely, provided the two share a core belief: that conservation and industry can go hand-in-hand — yes, just as they do. The Faiths — Nadya and Luke — can show you how it’s done.
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The lion in the tree: A botanist's mission to save our natural landscapes
Santa Cruz cypress, Lane Mountain milk-vetch, and Island bedstraw. Few people know them by name, but we can attribute their continued existence on Earth, in part, to one woman’s passion and commitment to their recovery. We delve into the life and career of Service botanist Connie Rutherford, and the plants she helped save from near extinction.
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A promising future for a California plant once believed extinct
The San Fernando Valley spineflower, a tiny plant once believed extinct, has a promising future thanks to support from a Southern California developer.
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California Condor Recovery Program
A multi-entity effort to recover the endangered California condor.
Southern Sea Otter
Read more about our efforts to recover this threatened species.
Latest News & Events
September 22, 2021
Sea Otter Awareness Week
September 8, 2021
A legacy lives on through the Kendra Chan Conservation Fellowship
August 26, 2021
Seeds for Success: Drill seeding project creates pollinator habitat
August 20, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for the Encore Development Project, Santa Cruz County, California
August 19, 2021
Help Wanted: Saving California’s only freshwater turtle
August 18, 2021
Improving overwintering habitat for western monarch butterflies in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
July 30, 2021
Amy Hughes: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
July 1, 2021
A blueprint for recovery of endangered wetland plant on California’s Central Coast
July 1, 2021
Erin Arnold: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
July 1, 2021
Daniel Cisneros: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
June 25, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability of the final revised SAR for the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) stock in the State of California.
June 25, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for Vintage Ranch Project, Santa Barbara County, California
June 22, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on draft recovery plan for Nipomo Mesa Lupine
June 11, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Public Comment on Draft Recovery Plan for La Graciosa Thistle
May 27, 2021
Anna Lad: Faces of the Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
May 27, 2021
What to do if the California condor visits your home
May 11, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for Orcutt Hill Resource and Solar Project, Santa Barbara County, California
April 27, 2021
NOW LIVE: Watch wild endangered California condor chick live on 'Condor Cam'
April 20, 2021
Critical Habitat Designated for Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
April 12, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Reopens Public Comment on Beach Layia Proposed Rule
March 26, 2021
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on draft HCP and draft CatEx for Santa Maria Airport Commercial Center Project
March 24, 2021
For the First Time in a Century, California Condors Will Take Flight in the Pacific Northwest
January 13, 2021
Our 2020 Year in Review
December 15, 2020
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Finds Endangered Species Act Listing for Monarch Butterfly Warranted but Precluded
December 14, 2020
Apply for the 2021 Kendra Chan Conservation Fellowship
November 4, 2020
Service seeks public comment on habitat conservation plan for state park units in San Luis Obispo County
October 29, 2020
Kirby Bartlett: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
September 30, 2020
Sarah Termondt: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
September 30, 2020
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Proposes Downlisting Beach Plant Thanks to Conservation Efforts in California
September 23, 2020
Three endangered California condor chicks survive Dolan Fire in Big Sur
September 21, 2020
What's Your Passion: The Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office team shares their passions
September 15, 2020
Service Completes Finding on Petition to Delist Western Distinct Population of the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
September 15, 2020
Dan Hurth: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
September 9, 2020
The Service seeks public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for the City of Santa Cruz Operation and Maintenance project in Santa Cruz, California
August 28, 2020
How California Condors and other rare wildlife weather wildland fires
July 31, 2020
Surf's up! Celebrating public recreation and shorebird conservation at Surf Beach in Santa Barbara County
July 29, 2020
Olivia Beitelspacher: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Q&A
July 23, 2020
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to reclassify Morro shoulderband snail as threatened species
July 14, 2020
Celebrating Women in Science: Meet the Women of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura, California
June 29, 2020
Op-ed: Preserving a conservation legacy for future generations in Santa Barbara County
June 22, 2020
David Sherer: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
June 19, 2020
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks public comment on draft habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for 12 Rancho San Carlos (Ocho West) Project, Monterey County, California
June 18, 2020
Service seeks public comment on multi-species habitat conservation plan for SoCalGas operation and maintenance activities in southern and central California
June 16, 2020
Service seeks public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for the Garrapata Tanks Slope Repair Project in Monterey County, CA
June 16, 2020
Service seeks public comment on a draft low-effect habitat conservation plan and categorical exclusion for the Singh Parcel Project in San Luis Obispo County, California
June 15, 2020
Maria Carrillo: Faces of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
May 29, 2020
Service proposes removing San Benito evening primrose from endangered species list
May 26, 2020
Emerald predators: Ohlone tiger beetles find their way home with the help of local scientists
May 22, 2020
A magical place: Women scientists partner to save critically endangered Nipomo Mesa lupine and last of California’s dunes
April 22, 2020
Draft Restoration Plan to Support Recovery of Natural Resources Following Refugio Beach Oil Spill
April 8, 2020
Historic Agreement Will Conserve Millions of Acres for Monarch Butterflies and Other Pollinators Across the United States

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Last updated: September 22, 2021