A field station in Ventura, California our biologists and natural resource professionals work across the southern and central California coast in Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties; portions of Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo counties; and the northern Channel Islands. The area is home to 97 federally endangered and threatened species.
Before a plant or animal species can receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, it must first be placed on the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Our listing program follows a strict legal process to determine whether to list a species, depending on the degree of threat it faces. An “endangered” species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A “threatened” species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. The Service also maintains a list of plant and animals native to the United States that are candidates or proposed for possible addition to the Federal list. All of the Service’s actions, from proposals to listings to removals (“delisting”), are announced through the Federal Register.