Pacific Southwest

Pacific Southwest
About Us

Overview of the Region

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 is headquartered in Sacramento, California, and has federal fish and wildlife management responsibilities in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon. The Region includes one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the United States, ranging from the arid sand dunes in the Mojave Desert to the snow-capped crags in the high Sierras; from rich farmland in the Central Valley to rain-soaked redwood forests along the Pacific coast. This highly diverse geography provides habitats for a vast array of wildlife. More than 42 million people live within the Region, and expanding population centers such as San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Reno, San Diego, and Las Vegas are increasing demands on natural resources, presenting unique challenges to the Region’s conservation mission.

The Service is responsible for managing the National Wildlife Refuge System, operating fish hatcheries and fishery resource offices, enforcing federal wildlife laws, managing migratory bird populations, conserving and restoring habitats, and overseeing a federal aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars to state, fish and wildlife agencies.

Regional and Field Offices

Our Pacific Southwest Regional Office is in Sacramento, California. Our region consists of 11 fish and wildlife offices; Arcata, Carlsbad, Klamath Falls, Lodi, San Francisco Bay-Delta, Red Bluff, Reno, Southern Nevada, Sacramento, Ventura and Yreka, 130 Federally-recognized Native American Tribes, 45 national wildlife refuges, 5 wildlife management areas, four national fish hatcheries; Coleman, Klamath Falls, Lahontan and Livingston Stone, and the California-Nevada Fish Health Center.

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In This Region
California
Nevada
Oregon
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Leadership

Regional Highlights

Four small owls sit among shrubs on the ground and look at the camera
Three California species supported by Tribal Wildlife Grants
People have lived in California for thousands of years, inhabiting the vast terrain from coastal wetlands to old growth forests and arid deserts. Before the land was dotted with buildings and etched with freeways, Indigenous people developed deep cultural connections with native wildlife.
Story
Our Partners
A man wearing a long sleeved polo stands in front of a field with golden flowers
Finding his calling: Nick Stanley’s journey to leadership
During his childhood summers in Fort Worth, Texas, Nicholas Stanley would regularly get woken up by his grandmother for full days of fishing. She would strap down five long cane poles on top of her minivan and drive them to wherever the fish were biting, and she and Nick would sit along the...
Story
Our People
a fish in water by a log
People of the Salmon
Since time immemorial, salmon were the common thread uniting Tribal communities throughout the Klamath River Basin. But a changing climate is impacting their natural world, especially the once abundant salmon runs. Read how the Yurok, Resighini Rancheria and Karuk nations struggle to maintain...
Story
Climate Change
High tide on the marsh.
Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II Phase I
Record of Decision: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announces that the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II Phase I (TETRP II Phase I) Final Environmental Impact Statement has been issued. To review the ROD, go to: https://trnerr.org/about/public...
Story
Land Management
A condor with black feathers and a red head looks at the camera
Condor 550 Ready for the Spotlight
Hiking through Pinnacles National Park in central California, you may be lucky enough to see the shadow of a massive wingspan or even catch a glimpse of a California condor soaring through the skies. The park is home to several endangered California condors, including condor 550, the condor...
Story
Endangered Species Act
An image of a brown bird with a white chest and neck standing in low grassland and sage habitat.
Service seeks public comment on 2013 bi-state sage-grouse proposed listing rule
RENO, Nevada – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it is reopening a 60-day public comment period and seeks new and updated information on the bi-state distinct population segment of greater sage-grouse. The Service is reopening a 60-day public comment period on the 2013...
Press Release
Drawing of a brown duck with a green patch above its eye sitting in greenish water.
Fremont student wins California’s Digital Junior Duck Stamp Contest
Sacramento, California — An acrylic painting of an American Wigeon is California’s entry in the 2023 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program art contest. Michelle Lin, age 16, of Fremont, California, won Best of Show with her work titled, "Glimpse of Temperance”. Kwon’s sponsor is...
Press Release
A large black bird with a pink and orange face sits on brown and red rock.
Southwest California Condor Flock HPAI Updates 2023
Free-flying California condors in Arizona continue to be confirmed with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our condor recovery partners will be providing updates on our California Condor Recovery Program HPAI Information webpage.
Story
Endangered Species Act
Two men in Service uniforms smiling in an outdoor setting
A family legacy of conservation
When Jesus Jimenez first immigrated to the United States from Mexico at 17-years-old, he could have never anticipated the ripple effects his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have on his future family. Nearly 45 years later, three of his four children now work as federal...
Story
Our People