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; ArcataCarlsbadKlamath FallsLodiSan Francisco Bay-DeltaRed BluffRenoSouthern NevadaSacramentoVentura 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

Leadership

Regional Highlights

An illustration of a group of yellow ducklings with fuzzy black crowns group together.
Sacramento, Calif. — A colored pencil painting of Mallard ducklings is California’s entry in the 2024 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program art contest. Olga Sergienko, age 16, of Sacramento, California, won Best of Show with her work titled, "Sunshine Ducklings”. Sergienko’s...
A person stands in front of a lake and holds a large goldfish up to the camera.
Natural springs are breathtakingly beautiful and fragile ecosystems that exist in harmony with their surroundings, and support diverse flora and fauna. However, the introduction of non-native species, such as pet fish, can have grave repercussions on these delicate habitats.
Two men in uniform smiling in an outdoor setting
Cuando Jesús Jiménez llegó por primera vez a los Estados Unidos, nunca hubiera imaginado el efecto que su carrera con el Servicio para Peces y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Servicio)] tomaría sobre su futura familia. Casi 45 años después, tres de sus cuatro...
a landscape of a meadow covered in yellow flowers with hills in the background
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced nearly $64 million in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for ecosystem restoration activities that address high-priority Klamath Basin water-related challenges in southern Oregon and northern...
A woman stands in chest-deep water while holding two large black mussels above the water
Abigail Sanford is a fish and wildlife biologist at the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office. Read on to learn about her journey to the Service, and her advice to prospective biologists and conservationists! She is interviewed by bilingual public affairs specialist, Vanessa Morales.
Yellow and green fish held in hand within a net.
On the screen appears a map of Northern Nevada with a slice of Eastern California. Diamond shaped markers are peppered across the map signifying recovery projects for Lahontan cutthroat trout. Faith Machuca, a Lahontan cutthroat trout recovery ecologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in...
Small, chubby marbled murrelets fly over a coastal landscape consisting of redwoods and ocean coves in this mural painted by Lucas Thornton in Arcata, CA
‘Tis the season for long drives to visit extended family and long-time friends. Inevitably, you’ll have to make a pitstop. You could stop at the roadside gas station or you could stretch your legs while taking in some beautiful artwork. Across California, artists have painted murals featuring...
a group of five people stand around a cooler holding frogs next to a stream. One person is holding a frog that will be released into the creek.
In California, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service often partners with the Forest Service to protect species listed under this act. National forests throughout the state are home to dozens of listed species from frogs and fish, to foxes and fishers. The uninterrupted habitats that extend for...
A bulldozer works to remove part of an earthen levy separating two bodies of water.
On December 13, the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project partners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened a 300-acre former industrial salt pond to the Bay with a celebration marking the 20th anniversary of their joint restoration venture. This major milestone event is part of an ambitious...