Stories from - CALIFORNIA
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Hoopa Valley Tribe Leads Fisher Conservation Effort
The Hoopa Valley Tribe and the fisher (Martes pennant) have coexisted on Hoopa ancestral land for thousands of years...Read More
Stories from - CALIFORNIA
View All StoriesPartnership Helps a Small Lizard Stage a Big Comeback
The island night lizard, found only on the Channel Islands off the coast of California, has reached a historic milestone. After 36 years of protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the species has successfully recovered and will be removed from federal protection.Read More
Stories from - CALIFORNIA
View All StoriesCalifornia: A hot spot for Rare Species
With more than 300 threatened and endangered species, California has more federally protected animals than any other state, and ranks second to Hawaii in the number of protected plants. A large number of these species are located along densely populated coastal areas, where they are threatened with habitat loss from urbanization. ... Read More
Stories from - CALIFORNIA
View All StoriesCalifornia Condors: A Recovery Success Story Faces New Challenges
It's not quite noon and it is already a scorcher of a day in southern California. On a remote sandstone cliff near Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, Joseph Brandt, a biologist with the U.S. Fish ... Read More
Featured Species in California
Casey's June beetle
The only known population of Casey's June beetle occurs within the Palm Canyon Wash area in the southern part of the City of Palm Springs, California. The species is believed to occupy less than 800 acres of land.
Casey's June beetle
Photo credit: Jon Avery, USFWS
Southwestern willow flycatcher
Because of river flow reductions and habitat alteration and loss, the southwestern willow flycatcher teeters on the brink of extinction.
Southwestern willow flycatcher
Photo credit: Jim Rorabaugh, USFWS
Desert tortoise
The desert tortoise is found throughout the Mojave Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, and Utah. Tortoises have survived in the desert for millions of years, however today they face many hurdles.
Desert tortoise
Photo credit: Beth Jackson, USFWS
Vandenberg monkey flower
The Vandenberg monkey flower is found only in Western Santa Barbara county in California, and its current distribution is a fairly small areaonly about 7 miles long and about 2 miles wide.
Vandenberg monkey flower
Photo credit: Mary Meyer
Southern sea otter
As a consequence of their threatened status,southern sea otters are also recognized as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Reduced range and population size, vulnerability to oil spills, and oil spill risk from coastal tanker traffic were the primary reasons for listing.
Southern sea otter
Photo credit: USFWS
Partnership Stories in California
Leveraging Resources to Recover Tidewater Goby
Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ventura and Arcata field offices are partnering with the University of California at Santa Barbara and California State Parks to restore important habitat along the southern and central California coast to benefit the endangered tidewater goby and other species... More »
Unique to California
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Yreka phlox (Phlox hirsuta) is a small flowering plant that grows in the serpentine soils of Siskiyou County in California and nowhere else in the world. It is the official city flower of Yreka, California, after which it is named. The plant is endangered by the increased urbanization of the Yreka area, off-road vehicle use, and the encroachment of non-native species.
Photo credit: Nadine Kanim, USFWS -
California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) are large, stocky salamanders that spend most of their lives underground in burrows made by squirrels and other animals. These nocturnal amphibians occur in the San Joanquin-Sacromento river valleys, bordering foothills and coastal valleys of central California. The species' limited distribution makes it vulnerable to human land use activities, such as housing development and road construction, as well as catastrophic natural events, such as disease or fire.
Photo credit: John Cleckler, USFWS
Additional Resources
- Yreka Field office
- Arcata Field office
- Red Bluff Field office
- Stockton Field office
- Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office
- Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
- San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish and Wildlife Office
- Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office
- USFWS Pacific Southwest Region
- USFWS Grants
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife