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The
Extinction Crisis
One-third of
our nation's plant and animal species are at an increased risk
of extinction. Several factors – including pollution and overharvesting – lead to species extinction, but by far the most
prevalent cause is habitat loss. Many species
have become so imperiled that national forests – and their
large, intact ecosystems – offer the best chance for their
continued survival
and recovery. National forests are home to 3,000
sensitive species across the country, including one-third of all
species listed as "endangered" or "threatened" under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973. Unfortunately, the
agencies that manage our public
lands are failing to uphold their duties to protect and
restore these rare plants and animals. We make sure that
they do.
Endangered Species
on the Los Padres
The Los Padres
is located at the center of one of the world’s top “biodiversity
hotspots.” Unfortunately, it is also home to the largest number
of endangered, threatened, and sensitive species than any other
national forest in California. The forest supports 26 species
listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA, including the
Steelhead, California Condor, Smith’s Blue Butterfly, San
Joaquin Kit Fox, Bald Eagle, California Jewelflower,
Southwestern Arroyo Toad, and Southern Sea Otter. The Los
Padres also supports the habitat of over 300 plant and animal
species that the Forest Service has classified as sensitive,
species of concern, or species at risk. Many of these species
are endemic and found nowhere else on Earth.
Ecosystems in
the Los Padres range from semi-desert in interior areas to
redwood forest on the coast. Over half of the Los Padres is
wilderness or roadless, providing large, continguous habitats in
which species seek refuge from urban development. These
habitats provide crucial linkages to other public lands,
including four wildlife refuges, the Carrizo Plain National
Monument, the Angeles National Forest, the Fort Hunter-Liggett
wildlands, and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Despite this
rich biodiversity, the Forest Service is not upholding its duty
to maintain and recover endangered species on the Los Padres. The agency continues to allow harmful activities in sensitive
habitat, such as oil drilling, grazing, and off-road vehicle
abuse. Worse, the administration is dramatically weakening the
standards and regulations used to protect these species.
THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR
The Los
Padres National Forest is the primary focus of efforts to
reintroduce the California condor, one of the world's most
critically endangered birds. There are currently 56 condors in the
national forest.
 The Los Padres is the only
national forest that provides critical habitat for
the condor. These areas include the Sisquoc and Sespe Condor
Sanctuaries, and two national wildlife refuges - Hopper Mountain
and Bitter Creek - which are adjacent to the forest boundary and
provide critical foraging areas. |
