Look at all you’ve done for local wildlife and public lands!
RALLIED COMMUNITY TO PROTECT PINE MOUNTAIN We spearheaded a campaign in partnership with Indigenous allies to protect Pine Mountain from a destructive logging and chaparral clearing project. With almost 16,000 comments in opposition generated by ForestWatch advocates in three months, it has been our region’s largest land conservation campaign in history. Read more here.
FORCED THE OIL INDUSTRY TO PLAY BY THE RULES Capping a six-year campaign, we ensured that new oil development in Ventura County—including wells in the Sespe Oil Field adjacent to the forest—will be subject to stronger protections and better transparency. And for the seventh year in a row, we ensured that no fracking was approved in the forest.
SAFEGUARDED OUR REGION’S ICONIC WILDLIFE We defended a first-of-its-kind wildlife corridor ordinance from a developer and industry-funded legal attack. The new guidelines will protect pathways that allow animals to safely navigate between prime habitat areas to access water, food, shelter and find mates.
ADVANCED WILDERNESS IN CONGRESS We worked with allies in the halls of Congress to ensure passage of legislation to permanently protect more than 200,000 acres of public lands in California’s central coast region under the Wilderness Act. The bill passed the House for the first time in its nine-year history, moving us one step closer to becoming law. Read more here.
FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY & INCLUSION Heeding country-wide calls for racial justice, we accelerated efforts toward diversity and inclusion at ForestWatch and outdoors. We completed trainings and crafted an action plan to put practices into place. We collaborated with social justice organizations, participated in Latino Conservation Week events, hosted hikes, and improved access through Spanish translation. Read more here.
DEMANDED TRANSPARENCY & FOUGHT SECRECY We filed suit to compel the Forest Service to hand over documents regarding oversight of private concessionaires throughout the Los Padres National Forest. We also filed dozens of formal requests under the Freedom of Information Act and the Public Records Act to fulfill our watchdog mission, and challenged attempts by forest officials to keep Pine Mountain data secret.
CONTINUED TO GROW AMIDST CHALLENGING TIMES ForestWatch grew our membership base to 1,000 for the first time ever, and doubled our online network by adding 15,000 new advocates to our network. More than 25,000 emails were sent to decision-makers through our online platform this year. Visit the ForestWatch Action Center.
ELEVATED 2 CASES TO THE 9TH CIRCUIT TO STOP LOGGING WITH LOOPHOLES Our legal team took our case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the Forest Service’s illegal use of loopholes to approve two logging projects in the Mt. Pinos region. The cases could have widespread impact across the West when a decision is issued next year. Read more here.
PROTECTED CARRIZO PLAIN FROM OIL DEVELOPMENT We filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration’s construction of a new oil well and pipeline in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, and to demand that the oil industry remove its long-dormant polluting equipment from this unique landscape at the base of the Caliente Mountains. Read more here.
SECURED PROTECTIONS FOR VULNERABLE WILDLIFE We worked with our partners to secure temporary protections for mountain lions and to ban rodenticides that travel up the food chain. We also gained formal protections for the San Emigdio blue butterfly and requested stronger safeguards for the Cuesta Ridge thistle, a rare plant found nowhere else in the world.
PREVENTED PROLIFERATION OF TARGET SHOOTING TRASH IN THE FOREST For the second year in a row, we secured a full ban on unmanaged target shooting in the Los Padres National Forest, giving our volunteers a chance to continue cleaning up the mess left behind from decades of contamination and neglect. Read more here.
OPPOSED TRUMP ADMIN’S DRILLING PLANS ACROSS 1 MILLION ACRES We joined a lawsuit with partner organizations around the country to challenge a plan to open 1 million acres of public lands in central California to oil drilling and fracking. The lawsuit seeks to protect critical lands on the chopping block near schools, parks and beaches, open spaces, and neighborhoods. Read more here.
CONNECTED VIRTUALLY WITH THE COMMUNITY We successfully transitioned our two annual WILD! benefits to an online format to celebrate our accomplishments together, while apart. Watch it here. We took our educational programing online with multiple online presentations and collaborations on wildfire, oil development, advocacy, and more.
Comments are closed.