Federally Endangered Plants & Wildlife
The federal Endangered Species Act protects more than 1,200 different plant and animal species that are on the brink of extinction. The Los Padres National Forest provides habitat for at least 27 of these protected species, more than any other national forest in California. The nearby Carrizo Plain National Monument is also home to 13 federally endangered species.
Species classified as endangered (E) are in danger of extinction, and species classified as threatened (T) is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. Candidate (C) species have declined to such a level that they qualify for endangered or threatened status, but the federal agency in charge of officially adding them to the list has not yet done so. Petitioned species are those for which an official detailed request has been made to an agency to list the species as sensitive, threatened, or endangered.
Sensitive Species
In addition to the federally-protected plants and animals listed above, the Los Padres National Forest is also home to an 118 “sensitive” species. The population viability of these species is a concern due to current or predicted downward trends in population numbers or habitat capability. Whenever the Forest Service undertakes or approves an activity on public lands, officials are required by law to avoid or minimize impacts to these sensitive species.
BIRDSBald eagle MAMMALSFringed myotis |
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSCalifornia legless lizard FISHArroyo chub INVERTEBRATES |
PLANTS
| Abrams’ oxytheca Adobe sanicle Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita Baja pincushionplant Bishop manzanita Blakley’s spineflower Bush mallow Butterworth’s buckwheat California satintail California saw-grass Caperfruit tropidocarpum Carmel Valley malacothrix Chickweed starry puncturebract Club-haired mariposa lily Cone Peak bedstraw Cook’s triteleia Cuesta Pass checkerbloom Dudley’s lousewort Dwarf goldenstar Dwarf soaproot Dwarf western rosinweed Flax-like monardella Fort Tejon woolly sunflower Fragrant fritillary Goosefoot yellow violet Hardham’s bedstraw Hardham’s evening-primrose Hickman’s checkerbloom Hickman’s onion Hooked popcornflower Hoover’s bentgrass Hoover’s manzanita Jolon clarkia Jones’s layia Kellman’s bristle moss Kellogg’s horkelia Late-flowered mariposa lily Lemmon’s wild cabbage Little Sur manzanita Meager pygmydaisy Mesa horkelia Mojave Indian paintbrush Monterey larkspur Most beautiful jewelflower Mt. Pinos larkspur Mt. Pinos onion |
Muir’s tarplant Nuttall’s scrub oak Ojai fritillary Ojai navarettia Pale-yellow layia Palmer’s mariposa lily Palmer’s monardella Parish’s checkerbloom Peninsular beargrass Prickly spineflower Pumice alpinegold Refugio manzanita Rock Creek broomrape Ross’ pitcher sage San Benito fritillary San Bernardino aster San Fernando Valley spineflower San Gabriel alumroot San Luis mariposa lily San Luis Obispo lupine San Luis Obispo mariposa lily San Luis Obispo sedge San Luis Obispo spineflower Santa Barbara jewelflower Santa Barbara honeysuckle Santa Lucia bedstraw Santa Lucia dwarf rush Santa Lucia fir Santa Lucia horkelia Santa Lucia manzanita Santa Margarita manzanita Santa Ynez false lupine Shevock’s copper moss Slender mariposa lily Small-flowered calycadenia Smooth baccharis Sonoran maiden fern Southern alpine buckwheat Southern jewelflower Talus fritillary Tear drop moss Umbrella larkspur Urn-flowered alumroot Yellow woollystar |
Management Indicator Species
The U.S. Forest Service monitors twelve Management Indicator Species (“MIS”) found in the Los Padres National Forest. These plants and animals indicate the effects of land use activities on the national forest. When monitoring indicates that their populations are declining, the Forest Service knows to make adjustments to how it manages the area.
Arroyo toad
Bigcone Douglas-fir
Blue oak
California black oak
California spotted owl
California white fir
Coulter pine
Mountain lion
Mule deer
Song sparrow
Valley oak
California Protected Species
The State of California has classified certain wildlife species as “Fully Protected,” which means that they may not be killed or “taken” at any time. The classification of Fully Protected (FP) was the State’s initial effort in the 1960s to identify and provide additional protection to those animals that were rare or faced possible extinction. In addition, several plants and animals are classified as “endangered” (SE), “threatened” (ST), or “rare” (SR) under California’s state-level version of the Endangered Species Act. Other species are candidates for listing (“State Candidate”) and receive full protections until the listing determination is finalized. Finally, state biologists have identified several Species of Special Concern (SSC). SSC do not receive any formal protection under state law, but are experiencing serious population declines, range retractions, or naturally small populations with high risk factors that could qualify it for threatened or endangered status. The California Department of Fish & Wildlife manages these protected species.
American peregrine falcon (FP, SE)
Bald eagle (FP, SE)
Bighorn sheep (FP)
Blunt-nosed leopard lizard (FP, SE)
California brown pelican (FP, SE)
California condor (FP, SE)
California jewelflower (SE)
California least tern (FP, SE)
Camatta Canyon amole (SR)
Chorro creek fountain thistle (SE)
Crotch’s bumble bee (State Candidate)
Cuesta Pass checkerbloom (SR)
Foothill yellow-legged frog (SE)
Giant kangaroo rat (SE)
Golden eagle (FP)
Gray wolf (SE)
Greater sandhill crane (FP, ST)
Least bell’s vireo (SE)
Marbled murrelet (SE)
Mountain lion (State Candidate)
Northern elephant seal (FP)
Parish’s checkerbloom (SR)
Ring-tailed cat (FP)
Santa Ynez false lupine (SR)
Southern California steelhead (State Candidate)
Southern rubber boa (ST)
Southern sea otter (FP)
Southwestern willow flycatcher (SE)
Swainson’s hawk (ST)
Tehachapi slender salamander (ST)
Unarmored threespine stickleback (FP, E)
Western burrowing owl (State Candidate)
White-tailed kite (FP)
Willow flycatcher (SE)
Yellow-billed cuckoo (SE)
Other Species of Interest
The Los Padres National Forest and other public lands in the Central Coast region are home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. Many of these species are important to ecosystem health though not listed as sensitive, threatened, or endangered. From the black bears that roam the Topatopa mountains to the world’s southernmost stand of coast redwoods found in the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest, these species are of special interest to the region.
American badger
Banana slug
Bats of the Central Coast
Black-tailed jackrabbit
Bobcat
California black bear
California dogface butterfly
California glossy snake (CA Species of Special Concern)
California grizzly (extinct)
California newt (CA Species of Special Concern)
California quail
Ceanothus
Chamise
Chaparral clematis
Coast (Blainville’s) horned lizard (CA Species of Special Concern)
Coast patch-nosed snake (CA Species of Special Concern)
Coast redwood
Coastal whiptail (CA Species of Special Concern)
Conifers of the Los Padres
Cottonwoods
Coyotes of the Central Coast
Crotch’s Bumblebee
Cuesta Ridge thistle
Desert candle
Fire Followers
Frogs and Toads of the Central Coast
Gall Wasps
Gray fox
Greater roadrunner
Jeffrey pine
Ladybug
Lace lichen
Limber pine
Lizards of Los Padres National Forest
Matilija poppy
Peregrine falcon
Pronghorn
Purple needlegrass
Raven
San Joaquin coachwhip (CA Species of Special Concern)
Sargent cypress
Singleleaf pinyon pine
Snakes of Los Padres National Forest
Southern rubber boa
Swainson’s hawk
Sugar pine
Tarantula
Toyon
Trees of Los Padres
Tule elk
Western rattlesnake
Western red bat
Wolf lichen
Yellow-billed magpie
Yucca + yucca moth
