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

Pinkish-purple speckles cover a seed pod growing off the green stem of a Fish Slough milkvetch plant.
While sagebrush is the dominant plant in the Great Basin, this ecosystem is also home to many other unique native plants that are each deserving of the spotlight. Read on to learn about some of the native plants that call the Great Basin home!
A mountain with grasslands and a wetland at Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge during sunset
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced nearly $46 million in investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for ecosystem restoration activities that address high-priority Klamath Basin water-related challenges...
a close up of a riparian woodrat's face, with its body held in a pillowcase
After having no sightings since 2017, several riparian woodrats were found in cage traps set by Service and partner biologists doing a health survey of riparian brush rabbits.
a condor's head with a piece of meat hanging from the beak
As of October 15, 2024, the Incident Command established to respond to Highly Pathogenic Influenza (HPAI) in California condors will be rescinding the delegation of authority. HPAI continues to be a threat on the landscape for birds and other wildlife, especially as the virus evolves, however,...
A close up of a fuzzy gray bee with large speckled eyes
Seeing native bees through the eyes of biologists will melt your heart.  “This one has the most beautiful blue eyes,” Nevin Cullen said of the leaf cutter bee he just netted. Cullen, a post doctoral researcher and pollination biologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, has a soft...
Aerial image of a native seed farm with rows of bright colors and mountains along the horizon under a blue sky.
Sandwiched between fields of almonds, walnuts and rice in the Sacramento Valley near the agricultural town of Colusa, is an  unlikely burst of colors, sounds and aromas, all emanating from a native seed farmstead.
Mouth open on goldish silvery fish in murky water
Recovering populations of Clear Lake hitch isn’t just a goal for the Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians of California; it’s critical to their culture and way of life.