2018 Year in Review

As you turn the pages of our 2018 Year in Review, you will see inspirational conservation successes from the people of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners who work to protect fish, wildlife, plants, and natural habitats of the central and Southern California coast. This year, we have many successes to celebrate.

We showed that commerce and conservation are not mutually exclusive endeavors. We worked with a business developer to save a plant species from extinction and crafted a long-term strategy to ensure the San Fernando Valley spineflower remains part of the landscape for years to come.

We showed that wildlife and wild places contribute to local economies. The return of southern sea otters along the central California coast brought a boost to tourism and the local economy in small towns like Moss Landing.

We celebrated the designation of Elkhorn Slough in Monterey County as the 39th Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, honoring the importance of wetland ecosystems to native wildlife and local economies. We worked alongside farmers and conservationists at Watsonville Slough Farm to keep working lands working while restoring habitat for rare amphibians and other wildlife.

We helped develop a land management plan for monarch butterflies that spend their winters at Lighthouse Field State Beach along the California coastline. We celebrated a milestone in the recovery of one of North America’s most endangered birds - a record-breaking nesting season for California condors in Southern California, while showing the world the inside of a wild condor nest near Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge.

And we celebrated our women in science and decades-long careers dedicated to conservation. We shared their stories, and the stories of the plants and wildlife they work to protect, with thousands of people across the globe.

At the end of a robust year of conservation, we can be proud that our passion and perseverance made a difference for the living things that call this beautiful stretch of coastline home.