Programs & Issues |
![]() NewsroomNews Releases & PhotosNews releases issued from the California and Nevada Regional Office (Region 8) are now being delivered via an automated fax/email system. If you would like to receive our news releases, please send us an email with your name, email address or fax number. Regional NewsletterWe Are Region 8 (Web 1.4MB) is a new quarterly newsletter that highlights the activities and people of the Service's Pacific Southwest Region. To download, you'll need Adobe Acrobat version 8 or later. ![]() The Fish & Wildlife JournalLooking for "soft news," story ideas or information about Fish and Wildlife Service activities and accomplishments in the field? Try the Fish & Wildlife Journal website. The Fish & Wildlife Journal includes an online searchable database that contains hundreds of employee-written summaries of field activities and other accomplishments. Pacific Southwest Region External Affairs StaffThe primary focus of the Region 8 staff is on strategic public communications issues at the Regional level. We also provide communications and outreach expertise to project leaders in the field, and support outreach and communications efforts of public affairs staff organic to Fish and Wildlife Offices in California and Nevada. Alexandra Pitts, Assistant Regional Director Public Affairs Contacts at Region 8 Field OfficesCarlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office Yreka Fish and Wildlife Office Miriam Morrill, National Fire Outreach Team Hopper Mountain NWR Complex
Region 8 in the NewsThis text is replaced by the Flash video. If you see this text please visit www.adobe.com and download the Flash Player browser plugin. Precious Step Toward Condor RecoveryIn a sandstone cliff band at the edge of Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in southern California, California condor #107 guards his week-old chick from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists who arrived to survey the nesting site. The nest of condor #107 and his mate, #161, is one of five in Southern California this year (2009). Condor #107 (a.k.a. Ushkal), a 15-year-old adult, was born at the Los Angeles Zoo and released into the wild near Bitter Creek NWR. Condor #161, a 12-year-old female, was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and released near Big Sur in Central California. The California condor was listed as an endangered species in 1967. By 1982 only 23 existed in the world. As a result of intensive public and private conservation efforts and captive breeding programs, more than 80 condors fly free in central and southern California, 70 in Arizona and 15 in Baja, Mexico. The goal of the California Condor Recovery Plan is to establish two geographically separate populations, one in California and the other in Arizona, each with 150 birds and at least 15 breeding pairs. This text is replaced by the Flash video. If you see this text please visit www.adobe.com and download the Flash Player browser plugin. Witness the Winter MigrationNational Wildlife Refuges in California and Nevada provide migratory birds with places to rest, nest and feed. The Sacramento Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Willows, California, is one of several refuges in the region that provide opportunities for the public to "connect with nature" and witness the awe-inspiring migration close-up. Located 90 miles north of Sacramento, the Sacramento refuge complex provides winter resting and feeding areas for nearly half of all migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. Three million ducks and a million geese migrate here. The refuge hosts interpretive tours and birding events January through April.
"Leave No Child Inside" A growing number of children's advocates and political leaders are worried that our culture's disconnection from nature is harming kids. This concern has caused the Fish and Wildlife Service and other government agencies to engage in a movement to "leave no child inside." KQED public television's QUEST program explores why we need nature, and efforts to encourage children to play outdoors. This segment orignally aired Monday, May 12, 2008. More on this topic is available on the QUEST website. Learn about the Fish and Wildlife Service's "Let's Go Outside" initiative to Connect Children With Nature. Find a National Wildlife Refuge near you.
"Condors vs Lead Bullets" External Affairs & NCTC contributed to this 10 minute video produced by KQED's "QUEST" series that examines the affects of lead on condor health. This program aired on KQED Feb. 20, 2007. FWS Condor Recovery partner, Ventana Wildlife Society, is featured in the video. The video aired prior to changes in California law in 2008 restricting lead ammunition in condor range. Visit Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, home to the Service's California condor recovery program. Numbers Increase for Rare Devils Hole Pupfish![]() USFWS Photo On October 8, 2008, the Service announced the number of Devils Hole pupfish had increased to 126, the highest number recorded since 2004. Fall pupfish population numbers ranged from approximately 400 to 550 individuals from the mid 1970s until 1995. For reasons that are still unclear, the population began a precipitous decline in 1996, dropping to a low of only 38 fish in the spring of 2006. The Devils Hole pupfish was listed as endangered in 1967. A 10x20 ft. limestone shelf at Devils Hole, a 93 degree pool at Ash Meadows NWR is the only natural habitat for this fish. The shelf lies 0.4 to 27 inches under water. Watch this video
for a rare glimpse of pupfish feeding at Devils Hole . (1:19 .wmv) Tis the Season for Migrating BirdsUSFWS Photo Each fall, millions of birds travel south compelled by changes in food availability, habitat and weather. Healthy waterfowl habitats are critical for this passage to remain uninhibited. What are the conditions of these habitats and how can humans assist this natural flow? KALW-FM radio host Rose Aguilar discusses the fall migration with Brad Bortner, chief of the migratory bird division at the Pacific Region in Portland, Ore.and Beth Huning, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. (Originally broadcast Oct. 6, 2008) Listen to the Podcast (55:35) Hatchery Salmon to Hit the Road![]() USFWS Photo Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Shasta County, Calif., will be releasing millions of salmon smolt this year in an effort to help bolster salmon populations in California waters. Coleman Hatchery Project Leader Scott Hamelberg tells reporter Craig Miller of KQED's California Report how it will work. Listen to Scott's radio interview and view a slide show of hatchery operations. (This story aired April 30, 2008 and is provided courtesy of The California Report, a service of KQED Public Radio). Where to find Coleman National Fish Hatchery Special Agent Nets World's #1 Butterfly Smuggler![]() USFWS Photo Special Agent Ed Newcomer of the Torrrance, Calif., Law Enforcement Office recounts a 3-year investigation of the world's most wanted butterfly smuggler for National Public Radio's Weekend Edition that aired May 27, 2007. Listen to Ed's NPR interview Investigation Nets Leopard Shark Smugglers![]() USFWS Photo Special Agent Lisa Nichols of the San Diego Law Enforcement Office is featured in this NPR story about the investigation and prosecution of a Bay area church that smuggled thousands of protected leopard sharks from San Francisco Bay. This story aired nationally on February 13, 2007. Listen to Lisa on the NPR story Harris Fire Burns Over San Diego NWRIn October 2007, the Harris Fire burned through San Diego NWR, scorching more than 4,000 acres. SDNWRC project leader Andy Yuen surveys the damage from atop Mt. San Miguel. Get a glimpse of the fire's damage by watching this video (1:11 min ) Read the F&W Journal Report Protecting Habitat and Homes at San Diego NWRRefuge Manager Jill Terp explains how the refuge's Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Program provides added fire protection for homes bordering the refuge. Learn more about Service's Fire Program in California and Nevada |