Our Mission
The Mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
The Service helps protect a healthy environment for people, fish and wildlife, and helps Americans conserve and enjoy the outdoors and our living treasures. The Service's major responsibilities are for migratory birds, endangered species, certain marine mammals, and freshwater and anadromous fish.
Facts About the Pacific Southwest Region
- Nearly 900 employees.
- 48 National Wildlife Refuges, comprising more than 2.8 million acres (more than 470,000 in California, 2.3 million in Nevada and more than 23,800 acres in the Klamath Basin of Oregon).
- 3 Wildlife Management Areas in California, encompassing more than 104,000 acres.
- Largest National Wildlife Refuge: Desert NWR near Las Vegas, Nev: 1.6 million acres.
- Smallest National Wildlife Refuge: Castle Rock NWR, an island one-half mile off the coast of California near Crescent City: 13.89 acres.
- 3 National Fish Hatcheries and 1 Fish Health Center.
- 11 Fish and Wildlife Offices (Ecological Services).
- More than 1.9 million people visited refuges in California, in 2010, spending more than $37 million on activities ranging from observing wildlife and birding to hunting and fishing.
- 127 Federally-recognized tribes in Region 8: 107 in California, 19 in Nevada and 1 in the Klamath Basin.
- 346 Federally-listed threatened or endangered species occur in California (309) and Nevada (37). Our region has lead management responsibility for 292 of these species. Lead management responsibilities for the remaining 54 listed species is assigned to either the Pacific, Southwest, or Mountain-Prairie Regions of the Service.
