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 provides habitat for 26 of these protected species, more than any other national forest in California.
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.
MAMMALSGiant kangaroo rat (E) BIRDSCalifornia least tern (E) REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSArroyo toad (E) |
FISHSanta Ana sucker (T) INVERTEBRATESSmith’s Blue Butterfly (E) PLANTSCamatta Canyon amole (T) |
Sensitive species
In addition to the federally-protected plants and animals listed above, the Los Padres National Forest is also home to an additional 92 “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.
The “sensitive species” found in the Los Padres National Forest are:
BIRDSBald eagle MAMMALSMt. Pinos lodgepole chipmunk |
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSPacific pond turtle FISHArroyo chub INVERTEBRATESMonarch butterfly |
PLANTS
| Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita Bishop manzanita Hoover’s manzanita Little Sur manzanita Santa Lucia manzanita Santa Margarita manzanita Refugio manzanita San Luis mariposa lily San Luis Obispo mariposa lily Palmer’s mariposa lily Late-flowered mariposa lily Club-haired mariposa lily Slender mariposa lily Small-flowered calycadenia Dwarf western rosinweed San Luis Obispo sedge Santa Barbara jewelflower Blakeley’s spineflower San Luis Obispo spineflower Prickly spineflower San Fernando Valley spineflower Monterey larkspur Mt. Pinos larkspur Umbrella larkspur Yellow woollystar Butterworth’s buckwheat Southern alpine buckwheat Fort Tejon woolly sunflower Talus fritillary Ojai fritillary San Benito fritillary Fragrant fritillary Cone Peak bedstraw Hardham’s bedstraw Santa Lucia bedstraw Pale-yellow layia Jones’s layia San Luis Obispo lupine Carmel Valley malacothrix Flax-like monardella Palmer’s monardella Baja pincushionplant Rock Creek broomrape Dudley’s lousewort Meager pygmydaisy Hooked popcornflower |
Nuttall’s scrub oak Adobe sanicle Cuesta Pass checkerbloom Hickman’s checkerbloom Parish’s checkerbloom Southern jewelflower Most beautiful jewelflower Santa Ynez false lupine Santa Lucia fir Abrams’ oxytheca Hoover’s bentgrass Hickman’s onion Mt. Pinos onion Smooth baccharis Dwarf goldenstar Hardham’s evening-primrose Muir’s tarplant Mojave Indian paintbrush Lemmon’s wild cabbage Dwarf soaproot Jolon clarkia San Gabriel alumroot Coast horkelia Wedgeleaf horkelia Pumice alpinegold California satintail Southern honeysuckle Bush mallow Peninsular beargrass Cook’s triteleia Caperfruit tropidocarpum Goosefoot yellow violet Santa Lucia horkelia California saw-grass Tear drop moss Shevock’s copper moss Kellman’s bristle moss Santa Lucia dwarf rush Ross’ pitcher sage Ojai navarettia Urn-flowered alumroot Chickweed starry puncturebract San Bernardino aster Sonoran maiden fern |
Other Species of Interest
California black bear
Coast redwood
Pronghorn antelope
Tule elk
Yellow-billed magpie
Management indicator species
Management Indicator Species (“MIS”) are plants and animals that are monitored by the U.S. Forest Service because they indicate the effects of land use activities on the Los Padres National Forest. When monitoring indicates that their populations are declining, the Forest Service knows to make adjustments to how it manages the area. The Los Padres National Forest contains twelve MIS, including:
Mountain lion
Mule deer
Arroyo toad
Song sparrow
Blue oak
Engelmann oak
Valley oak
Bigcone Douglas-fir
Coulter pine
California spotted owl
California black oak
California white fir
California fully 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 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.
Unarmored threespine stickleback
Blunt-nosed leopard lizard
American peregrine falcon
California brown pelican
California condor
California least tern
Golden eagle
Greater sandhill crane
Southern bald eagle
White-tailed kite
Bighorn sheep
Ring-tailed cat
Southern sea otter
Northern elephant seal
