Los Padres ForestWatch - Protecting the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain

ForestWatch is the only organization focused solely on protecting our region's wild places and wildlife in the Los Padres National Forest, from the Big Sur coast and the Santa Lucia Mountains to the Carrizo Plain and the majestic backcountry of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Los Padres ForestWatch is a community-based nonprofit organization that is leading efforts to protect the Los Padres National Forest and other public lands along California's Central Coast. Through innovative field work, scientific collaboration, and legal advocacy, we work to preserve and restore the forests, mountain streams, rolling hills, wetlands, coastal areas, and wildlife of this spectacular area.

We invite you to learn more about our work, to take action, and to support ForestWatch so that we can continue to safeguard our region's public lands for generations to come.

Our work depends on people like you who care about the future of our region's wild places and wildlife. Join or renew your support today!

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Click here to read how your business can support ForestWatch and protect the environment.

T-shirts, maps, guides, and books on our region. Get your gear & support ForestWatch - all proceeds help protect the forest.

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$Ojai Fritillary by fractalv$

Each month, we highlight
our region's unique
plants and animals. This month's featured creature:

Ojai fritillary

Click here to learn more
about other wildife
in our region.

SAVE THE DATE
Ojai Wild!
March 27, 2010

Mark your calendars for our third annual Ojai Wild! gathering on Saturday, March 27! Join us at the picturesque Diamond Hitch Camp along the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest for an afternoon of guided hikes, gourmet barbeque, benefit auction, live music, and presentation of the Wilderness Legacy Award! All proceeds benefit ForestWatch.

FREE LECTURE
California Condors: The End...and the Beginning
Jan 9, 2010
Santa Barbara

Experts will share their tales about the end of the wild population & what is being done now to return the birds to the wild. Click here for more info.

ART EXHIBIT
Regarding Fire and Birth: Images of the Post-Basin Complex Fires and their Effects on the Ventana Wilderness Landscape
Jan 8-31, 2010
San Francisco

Regarding Fire and Birth, is a series of events that focus on the Basin Complex Fire of 2008. Includes photography exhibit by David Silva, artist's reception, and lecture on the fire ecology of the Ventana Wilderness. Click here for more info.

A winter wonderland in the backcountry.

FEB 2, 2010
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT:
Conservation Coordinator
ForestWatch is hiring a Conservation Coordinator to join our team and help us build on our successful track record of land conservation in our region. The position involves a combination of conservation advocacy, field work, community outreach, and volunteer coordination. Applications accepted on a rolling basis through February 28 or until position is filled. Click here for the full job announcement.

DEC 15, 2009
BREAKING NEWS: ForestWatch Files Lawsuit to Increase Public Participation in National Forest Decisions
U.S. Forest Service Regulations Deny the Public's Right to Submit Comments and File Appeals on Many Decisions Affecting Public Lands Nationwide

NOV 23, 2009
Voice Your Support for Black Bears in San Luis Obispo County
Department of Fish & Game Will Revisit Proposal to Allow Bear Hunting in SLO County; Your Comments Needed by November 28

NOV 16, 2009
BLM Releases Proposed Management Plan for Carrizo Plain National Monument
Changes Made in Response to Public Comment; Administrative Protests Can Be Filed Through Dec 14; ForestWatch is Currently Reviewing the Revised Plan

NOV 16, 2009
Wildflowers of the Los Padres Photo Exhibit to Benefit ForestWatch
Local award-winning photographer and ForestWatch member Ron Williams displays his amazing photography in December. Half of all sales benefit LPFW

NOV 9, 2009
Legislation Introduced to Protect Big Sur Wilderness and Rivers
The proposed bill would designate additional wilderness areas, protect 90 miles of rivers, and establish the Arroyo Seco-Indians National Recreation Trail and the Jeff Norman Botanical Area.

OCT 5, 2009
ForestWatch Volunteers Remove Abandoned Fencing in Carrizo Plain
Their Efforts Allow Pronghorn Antelope to Roam a Little More Freely Across the Carrizo Plain National Monument

SEP 30, 2009
Court Rejects Los Padres National Forest Management Plan
Judge Rules That Southern California Forest Plans Violate Environmental Laws

SEP 28, 2009
ForestWatch Volunteers Clean Up Microtrash Near Sespe Creek to Protect Endangered Condors
70 Pounds of Glass, Bullets, and Other Small Trash is Removed From Area Near Where Two Condors Died This Summer