Ventura

Federal agencies are required to consult with the Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act when federal projects may result in take of a listed species or damage critical habitat for a listed species. Each year, our staff completes hundreds of formal and informal consultations with other federal government agencies, keeping project timelines on-track, and wildlife and habitat protected.  

Conservation banks are large pieces of land that are permanently protected and managed for endangered, threatened or at-risk species. Conservation banks function to offset adverse impacts to listed and at-risk species that occurred elsewhere. This is better known as off-site mitigation. 

A conservation bank is like a financial bank. It protects these resources like a bank protects your money. When someone plans a project that will impact endangered species or other natural resources, they can buy credits in a conservation bank. The bank owner then uses the money to protect the resources in the bank. Traditionally, project developers have been asked to preserve part of the area they are developing. Sometimes this is a good policy. But lots of times it is better to have larger areas protected in conservation banks. It is also more efficient and cost effective to manage a bank instead of small, isolated properties. The Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office has approved multiple conservation banks in California resulting in the conservation of thousands of acres of lands for species mitigation. We work closely with conservation bank owners to ensure the habitat is permanently conserved and managed. When a conservation bank is approved, the Service authorizes a specified number of habitat or species “credits” that bank owners may sell to developers or other project proponents to mitigate for the impacts resulting from their projects. Bank owners contribute a portion of the sale to an endowment that provides money for the management and protection of the bank property in perpetuity.

Conservation Banks within Our Service Area
Sparling Ranch Conservation Bank
La Purisima Conservation Bank
Zayante Sand Hills Conservation Bank
Palo Prieto Conservation Bank

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with state and federal trustee agencies, in coordination with local cities, counties, and other organizations, to assess impacts from oil spills and other environmental hazards on natural resources. Through this process, known as a Natural Resource Damage Assessment, trustees aim to quantify the injuries to wildlife, habitat, and lost use of those resources, and to develop a restoration plan and to secure compensation for resources lost or degraded by hazardous waste releases or spills. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works in coordination with military installations to manage natural resources on military lands under the Sikes Act.

All military installations with significant natural resources are required to develop and implement integrated natural resources management plans (INRMPs) in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the appropriate state wildlife agency. We work with several military installations in California, including Vandenburg Space Force Base and Navy Base Ventura County. As partners, we work together to maximize on-site conservation efforts and provide guidance related to habitat management and species protection. Projects on military bases range from dismantling dams that have lost their purpose to guiding the development of new infrastructure to building pollinator gardens. Military bases have been great conservation partners, implementing projects that support the recovery of listed and at-risk species.

Hunting and fishing licenses can be purchased online from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

To report a dead, injured, or stranded marine mammal in California call the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network 1-866-767-6114. For more information on marine mammals visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Trained wildlife rehabilitation centers can provide guidance on injured wildlife. Please visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to find your nearest wildlife rehabilitation facility.

It’s often perceived that the presence of a threatened or endangered plant or animal means the end of a construction project but what it really signals is the start of a conversation about the project and how any adverse impacts can be minimized and hopefully eliminated. The focus isn’t on whether a project moves forward, but how it moves forward. Read more.