The CA Fish and Game Commission has officially designated Central Coast mountain lions as threatened, granting them critical protections under state law! Thank you to everyone who spoke up—and to the Fish & Game Commission for following sound science that confirmed they are at serious risk.

Curious about condors? Join this free public lecture led by longtime condor advocate and cartographer Bryant Baker whose work traces condor movements across Los Padres National Forest. Light refreshments and Q&A to follow. Recording available afterward. 👉 Register: https://ow.ly/tPVw50Y9wgs

Wildfire has always shaped our landscape—learn how we can live with it. 🔥 Join us Thu, Feb 19 at 6 PM in Santa Paula for a FREE screening of Elemental + discussion with local wildfire experts. Get Tickets 👉 forestwatch.org/event/elemental-reimagine-wildfire-film-screening/

Forest Academy 2026 kicks off March 7 with a Native Plant Walk in Ojai. Walk Shelf Road, explore Chumash history and Awhai, and learn to identify native plants. Part 1 of our four-part Flora & Fauna series. 🌿 forestwatch.org/event/native-plant-walk

Your wildlife and roadkill sightings can help guide conservation and land-use planning efforts in our region! Download the free, mobile survey and help collect critical data on wildlife movement and dangerous road crossings. 👉 Learn more: forestwatch.org/R2R

Your wildlife and roadkill sightings can help guide conservation and land-use planning efforts in our region! Download the free, mobile survey and help collect critical data on wildlife movement and dangerous road crossings. 👉 Learn more: forestwatch.org/R2R

Clean water doesn't start at the tap—it starts in wetlands, rivers, creeks, and vernal pools that shape our watersheds. #WorldWetlandsDay

Now is your chance to speak up and demand that public lands, coastal recreation areas, and drinking water sources are protected, NOT opened to drilling and fracking. Share a verbal public comment at the virtual public hearing on Feb 3 at 5 PM. Registration is required. 👉 forestwatch.org/stop-oil

Our work is grounded in the understanding that people, communities, and the natural world are deeply connected. In times of fear and uncertainty, we stand for democracy, equity, and accountability—because caring for our environment and for one another are inseparable.

After years of research, the science is clear—mountain lions are in trouble. SoCal and Central Coast populations are dangerously isolated and facing serious long-term threats from roads, development, wildfire, and poisons. 👉 Act now: forestwatch.org/campaign/pro...

To protect the Los Padres, we need to understand its history. 🌲 Published in 1985, Historical Overview of the Los Padres National Forest is the only comprehensive history of the southern Los Padres—and now, it’s online in full. 👉 forestwatch.org/learn-explore/history

We’re excited to launch Forest Academy, a four-part, field-based learning series with local experts across Los Padres. 🌿 Explore Flora & Fauna—starting March 7 in Ojai with Native Plants, then birds (May), tracking (July), and bats (October). 👉 forestwatch.org/event/forest-academy-event-series

Help protect wildlife corridors with our new mobile survey! 🐾 Your sightings will create real data to make roads safer for wildlife across the Central Coast. Join a free virtual info session to learn how to participate. 👉 Register: forestwatch.org/events

One year after the devastating LA County fires, Senators Padilla (D-CA) and Sheehy (R-MT) introduced the Community Protection & Wildfire Resilience Act. 👉 forestwatch.org/act

Celebrating 25 years of Carrizo Plain National Monument 🎉 Designated in 2001, this 206,000+ acre landscape protects rare wildlife, wildflowers, ancient sites & the iconic San Andreas Fault. Often called California’s Serengeti, Carrizo’s beauty is worth defending. 💚 forestwatch.org/carrizo

Meet The Forest Sentinel—our new monthly newsletter with the stories, advocacy, and events shaping the Central Coast’s wild lands. The January issue drops soon, featuring Carrizo Plain, public lands protection, and upcoming wildlife corridor events. 📬 forestwatch.org/enews

34 years ago today, California condors returned to the wild in the Sespe Wilderness. 🪶 On Jan 14, 1992, Xewe and Chocuyens took flight—marking a turning point in the recovery of one of the world’s rarest birds. Learn more: forestwatch.org/condors

A new federal proposal would open vast stretches of public lands—including 400,000 acres of public lands, parks, beaches, wildlife habitat, and areas near schools and drinking water—to oil drilling and fracking. 👉🏽 forestwatch.org/stop-oil

The Roadless Rule turns 25 today 🌲 Protecting 58M acres of our wildest forests—including 635,000 in Los Padres—thanks to the largest public comment effort in U.S. history. Its legacy is under threat. Join us in protecting it. 👉 forestwatch.org/roadless/

Want to help protect local wildlife? Join our community science project and help us preserve wildlife corridors and document wildlife vehicular mortality along the Central Coast! 👉🏽 Register to learn more: forestwatch.org/events

Now that it’s 2026, you can start collecting stamps in your Wine to Wilderness Passport! 🍷🌿 Visit 24 Central Coast tasting rooms, enjoy a complimentary glass, explore nearby trails, and support wild lands & wildlife. Get yours: forestwatch.org/passport

Here's to another year of protecting the wild lands and wildlife we all love! 🌲 Wishing you peace and endless adventure in 2026.

Soaring into the new year with gratitude and hope! 💛 Thankful for our leaders and community who continue to stand up and speak out for the protection of our wildlife, wilderness, water, and sustainable access—today and for generations to come.

Imagine soaring over a pristine, snow-covered Mt. Pinos. ❄️ As the year comes to a close, we hope you’re finding time to rest and recharge. Moments like this remind us why protecting remote, wild landscapes matters—thank you for being part of that work. 📹 Ben Pitterle

On Dec 17, Senator Alex Padilla and Sen. Adam Schiff reintroduced the Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California Lands Act that would safeguard 900k+ acres of public lands, including 385k+ acres in and around LPNF. 👉🏽 forestwatch.org/news/the-public-lands-act-is-back

Say hello to P-129 🐾—a mountain lion recently collared by NPS. Her timing matters: CA wildlife officials recommended listing several cougar populations as threatened under California’s Endangered Species Act! 🙌🏽 Learn more + watch our recent webinar: https://youtu.be/LwpHSvf9NBQ

The Endangered Species Act has protected wildlife here for decades—but those protections are now at risk. Now is not the time to be silent. Speak up for the condors, frogs, steelhead, and countless species that call Los Padres National Forest home. 💬 Comment today: forestwatch.org/defend-the-esa

Take the 101 or the scenic 150 along parts of Los Padres National Forest and you’ll find Ventura County’s standout tasting rooms in the Wine for Wilderness Passport. Enjoy a complimentary glass at 24 Central Coast spots—each paired with a nearby trail. 🍷 Get Your Passport: forestwatch.org/passport

Your advocacy made a difference! 🙌🏽 From California’s first state shrub to momentum for the Rim of the Valley Act, 2025 was a big year. 👉🏽 Follow along to see how these bills progress in the new year!

We believe the more time you spend in nature, the more you understand why it needs protecting. Our hike through Santa Paula Canyon—golden cottonwoods, cold creek crossings, and even oil jacks and graffiti—was a reminder of its beauty, its history, and why it’s worth fighting for.

Branch out with better gifts this year. 🎁 Whether you’re shopping for your brother, mother, partner, friend, or even the dog, we’ve got you covered with gifts that give back (and yes, even our packaging is eco-friendly). 🌲 Shop by December 16 for delivery before the 25th: store.forestwatch.org

Meet Keri Setnicka, our new Communications Director! With 15+ years of experience in conservation storytelling, she’s excited to highlight urgent issues, celebrate what makes the Central Coast unique, and keep communities engaged. Welcome to the team, Keri! 💚

Our community showed up for the forests, wildlife, and wild places of the Central Coast this year. From blocking harmful rollbacks to expanding access to nature, your support made real progress possible. These wins belong to all of us. 🌲 Read more: forestwatch.org/2025-top-accomplishments

The California condor—once fewer than two dozen left—now numbers 200+ in the wild, many in Los Padres National Forest. On Wildlife Conservation Day, we’re working to protect the habitat this critically endangered species needs to survive. 👉🏽 https://forestwatch.org/what-we-do/protecting-wildlife/

Welcome to the wild side of wine country—where trails, open spaces, and sustainably farmed vineyards all share the same horizon. 🍷 Discover 24 wineries in the Wine for Wilderness Passport. $75 = 24 tastings + nearby trails + protecting the Central Coast. 👉 Get yours at forestwatch.org/passport

Tomorrow the Senate reviews the Roadless Act—while decades of protections for clean water, wildlife, and old-growth in Los Padres are under threat. This isn’t about recreation or fire suppression. It’s about stopping NEW permanent roads. 🌲 Take action: forestwatch.org/roadless

Forget endless-scrolling and find the perfect gift for the trail-loving, tree-hugging, public-land-protecting adventurer in your life! From books and maps to cozy gear and local goodies, you’ll find gifts they’ll actually use (and love). 🎁 Shop Now: forestwatch.org/holiday-gift-guide

December 2 is a big day for our forests. The Senate will review the Roadless Conservation Area Act—while the Trump administration pushes to undo decades of protections. 💬 Tell Senator Padilla you support S. 2042: forestwatch.org/roadless/

If “wine-tasting weekend” had a hometown, it might be Los Olivos. 🍷 4 downtown wineries are part of the Wine for Wilderness Passport, featuring sustainable, land-connected wines. Get a complimentary glass at 24 Central Coast wineries for just $75 (a $650 value). 👉🏽 forestwatch.org/passport

Meet Carlo Calderon, our new Wildlife Program Coordinator! 💚A UCSB Environmental Science grad and longtime habitat restorer, Carlo brings his passion for native plants, bugs, and wildlife to ForestWatch, where he now leads our Room to Roam program. 🌿

The Admin wants to expand livestock grazing into more than 290,000 acres of closed allotments in Los Padres. The VGPRA offers a fair path forward by compensating ranchers who choose to retire unsustainable permits, allowing these lands to recover. 👉 Act Now: forestwatch.org/act-now-support-vgpra

Join us on Nov 20 at 7pm for a free webinar with Cougar Conservancy’s Korinna Domingo—wildlife biologist + mountain lion advocate--to learn about Co-Existing with Cougars. 🐾 👉🏽 Register: https://ow.ly/3QUy50XtGNn 📷: Jason Klassi

November is Native American Heritage Month. As part of our Native Voices series, we’re featuring Tanya Nunez of the Chickasaw Nation who shares what this month means to her, the cultural practices she carries, and how non-Native people can be better allies. Read more: forestwatch.org/native-voices

Happy National Take a Hike Day! 🥾 From oak galls to bear scat to a quick microtrash cleanup, our recent Fall Colors Hike was a reminder of why these places are worth protecting. With today’s much-needed rain, remember to check trail conditions before heading out. 🌧️🌱

Join Carla Mena, Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs at the Ventura Sierra Club meeting on Nov. 19 (6–8PM) to hear about oil leasing threats, Roadless Rule rollbacks, and new protections for California’s wild places. 📍 Ventura • Free + open to all 👉🏽 RSVP: act.sierraclub.org/events/detai...

Where wine and wildlands meet. 🌿🍷Explore 24 wineries—organic, biodynamic & regenerative—featured in the Wine for Wilderness Passport. $75 = 24 tastings + nearby trails + protecting the Central Coast. 👉 Get yours at forestwatch.org/passport

Ever wonder what to do if you see a cougar on the trail? 👀Let’s talk coexistence. Join us on Nov. 20 for a free webinar with Cougar Conservancy’s Korinna Domingo—wildlife biologist + mountain lion advocate. 👉🏽 Register: forestwatch.org/co-existing-with-cougars-webinar/

Wildfire has always shaped our landscape—learn how we can live with it. 🔥 Join us Sun, Nov 16 at 10:30 AM in Goleta for a free screening of Elemental at the Wild & Free Film Fest + discussion with local wildfire experts. 👉 www.wildandfreefilm.org

After nine years, Bryant Baker, our Conservation and Research Director, and his loyal field dog Leela are moving on to new adventures. 🌿 We’re endlessly grateful for all they’ve done to protect the wild places we love. Read Bryant’s farewell → forestwatch.org/news/my-fond...

Huge thanks to the families who joined our Outdoor Connections campout at Leo Carrillo State Park! 💛 No schedule—just nature leading the way and curiosity guiding every moment. These experiences help families feel welcome on public lands and inspired to protect them.