ForestWatch’s landmark accomplishment is stopping a 2005 plan to expand oil drilling across more than 52,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest. The drilling plan targeted areas adjacent to several protected wilderness areas, habitat for endangered plants and wildlife, popular recreation areas, and scenic gateways that the public uses to access the forest—all for less than a single day’s supply of oil.
While less than a year old, ForestWatch sprang into action. We joined forces with the Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife, serving as lead author of a 92-page appeal we filed with the top forest official in California. After our appeal was denied, we filed a lawsuit in federal court in 2007, delaying the plan indefinitely.
