Category: News
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ForestWatch Proudly Sponsors SB 1268: Codifying Outdoors for All
4 min read
As renewed threats to sell of public lands, expand oil and gas drilling, and roll back longstanding protections create growing uncertainty, California has an opportunity to lead with bold, permanent policies that protect public lands and expand equitable access to them.
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Our 2025 Impact Report Has Arrived!
2 min read
In 2025, communities across California’s Central Coast came together to protect wildlife habitat, oppose expanded oil development, advance wildfire resilience, and connect more youth and families with nature. Today, Los Padres ForestWatch is proud to share our first-ever Impact Report—a reflection on the work, landscapes, and community behind a year of conservation across California’s Central…
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Los Padres ForestWatch responds to Bureau of Land Management’s Final Environmental Report on Central Coast Oil Development
1 min read
The Bureau of Land Management today released a final environmental report that further advances a contested oil and gas leasing plan that could open roughly 850,000 acres of public lands and federal mineral estate across Central California to future drilling and fracking. The agency’s announcement explicitly ties the action to the Trump administration’s “Unleashing American…
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Enraptured by Raptors: An Afternoon of Flight, Connection, and Wonder
2 min read
Guests gathered in Upper Ojai for an unforgettable day of raptors, falconry, local food, and connection—experiencing firsthand the wonder of birds of prey and the landscapes we work to protect.
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Trump Administration Dismantles the Public Lands Rule, Weakening Conservation Protections Across the West
4 min read
On May 11, 2026, the Department of the Interior announced the repeal of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Public Lands Rule eliminating a landmark conservation framework that placed conservation on equal footing with grazing, mining, and drilling across 245 million acres of public lands.
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Trail Talks series explores the Sespe Wilderness—The Southern Los Padres National Forest’s largest protected backcountry
4 min read
Local public lands experts and explorers will take audiences deep into the Sespe Wilderness, the largest protected Wilderness area in the southern Los Padres National Forest, in an upcoming Trail Talks event at the Faulkner Gallery at the Santa Barbara Public Library on Thursday, May 21.
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Celebrating Topa Topa, the condor who helped save a species from extinction
5 min read
Topa Topa—the oldest living California condor—celebrates his 60th birthday this month. His story is a remarkable one, beginning with his capture as a young condor in a remote canyon of Los Padres National Forest.
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Bipartisan opposition halts effort to weaken Endangered Species Act, safeguarding wildlife along California’s Central Coast
3 min read
After widespread opposition from constituents and conservation groups, House leaders have indefinitely postponed a vote on the “ESA Amendments Act” (H.R. 1897), a proposal that would have gutted the Endangered Species Act.
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Forever Wild Legacy Society Launch at Condor’s Hope
2 min read
On Friday, April 17, Los Padres ForestWatch welcomed a special group of supporters to Condor’s Hope Winery to celebrate the official launch of the Forever Wild Legacy Society.
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California Oil and Gas Health Protection Law Survives First-Round Trump Administration Attack
4 min read
Buffer zones between drilling sites, communities to remain in effect during legal battle.
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Truth & Transparency with Tecuya Timber Trucks
6 min read
ForestWatch urges forest officials to chart a new path to build trust and safeguard the environment in op-ed published in The Mountain Enterprise.
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Massive Central Coast Drilling Plan Advances with More Than 175,000 Comments in Opposition
5 min read
The proposal would open up roughly 850,000 acres of public lands and federal mineral estate to potential oil drilling and fracking across Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Kern, and surrounding counties, including areas near neighborhoods, recreation lands, and critical water resources.
