Orange County Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology (OCSCB)

Check out our former President, Amanda Barth's article on Monarch Butterfly Populations. She is currently the Rare Insect Conservation Coordinator at Utah's Dept. of Natural Resources but this affects our California butterflies too! https://www.ksl.com//monarch-butterfly-populations-continu

We are all reeling in the aftermath of the brush fire that devastated 62 acres of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. We are grateful for the firefighters and all involv...ed in containing the fire and saving the homes that line the Wetlands. Sadly, there is a huge loss to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and the wildlife that calls it their home. Today, the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center sent two representatives into the burn area of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in search of injured wildlife from the fire. Debbie McGuire and Annette Holbrook spent hours in the burn area searching for injured wildlife. We saw one injured fence lizard we were unable to capture, and several deceased ground squirrels and cottontails, said Debbie McGuire, Executive Director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center. Debbie added We only searched the perimeter of the fire line, and hope to continue our efforts tomorrow with a larger crew. The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center’s duo hiked over to the owl nesting site and the Great Blue Heron nesting site and were able to confirm that both were safe. There had been concerns that the smoke and helicopter activity may have flushed the nestlings from their nests. Going forward, we plan to continue our efforts tomorrow in searching for any injured wildlife that may need our care. We are there for our community and the native wildlife that resides within. Our dedicated staff and volunteers are prepared to help recover and care for any injured wildlife. The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center is a 501c 3 Non-Profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of our native wildlife. Please visit our website at www.wwccoc.org for further information. #BolsaChicaFire #HuntingtonBeach #BolsaChicaWetlands #BolsaChica #wildliferehab #birds #animals #huntingtonBeachFireDepartment

Mountain lions in Southern California and along the Central Coast are a crucial step closer to protection under the state's Endangered Species Act. Responding to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and the Mountain Lion Foundation, the California Fish and Game Commission just voted to make these regions' six mountain lion populations candidates for protection. This means cats in those areas will get immediate protections while the state agency conducts a year-...long review to decide if formal safeguards are warranted. Mountain lions face a long list of threats, including genetic isolation, car strikes, poisonings and sanctioned depredation kills. "This is a historic moment for California's big cats," said the Center's Tiffany Yap. "These ecosystem engineers face huge threats that could wipe out key populations. But with state protections, we can start reversing course to save our mountain lions." If you spoke up through a CBD alert for California's big cats, you made a difference. The Center made a video to say thank you: