Conservation

The Endangered Habitats League (EHL) is Southern California's only regional conservation organization, focusing on endangered species protection in Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles Counties.  EHL was founded in 1991 at a meeting at Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary. At that time, dozens of groups came together to advocate endangered species listing for the California Gnatcatcher.  After listing was achieved, the League became a membership organization.  Over the last few years, it has devoted great energy to improving the quality of the large scale habitat plans - called Natural Community Conservation Plans - which the listing of the gnatcatcher set in motion.  Its accomplishments include:

1.Convincing the City of Dana Point in Orange County to protect the endangered Pacific Pocket Mouse within a Headlands Nature Park.

2. Working tirelessly to create a 172,000 acre preserve in coastal San Diego County, and gaining improvements for the Burrowing Owl, Golden Eagle, Arroyo Toad, and Western Pond Turtle.  Filing a precedent-setting lawsuit in San Bernardino County to protect  the Dairy Preserve - some of the last agricultural lands remaining in the greater Los Angeles area.

3. Gaining wilderness designation for Otay Mountain near the Mexican border.

4. Co-founding the California Futures Network, to reform State land use planning.

5. Stopping concrete channelization of tributaries of the Santa Margarita River.

6. Repeatedly defending two beleaguered endangered species - the Delhi Sands Flower-loving Fly and the Quino Checkerspot butterfly - from poorly planned development in the Inland Empire.

7. Playing a key role in adding 5,000 acres of coastal sage and riparian habitat at Rancho Jamul to the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge and in securing protection for rare plants on San Diego’s last coastal mesa.

8. Filing suit to protect the Saddleback Meadows wildlife corridor linking central and southern Orange County.

But there is much more to be done, according to League Coordinator Dan Silver.
Top priorities include:

1. Preserving the vast, 30,000 acre "Last Wilderness" of Southern Orange  County, with its priceless streams and woodlands.

2. Protecting the beautiful, rural San Diego backcountry through a General Plan update.

3. Preventing the proposed Foothill Transportation Corridor from devastating six federally listed species at San Onofre State Beach at Orange County's southern border.

4. Protecting vast wildlife areas like Vail Lake near Temecula and Potrero Valley near Beaumont in Riverside's multiple species plan.

5. Restoring steelhead trout to San Mateo Creek on Camp Pendleton.

EHL remains a small organization, with just two full time staff.  It needs members and financial help.  With a membership donation of any size, EHL will send you their quarterly Newsletter, which provides updates on conservation across the region and natural history features.
 

Contributions (which are tax-deductible) may be sent to:
 
 

	Endangered Habitats League
	PMB  592
	8424-A Santa Monica Blvd.
	Los Angeles, CA  90069-4266

If you are interested in learning more about this great organization, click here for a link to the EHL newsletters.