California's Central Coast

Wild lands, scenic rivers need conservation

Video Read time:
Projects: U.S. Public Lands

Navigate to:

  • Table of Contents
California's Central Coast

This video is hosted by YouTube. In order to view it, you must consent to the use of “Marketing Cookies” by updating your preferences in the Cookie Settings link below. View on YouTube

This video is hosted by YouTube. In order to view it, you must consent to the use of “Marketing Cookies” by updating your preferences in the Cookie Settings link below. View on YouTube

California’s Central Coast is a land of many ecosystems. These diverse landscapes—including grassland, semi-desert, and redwood forest—are home to a stunning variety of plants and animals. The region's Los Padres National Forest alone contains roughly 470 species, and more than 90 are at risk of extinction, including the San Joaquin kit fox, steelhead trout, arroyo toad, spotted owl, and California condor.

The Carrizo Plain National Monument, inland from the forest, is traversed by the San Andreas Fault and made up of ridges, ravines, and ponds that are normally dry. This area contains the last intact native grassland where pronghorn antelope and tule elk roam free.

In April 2015, Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) introduced the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which would protect 245,500 acres of wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain. The legislation would also create two scenic areas encompassing 34,500 acres and safeguard 159 miles of wild and scenic rivers.

More videos and facts on U.S. wilderness conservation: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/americas-wilderness.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
RELATED
Topics
Land Conservation
Projects
U.S. Public Lands
Places
California

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.”

Article

April 10, 2024 WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water.

Article

April 4, 2024 Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
A landscape with mountains and clouds. BLM Rule Puts Conservation, Other Land Uses on Equal Footing

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
A photograph of City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia to Address Pressing Policy Challenges
A bright blue T-cell infected by HIV is engulfed by hundreds of yellow virions. Pew Researcher Seeks to Crack Code on HIV Cure
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.