CDFW News

Wildfire Impacts Lead to South Chimineas Unit Closure

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:57:19 GMT

Prescribed Burn Treatment Helped Keep Flames at Bay on Carrizo Plains

Due to impacts of the Madre Fire that burned last month on CDFW’s Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve (ER) in San Luis Obispo County, certain hunting opportunities will not take place.

While other units of the ER were spared severe wildfire damage, thanks in part to a prescribed burn conducted in partnership with CAL FIRE in February 2025, impacts to the South Chimineas Unit call for it to be closed to all public access through spring 2026.

“The closure of the South Chimineas Unit will allow the habitat to recover,” said Brandon Swanson, CDFW’s unit biologist for San Luis Obispo County. “The closure will also give the wildlife on the South Chimineas Unit a break after the disturbances of wildfire that would be compounded by the pressures of hunting. The potential for dead trees to fall is also a public safety concern.”

Drive-on access for elk hunting on the ER within the La Panza hunt zone will be allowed on the North Chimineas Unit through the normal draw from public hunt tag holders, but not on the South Chimineas Unit.

The following South Chimineas Unit special hunts planned for this fall and winter have been canceled:

Sept. 12-14: Chimineas Junior Only Deer Hunt
Nov. 1: Chimineas Junior Only Quail Hunt
Dec. 13: South Chimineas Ranch Family and Mobility Impaired Upland Hunts
Jan. 3, 2026: Chimineas Upland Game Hunt
Jan. 3, 2026: Chimineas Mobility Impaired Quail Hunt

Chimineas Ranch special hunts still planned (applications due Aug. 11):

Sept. 6: Chimineas Ranch Family and Mobility Impaired Upland Hunts

To apply for these special hunts sill taking place, go to the special hunt online application instructions (PDF).

An estimated 25,000 acres of CDFW’s Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve burned in the Madre Fire. The February 2025 prescribed burn conducted in partnership with CAL FIRE on the American Unit of the ER helped limit the spread of the Madre Fire. More information on the impact of this prescribed burn can be found in CAL FIRE's Madre Fire Fuels Effectiveness Report.

Nearly all of the tule elk’s home range on the ecological reserve saw flames, but tule elk are capable of moving great distances — a herd some 50 strong was sighted within the burned area on the South Chimineas Unit. CDFW buildings and other infrastructure such as wildlife watering wells and water storage tanks saw little damage due to firefighters’ efforts and weed abatement work by CDFW.

The 38,900-acre Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve consists of oak and juniper woodland, chapparal, grassland and desert and coastal scrub, most of which is expected to recover from fire impacts and benefit from the elimination of invasive grasses.

For more information about the Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Carrizo-Plains-ER.

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Media Contact:
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120

CDFW Sees ‘Ecosystem Engineers’ at Work in Beaver Restoration Pilot Projects

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 17:00:00 GMT

Media note: Download report, photos and video here.

Follow this link to watch a video about the translocated beavers, CDFW’s post-release monitoring activities and pilot project ecosystem restoration progress.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) set out on its mission one-and-a-half years ago to begin returning beavers to watersheds throughout their native range in the state. Since then, the translocated beavers have begun their work as ecosystem engineers, initiating the restoration of wetlands and building resilience to the effects of climate change such as drought and wildfire.

Today, CDFW announces the release of a status report (PDF) on the translocated beavers and restoration sites, summarizing project successes, lessons learned and next steps for beaver restoration in California.

Between October 2023 and September 2024, CDFW placed 28 beavers in the Sierra Nevada at five release sites within two pilot projects, which were launched in partnership with the Tule River Tribe in Southern California and the Maidu Summit Consortium in Northern California.

The translocated beavers have since produced two litters of kits and built dams at three of the release sites. At the most productive release site, beavers have begun to dig a network of canals, reconnected the stream with its floodplain and increased the surface water area by approximately 23%.

As part of the state’s Initiative to Expand Nature-Based Solutions, in 2022 CDFW created the Beaver Restoration Program using funding appropriated when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1757. The program aims to better understand where, when and how beavers, long thought of as a nuisance species, can be utilized to restore ecosystems and habitats in California. That knowledge will allow CDFW and the state of California to effectively utilize beavers as a nature-based solution in restoring and conserving habitats and watersheds.

“The Beaver Restoration Program was formed because we recognize the value that beavers can provide on a landscape,” said CDFW Beaver Restoration Program Supervisor Molly Alves. “We are putting beavers back into those portions of their historic range where they can build dams and create wetlands that protect our landscape, wildlife and people from climate change like drought and wildfire.”

In the Maidu Summit Consortium’s Tásmam Koyóm valley, which was burned over by the Dixie Fire in 2021, Alves pointed out that since beavers were placed there in October 2023, both available water and wetland habitat have been expanded by the busy beavers. They built a 100-meter dam across the wetland complex — the largest dam in the area that is just downstream from where the beavers decided to place their lodge. Beavers build dams that hold deeper water to allow for predator avoidance and increase the abundance of and access to preferred food sources.

To date, survival of the translocated beavers is estimated to be between 40-60%, with the primary causes of mortality being predation and illnesses related to underlying conditions (e.g., pneumonia) and capture-related stressors.

"Beavers used to be everywhere, but sadly that is no longer the case," said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “Our history treated beavers as nuisances, and we removed them from the landscape. In the past year CDFW working with the Tule River Tribe and the Maidu Summit Consortium brought beavers home to places they’ve been absent over 100 years.

“Beavers are nature’s Swiss Army knife. The things they can do are amazing. We are finding in some of our scientific work that when beavers are on the landscape in the Sierra, the way they can create wet meadows serves as a fire break that can slow down or even stop catastrophic wildfire,” added Director Bonham.

CDFW’s status report also details the process for submitting beaver restoration project proposals (i.e., translocation requests), identifying priority projects for future implementation and selecting beavers for translocation. Additionally, to better understand the current distribution of beavers in California, CDFW is asking for the public’s participation through an online Beaver Observation Survey Tool.

Media Contacts:

Valerie Cook, CDFW Beaver Restoration Program, (916) 616-6366
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120

Endangered Southern California Steelhead Trout Rescued from Fire-Impacted Topanga Creek

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:57:00 GMT

Temporary Relocation Will Safeguard the Last Santa Monica Mountains Population from Post-fire Storm Impacts

Media Note: A link to download photos and video.

Watch CDFW’s video about the Topanga Creek steelhead trout rescue.

As part of statewide efforts to help Californians and wildlife recover from the Southern California fires, on Jan. 23 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and its partners rescued 271 endangered Southern California steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Topanga Creek, the last known population of this species in the Santa Monica Mountains.

These fish survived in the chilly waters of Topanga Creek as the Palisades Fire swept through Topanga Canyon, but rain brought the threat of localized extinction. Storm events in late January and future storms falling over the burn scar can carry ash, sediment and debris into the creek that would suffocate and wipe out the population. Fisheries biologists estimate the remaining population to be as few as 400 - 500 trout.

“The fires in Southern California have been incredibly devastating,” said CDFW Chief Deputy Director Valerie Termini. “CDFW stands with the victims who have lost their homes, and we’re here to help everyone recover. Part of that effort is to bring back habitats and wildlife. Our role is going to be for the long term — helping people and wildlife recover.

“People in California want to live where biodiversity is thriving,” added Termini. “It's important for California, and it’s important for our wildlife.”

With the help of teams from the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, California Conservation Corps, Watershed Stewards Program, Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board, and California State Parks, CDFW staff set out Jan. 23 to ensure the steelhead survive. Equipped with backpack electrofishers, nets and buckets, the trout were captured from the creek and relocated to CDFW’s nearby Fillmore Fish Hatchery to prevent a likely mortality event during the rains. There, they will be held in a specially designated area of the hatchery that is set aside for the conservation of imperiled fish until it is safe to be returned to their home waters or another suitable creek in the area. Most of the netted fish were no bigger than 12 inches in length.

“Southern California steelhead are critically endangered within the Santa Monica Mountains,” said CDFW Environmental Program Manager Kyle Evans. “Topanga Creek is their only remaining population, when historically trout were found in streams across the Los Angeles area.

“These fish are incredible. They are adapted to drier summers and warmer water temperatures; they have a really complex life where they can either stay in the creek their whole life or go to the ocean and come back,” added Evans. “They're a very adaptable, important, iconic species whose success represents a healthy watershed, and healthy watersheds mean better water quality for us all. Protecting this population and their home habitats isn’t just good for the trout, it benefits the Californians of this community and beyond.”

In addition to this one-day operation to rescue the population of critically endangered fish, CDFW is working alongside California’s resource agencies to support state fire response and recovery efforts following the Southern California fires. CDFW staff are working to rescue and relocate animals impacted or displaced by the fires and are supporting and monitoring intake of injured wildlife to licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

As climate disruption continues to impact California residents, CDFW is working to help California be more resilient. Since 2021, CDFW’s Wildfire Resiliency Initiative has increased the pace and scale of vegetation management activities on its 1.1 million acres of state lands. Fire fuels reduction has been implemented on more than 100,000 acres annually across 90 high fire-risk lands statewide, providing protection to disadvantaged communities and adjacent natural lands.

Advances in veterinary medical science have come as a result of CDFW’s work in collaboration with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine — the application of fish skin to treat animal burn victims, first used in North America on bears and a mountain lion injured in a 2017 wildfire and today on animal burn patients around the world.

CDFW’s work in wildlife science has helped save rare populations of animals during fires, floods and drought. In 2020, mountain yellow-legged frog tadpoles were pulled out of the blackened landscape of a 116,000-acre wildfire, where most breeding pools were destroyed by charred rubble. CDFW supported efforts to help riparian brush rabbits to higher ground during 2023 flooding events. Salmon spawning and rearing habitats have been restored in drought-impacted creeks and streams across California.

These advances not only support the species themselves, but the Californians living near and benefitting from healthy, biodiverse habitats.

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Media Contacts:
Kyle Evans, CDFW Environmental Program Manager, (805) 794-9547
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120

CDFW Offers Guidance on How to Help Wildlife During Wildfire Emergencies

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:05:40 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has issued guidance on how best to help wildlife during major fire events such as those taking place currently in Los Angeles County.

CDFW is appreciative of every person who has reached out wanting to help wild animals in California. It’s important to remember that California’s native wildlife are incredibly resilient and best left alone or assisted by trained professionals.

Who to Contact

If you find an orphaned, sick or injured wild animal after a fire event, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or your local CDFW regional wildlife program for guidance. These wild animals often have serious injuries that require specialized care and treatment by a trained wildlife professional.

Dangers and Risks

Wild animals can be dangerous. Wildlife that are fed by humans often lose their natural fear of people and can become bolder or more aggressive. Do not attempt to capture or handle a wild animal.
Wild animals can cause injury or harm. Any displaced or distressed wild animal can cause injury to humans and pets. If you encounter a wild animal, provide an escape route, and move to a safe location. It will likely leave on its own.
Feeding wildlife can cause them harm. Providing unnatural food and water sources may encourage a wild animal to stay in burned areas. This places them at risk for burns, other injuries, and exposure to harsh chemicals and smoke.
Feeding wildlife can spread disease. Many wildlife diseases are transferred through close or direct contact between animals. Wild animals that gather around feeding stations or artificial water sources can spread diseases to each other. Wildlife can also transmit diseases or parasites to people and pets.

Preventing Human-Wildlife Conflict

Do not provide food or water to wildlife. Feeding wildlife does more harm than good. Certain wildlife species such as black bears, bobcats, coyotes, deer, and mountain lions can be displaced into urban areas after a fire.
Do not attempt to rehabilitate wild animals if you are not a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. This places humans, pets and wildlife at risk. An untrained person may unintentionally prolong suffering and reduce the chance of the wild animal being able to return to the wild.

How CDFW is Helping in Southern California

CDFW is actively monitoring the intake of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.
CDFW is providing support and coordination to wildlife rehabilitation facilities affected by fire events.
CDFW is responding to public inquiries directly regarding potentially displaced wildlife.

How You Can Help

Volunteer for a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility. Contact individual wildlife rehabilitators to determine if they need volunteers.
Donate directly to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility.
Contribute to the Native California Wildlife Rehabilitation Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund using California state tax form (Line 439). All funds are provided to eligible wildlife rehabilitators. 
Use the CDFW Wildlife Mortality Reporting System to report dead wildlife
Use the CDFW Human-Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit web page for information on how to minimize human-wildlife conflicts.

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Media Contacts:
Katie Talbot, CDFW Communications, (916) 204-1381
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858