While providing defensive oversight of federal wildlands, KS Wild promotes proactive change by advocating for permanent species protection. The Endangered Species Act is our primary tool for the protection of endangered species and their habitat. We research the status of imperiled species within the Klamath-Siskiyou region, and when we determine that a particular species warrants federal protection, we develop and submit a listing petition to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 is the keystone law that enables KS Wild and other groups to seek federal protection for species, and it may be one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation in U.S. history. The ESA works to protect and restore species that are on the brink of extinction. Essential to the ESA is the protection of endangered species habitat. This is a crucial component to species recovery; we recognize that to protect and restore a species, the habitat on which that species relies must be protected.

The Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion contains some of the largest intact wild ecosystems left on the West Coast. Despite the fact that public opinion polling routinely demonstrates strong support across America for preservation of wildlands and endangered species, the administration in Washington, D.C. seems bent on a return to the bankrupt resource extraction policies of the past. This renewed threat to our public lands, combined with the cumulative effects of past abuses, has led to an increasing need for our conservation efforts. KS Wild's activities are intended to reduce the loss of biodiversity and advocate for significant restoration of wildland species and their habitats in this unique and ecologically vital area.

Click here for our species profiles