EHL Newsletter, Summer 2011 Vol 21 No 3

In May of 1991, the Endangered Habitats League was founded at Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary as a coalition of groups – eventually totaling over 50 – to list the California gnatcatcher as an endangered species.

In Orange County, EHL served on the advisory committee for the NCCP program, which initially built upon tracts of land previously set aside through the land use process.

The NCCP program was transformative in San Diego, creating a reserve system in the southern half of the county that never otherwise would have come into existence. EHL played a major role in an advisory committee that built enough consensus to enact the program.

In this rapidly developing region, the NCCP program is truly the only hope for retaining wildlife diversity. Due to remarkable local political leadership, open space was defined as a necessary complement to other infrastructure.

EHL was instrumental in enacting a biologically sound NCCP on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The great majority of the remaining habitat will be protected, especially prime coastal sage scrub.

Without an NCCP program to provide a conservation framework, rare habitats remain highly threatened. EHL has therefore engaged to protect endangered species on a more site-specific basis.

In its 20 years of existence, EHL has played an important role in protecting habitat in Southern California.