Bobcat fire aftermath threatens endangered species in San Gabriel Mountains

Up until a few weeks ago, the West Fork of the San Gabriel River was one of the most abundant wildlife habitats in Los Angeles County, a secluded and rugged area defined by its steep peaks, lush canyons and mixture of rare and endangered species. A heavy mudslide, experts said, could reverse decades of conservation efforts by inundating the last outposts for such federally protected species as the Santa Ana sucker fish and Southern California mountain yellow-legged frog. × After the Bobcat fire, rangers and biologists consider rescue operations for protected species in the San Gabriel Mountains. “In an era of almost back-to-back wildfires and mudslides, we haven’t had the time to develop comprehensive survival plans for each one of our protected species.” The preemptive rescues being proposed across the San Gabriels highlight the difficulty facing biologists and land managers in ensuring the survival of species clinging to existence in Southern California’s patchwork of isolated habitats — areas already hemmed in by urban development and scorched by more frequent and intense wildfires. “The business of saving human lives and rare wildlife is suddenly more complicated than ever,” said Rossana D’Antonio, incident commander for the public works department’s Bobcat fire recovery effort.