Ventura County Biological Resource Program
Designing a Project? Read these first:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Initial Study Assessment Guidelines (ISAGS)
Critical Habitat for Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Species
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has designated critical habitat for certain federally listed threatened and endangered species. To find out whether a property contains critical habitat, check out the USFWS Critical Habitat Online Mapper or contact the Ventura Office of the USFWS. If a project proposed within critical habitat involves no federal funding or permit, then formal consultation with the USFWS is not required. However, the Planning Division encourages you to design your project to avoid or minimize impacts to critical habitat because it is considered to be a significant biological resource.
California Department of Fish and Game Public Data Viewer (BIOS), Ventura County Maps
This online map viewer is maintained by the California Department of Fish and Game and contains maps of biological resources statewide. Biological resource maps specific to Ventura County can be accessed through a bookmark on the map viewer. Instructions to view the Ventura County maps are provided below.
Navigate to the main BIOS web page https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/BIOS, and click on the “Public BIOS Data Viewer” rectangle (please do not use the BETA version as the Ventura County datasets are not available there). Once the viewer loads up at the top of the screen, there is a blue push pin on the taskbar. This is where the Ventura County maps can be selected for for viewing.
- Click on the blue push-pin
- Click on “Browse Bookmarks”
- Find “Ventura County Datasets” under the description heading
- Click on the blue “Load” link for loading that particular bookmark
Plant Communities of Ventura County
- Plant Communities of the Santa Monica Mountains – Aerial Photo Interpretation
- Vegetation Classification of the Santa Monica Mountains and Environs
- Plant Checklists for Ventura County – California Native Plant Society, Channel Islands Chapter
- Ventura County Rare Plant Lists – California Native Plant Society, Channel Islands Chapter
- Lichens, Lichenivorous, and Allied Fungi of the Santa Monica Mountains
Native and Invasive Plant Identification
- A Manual of California Vegetation Online – California Native Plant Society
- Guide to Native and Invasive Streamside Plants – Ventura County Planning Division
- California Invasive and Watch List Plant Inventory -California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC)
Planting Guides for Natives
Native Plant Lists
- Calscape –California Native Plant Society
Extensive database for gardening with native plants in California. Database allows the user to search for different types of native plants (tree, shrub, succulent, etc.) that would grow well in your garden based on environmental conditions (drainage, water requirement, sun), ease of care, use (Butterfly gardens, bank stabilization, bird gardens, hedges, deer resistant, etc.), flower color, flowering season, fragrance, etc. Provides information associated with the plant’s availability in nurseries, as well as the types of local pollinators it will support.
Special-Status Species of Ventura County
Wildlife Corridors
- Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Corridor FAQ
- Permits for Development Within the Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Corridor
- Best Management Practices for Wildlife Corridors
- Wildlife Crossing Structure Handbook – Federal Highway Administration
- Guidelines for designing roads and crossing structures to accommodate safe wildlife passage
- South Coast Missing Linkages Project: Read reports on linkages in Ventura County
Laws and Policies Related to Biological Resources
Migratory Birds
Oak Woodlands
- AB 242 – Oak Woodlands Conservation Act Fish & Game Code addresses conservation and funding.
- SB 1334 – Oak Woodlands Conservation
PR Code addresses standards for California Environmental Quality Act processes. - Ventura County Oak Woodland Management Plan
PR Code addresses standards for California Environmental Quality Act processes. - Oak Woodland Impact Decision Matrix
Tree Protection
Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas in the Coastal Zone
- California Coastal Commission Memorandum Regarding Designation of ESHA in the Santa Monica Mountains
Watercourses and Wetlands
