Hopper Mountain

Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge is located in Ventura County, in southern California. It is bordered by the Los Padres National Forest and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary to the north. The 2,471-acre refuge was established in 1974 to protect the endangered California condor, its habitat, and other wildlife resources.

The refuge is in rugged, mountainous terrain. Primary habitats include annual grasslands, interspersed with oak and California black walnut groves, with chaparral on the steeper slopes, natural water springs and riparian habitat, and a freshwater marsh. The California black walnut community is considered to be a unique habitat in California, and is recorded in the State Natural Heritage Database.

The refuge provides habitat for more than 130 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles, including the southwestern pond turtle--a California species of special concern--black bear, bobcat, mule deer, golden eagle, and California tree frog. More than 200 plant species have also been documented on the refuge.

Hopper Mountain Refuge plays an integral part in the California Condor Recovery Program, providing foraging and roosting habitat for the bird. It also has a condor rearing facility, which consists of six simulated nest caves and a flight pen.

This facility has been used to rear condor chicks and hold injured condors until they are able to be released into the wild. The refuge shares information about the Condor Recovery Program through an outreach program that is extended to the local, national, and international public.

Directions

The Hopper Mountain NWR is administered by the Hopper Mountain NWR Complex office in Ventura, CA, and is located in Ventura County, California, approximately 6 air miles north of the town of Fillmore. The refuge is closed to public use.

More info at http://hoppermountain.fws.gov

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