Endangered Species
California Condor
The California Condor is a Northern California Chaparral habitant that is rapidly going extinct. Because of its mere 22 birds in the early 2000's, extreme measures, such as collecting eggs and raising condors, have been taken to ensure the bird will not go completely extinct. There are multiple reasons why this bird is going extinct, examples being lead poisoning, shootings, condors encountering electric power lines, and habitat loss. Currently there are about 130 condors, which is still not enough to assume they won't be going extinct. The great thing about the California Condor is that although they are at the top of the food chain, they do not prey on animals below them. At the size of a human (length: 117-134cm), they could be a major threat to smaller animal, but instead they eat the carcasses of dead animals. This is a huge help to the environment, because they eliminate the waste buildup within the ecosystem. Without the California Condors, there would not be enough animals to eliminate the waste.
Invasive Species
Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum)
This invasive plant is a perennial shrub with cylindrical rush-like branches that are green when young and then turn brown as they mature. In addition, it is about 10-15 feet high. In California Spanish brooms are found in North Coast counties, the San Francisco Bay region, the Sacramento Valley, through South Coast counties to the Mexican border, in the western Transverse Ranges, and the Channel Islands. These species were planted along mountain highways in southern California. Following this, the Spanish broom spread rapidly therefore, producing seeds that are transported by any type of erosion or by rain wash. Spanish broom quickly colonizes disturbed habitats and develops thick shrub communities that prevent colonization by native soft or hard chaparral species. Plants grow to above the human head height and form a tangle containing a large amount of dead wood. Mature strands of Spanish broom should be considered a fire hazard during the dry season. The Spanish Broom creates a struggle for native wildlife.