On May 4, 2026, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that it is initiating recovery planning for Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis) (MGS), which is listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA; Fish & G. Code, §2079.1).
MGS will be the first state-listed species for which the recovery planning process has been initiated under a state law (SB 473) enacted in 2018. This process is intended to guide the development of an effective and actionable recovery plan for the Mohave ground squirrel.
Recovery planning will be based on CDFW’s Guidelines for Recovery Planning, which can be found at the CESA Recovery website at: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/CESA/Recovery-Planning. Once a draft recovery plan is developed, the plan will be made available for public comment before final approval.
If you have any questions about the Mohave Ground Squirrel Recovery Plan, the recovery planning process, or wish to provide information on the species, please contact the Wildlife Branch’s CESA Recovery Coordinator, Austin Roy, at Austin.Roy@wildlife.ca.gov and include “Mohave ground squirrel recovery planning” in the email subject line.
ECORP biologists have been extensively involved in studies for the conservation of MGS for over 20 years and staff members played a major role in the founding of the Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) www.mgsconservation.org organization that is at the forefront of MGS conservation.
If your project may require studies or permitting for MGS or to find out more about the Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council, please contact Don Mitchell in ECORP’s Redlands office at (909) 307-0046
