--- title: California Drought: Forest and Desert Wildlife Hurt description: It's not just people who are hurt by the state's record drought canonical: https://time.com/3901467/california-drought-wildlife/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-01T18:31:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:11.248Z article:section: Science og:title: The California Drought Is Also Bad for Wildlife og:description: More than humans are hurt by an historic drought og:url: https://time.com/3901467/california-drought-wildlife/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt875b46e24fbce354/6987ee793c16396ed7455de7/california-drought1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Drought-Stricken California Community Close To Running Out Of Water og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The California Drought Is Also Bad for Wildlife twitter:description: More than humans are hurt by an historic drought twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt875b46e24fbce354/6987ee793c16396ed7455de7/california-drought1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How the California Drought Is Hurting Wildlife ## Video: Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather? [Watch (HLS stream): Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LQufbOt9.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2013-11-11. Is the frequency of extreme weather events a sign that global warming is gaining pace and exceeding predictions? Climate scientist Bill Patzert explains._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 1, 2015 6:31 PM UTC  Weeds grow in dry cracked earth that used to be the bottom of Lake McClure on March 24, 2015 in La Grange, Calif. Weeds grow in dry cracked earth that used to be the bottom of Lake McClure on March 24, 2015 in La Grange, Calif.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 1, 2015 6:31 PM UTC The California drought has left the state scrambling to provide water for its nearly 40 million residents and its very thirsty agricultural sector. But humans aren’t the only ones struggling. The historic dry spell is reshaping the habitats of much of the state’s wildlife, forcing animals to search much further for water and leaving some vulnerable to death. “Animals are going to have to get by with less and adapt,” said Jason Holley, supervising wildlife biologist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Those animals that can’t adapt aren’t going to survive.” The drought has affected all of California’s vast diversity of wildlife in different ways, and the most at risk species tend to be smaller ones that can’t pick up and move to other habitats. Take small animals in the Mojave Desert region. A lack of rainfall isn’t unusual in the area—it is, after all, a desert—but a number of species have been able to adapt and thrive in a few of the marshes that dot the region. But those marshes are drying up, destroying the habitat of various fish native to the Mojave Desert like the Shoshone pupfish. And unusually, the underwater aquifers that provide water for species like the endangered Amargosa vole, which is only found in the Mojave, are also drying up. “Marshes are becoming more and more isolated,” said Janet Foley, a professor at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “That whole area is a hot spot for Mojave endemics, animals that over time have become very isolated and very specialized. And those animals are in pretty bad trouble.” **Read More:** [How the California Drought Is Increasing the Potential for Devastating Wildfires](http://time.com/3849320/california-drought-wildfires/) ### See How California Is Using Its Diminishing Water Resources  The Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades, which bring water 223 miles from the Owens River in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, and 137 miles from the Haiwee Reservoir, are a major source of water for Los Angeles. Seen here in Sylmar, Calif. on May 4, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  The Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades are seen in Sylmar, Calif. on May 4, 2015\. California's snowpack, which generally provides about a third of the state's water, is at its lowest level on record. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  With the country's most populous state entering the fourth year of a devastating drought, Governor Jerry Brown has ordered an overall 25 percent cut in urban water use though the first statewide mandatory reductions in California's history. The suppliers with the highest per capita water use would have to accept a 36 percent cut. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  A tractor ploughs a field next to a canal in Los Banos, Calif. on May 5, 2015\. California water regulators on Tuesday adopted the state's first rules for mandatory cutbacks in urban water use as the region's catastrophic drought enters its fourth year. However, the state's massive agricultural sector, which the Public Policy Institute of California says uses 80 percent of human-related consumption, has been exempted from cutbacks. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  A worker walks through farm fields in Los Banos, Calif. on May 5, 2015\. Urban users will be hardest hit, even though they account for only 20 percent of state water consumption. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  Approximately 9 million acres of farmland in California are irrigated, representing roughly 80% of all human water use. But, farm production and food processing only generate about 2% of California’s gross state product, down from about 5% in the early 1960s. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  "In the Central Valley, where most agricultural water use occurs, the failure to manage groundwater sustainably limits its availability as a drought reserve. The increase in perennial crops—which need to be watered every year—has made the region even more vulnerable," the Public Policy Institute of California states. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  Central Valley farmers have witnessed land sinking by as much as 3 feet, San Francisco Gate reports, as water agencies tap underground reservoirs at unprecedented depths. Water pours into a canal in Los Banos, Calif., May 5, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  Livestock products, including meat, dairy and eggs, account for more than a quarter of California's agricultural sector, a $12.5 billion industry, according to the USDA. Cattle are among the most water-hungry livestock, consuming an average of106 gallons per pound of beef. Cattle are seen at Harris Ranch in Coalinga, Calif. on May 5, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  California's planting of staple crops such as cotton, corn, oats, barley, wheat, rice, and sunflowers will total 1.72 million acres in 2015, down from 1.90 million acres in 2014, according to data from the National Drought Mitigation Center. A wheat field is seen in Los Banos, Calif. May 5, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters  A water protest sign is seen in Los Banos, California, United States May 5, 2015\. Central Valley counties suffer some of the highest unemployment rates in the state, topping out at more than 20% in Colusa County, according to the state's Legislative Analyst's Office. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters Much like small animals in marshes, wildlife that have thrived in urban habitats have also struggled to adapt as state regulations force California homeowners to let their lawns and gardens dry and die. Squirrels and hummingbirds are far from endangered, but in California their numbers may dwindle. In the Central Valley region, home to much of the state’s agriculture, the problem is worsened as farms take up nearly all the water that’s left. The death of [12 million trees](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-trees-dying-california-drought-20150505-story.html) in the forest habitat as a result of drought has also damaged living conditions for small animals that live in woody areas. Many small animals that depend on plant byproducts like acorns have seen their food supplies dwindle. And the canopy created by the tops of trees has been diminished in many areas, making it more difficult for some creatures like mice and rabbits to hide from predators, said Patricia Kruger, regional threatened and endangered species coordinator at the U.S. Forest Service. “Predators can have a short term benefit but, if it continues for a long time, obviously that’s not good,” said Holley. Though the majority of affected species tend to be small, large mammals like bears and deer could soon face their own set of problems. For one thing, species large and small have been forced to share watering holes that would have once been separate, increasing the potential for the spread of disease. As the drought worsened, many of these large mammals simply picked up and moved elsewhere to find find food and water. But the moves have not been seamless. Wildlife officials anticipate an increase in the number of clashes between these animals and their new human neighbors. In many cases, authorities have taken an active role in protecting wildlife from the drought. Scientists are raising the vole, which has been listed as endangered since the 1980s, in captivity to ensure it doesn’t disappear from the planet, for instance. But in other cases, they can only sit back and hope for the best, said Holley. “We’re kind of in a waiting period,” he said. “We’re hoping for a more normal \[rain\] cycle. There’s one thing that’s certain, the climate in California has always been changing and will continue to change, and these animals are going to have to continue to adapt.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3901467/california-drought-wildlife/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3901467/california-drought-wildlife/"},"headline":"How the California Drought Is Hurting Wildlife","datePublished":"2015-06-01T18:31:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:41:11.248Z","description":"It's not just people who are struggling to cope with the state's record drought","url":"https://time.com/3901467/california-drought-wildlife/","keywords":["animals","climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt875b46e24fbce354/6987ee793c16396ed7455de7/california-drought1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt875b46e24fbce354/6987ee793c16396ed7455de7/california-drought1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Drought-Stricken California Community Close To Running Out Of Water","caption":"Drought-Stricken California Community Close To Running Out Of Water","creditText":"Justin Sullivan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3901467/california-drought-wildlife/","name":"How the California Drought Is Hurting Wildlife"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Is Climate Change Causing Extreme Weather?","description":"Is the frequency of extreme weather events a sign that global warming is gaining pace and exceeding predictions? 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