Programs & Advocacy
Recovering a species that has been absent for more than a century requires work on many levels at once. Our four core programs are designed to support one another: restored habitat gives monitoring a place to focus, monitoring gives advocacy its evidence, and education builds the public support that makes policy change possible.
1. Habitat Restoration
Since 1999, California Monkey Watch volunteers have restored more than 1,850 acres of foothill oak woodland. Working with private landowners and local land trusts, we plant blue oak, interior live oak and native understory shrubs along creek corridors, with a focus on reconnecting woodland fragments separated by roads, grazing land and wildfire.
Our long-term goal is a continuous "golden corridor" of oak woodland stretching from Nevada County to Mariposa County, capable of supporting a reintroduced population.
2. Community Monitoring
The Monkey Watch program trains foothill residents to document possible sightings using a standardized field protocol. Every report received through our hotline is logged, mapped and reviewed by our field coordinator. Promising locations are followed up with motion-activated camera traps.
| Year | Reports received | Camera-trap sites | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 864 | 22 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,037 | 18 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,120 | 31 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1,258 | 34 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,412 | 40 | 0 |
3. Education & Outreach
Most Californians have never heard of the California golden monkey. Our education program works to change that through school assemblies, library talks, county fair booths and our free classroom curriculum, Primates of the Golden State, aligned with fourth-grade California history standards. Since 2008 our presenters have reached more than 40,000 students.
4. Policy & Advocacy
Habitat restoration alone cannot bring the golden monkey home. Reintroduction will require the support of state lawmakers, wildlife officials, counties and landowners. California Monkey Watch advocates for:
- The California Native Primate Recovery Act, our proposed legislation to formally recognize the golden monkey as a native species and establish a recovery planning process.
- Protection of foothill oak woodlands in county general plans and development review.
- Wildlife corridor funding that includes the needs of arboreal species.
- A feasibility study on reintroduction using related macaque populations.
Our staff and volunteers regularly provide public comment at county and state hearings, meet with legislative offices, and mobilize members during key votes. In 2023, CMW supporters submitted more than 2,000 comment letters in support of foothill corridor protections.