Juvenile coho salmon are tagged at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery.

Juvenile coho salmon are tagged at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

California builds a ‘Noah’s Ark’ to protect wildlife from extinction by fire and heat

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Globally, more than a million plants and animals face extinction due to habitat loss, climate change and other factors related to human activity, and this alarming loss of biodiversity is only accelerating.

From left, Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity,

From left, Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, look for the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14,...

From left, Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, look for the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14,... (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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The endangered Amargosa niterwort plant grows through the salt crust in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California.

The endangered Amargosa niterwort plant grows through the salt crust in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California.

The endangered Amargosa niterwort plant grows through the salt crust in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, holds a seed from the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California.

Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, holds a seed from the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California.

Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, holds a seed from the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, uses a sounder to detect the water level from a shallow watering well where the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant lives in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14,

Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, uses a sounder to detect the water level from a shallow watering well where the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant lives in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California.

Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, uses a sounder to detect the water level from a shallow watering well where the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant lives in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in Mojave Desert, California. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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From left, Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden,

From left, Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, look for seeds from the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on...

From left, Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, look for seeds from the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on... (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Maria Jesus, right, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, peers through a magnifying glass while Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, holds a petal with an ovary as they look for seeds

Maria Jesus, right, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, peers through a magnifying glass while Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, holds a petal with an ovary as they look for seeds on the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in...

Maria Jesus, right, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, peers through a magnifying glass while Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, holds a petal with an ovary as they look for seeds on the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14, 2021, in... (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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From left, Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity,

From left, Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, look for the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14,...

From left, Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs of the California Botanic Garden, Maria Jesus, conservation program assistant of the California Botanic Garden, and Patrick Donnelly, Nevada State director for the Center for Biological Diversity, look for the endangered Amargosa niterwort plant in the Lower Carson Slough near Amargosa on July 14,... (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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The Devil’ s Hole pupfish has survived in this remote rock tub since the Ice Age, but its population has plunged to an all-time low.

The Devil’ s Hole pupfish has survived in this remote rock tub since the Ice Age, but its population has plunged to an all-time low.

The Devil’ s Hole pupfish has survived in this remote rock tub since the Ice Age, but its population has plunged to an all-time low. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Federally endangered Delta smelt in a holding tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

Federally endangered Delta smelt in a holding tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

Federally endangered Delta smelt in a holding tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Delta smelt hatched at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab swim in a holding tank after being transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, in April 2019.

Delta smelt hatched at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab swim in a holding tank after being transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, in April 2019.

Delta smelt hatched at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Lab swim in a holding tank after being transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, in April 2019. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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An endangered yellow-legged frog sighted near Wrightwood, California, in the San Gabriel Mountains.

An endangered yellow-legged frog sighted near Wrightwood, California, in the San Gabriel Mountains.

An endangered yellow-legged frog sighted near Wrightwood, California, in the San Gabriel Mountains. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Biologist Rory Taylor cleans a coho salmon tank at Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville, California, on August 6, 2021.

Biologist Rory Taylor cleans a coho salmon tank at Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville, California, on August 6, 2021.

Biologist Rory Taylor cleans a coho salmon tank at Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville, California, on August 6, 2021. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Juvenile coho salmon are tagged at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery.

Juvenile coho salmon are tagged at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery.

Juvenile coho salmon are tagged at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Biologists Emily Van Seeters and Rory Taylor tag juvenile coho salmon at Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville, California on August 6, 2021.

Biologists Emily Van Seeters and Rory Taylor tag juvenile coho salmon at Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville, California on August 6, 2021.

Biologists Emily Van Seeters and Rory Taylor tag juvenile coho salmon at Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville, California on August 6, 2021. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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