CDFW March calendar of events

Deer, by Terri Weist

by CDFW
2-24-2017
Website

Various Days — Guided Wetland Tours, By Reservation, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). A wildlife naturalist will lead a group, school or organization on a half-mile route through diverse wetlands. General information includes wildlife identification, behavior patterns and conservation efforts. Tours can be catered to include requested information. The minimum group size is 18 people. For more information, please call (530) 846-7505 or email lori.dieter@wildlife.ca.gov.

Various Days — Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Access Permit Application Deadline for Multiple Hunting Opportunities. Wild pig, deer, bear, turkey, dove and quail hunts are available through the SHARE program. A $10.50 non-refundable application fee (plus handling fees) will be charged for each hunt choice. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/share.

Weekends — Ecological Reserve Tours at Elkhorn Slough. Volunteers lead walks every Saturday and Sunday, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Binoculars and bird books are available for the public to borrow at no cost. The visitor center and main overlook are fully accessible. The day use permit fee is $4.12 per person, ages 16 and older (permits may be purchased on-site). Groups of five should please notify staff that they are coming and groups of 10 or more can request a separate tour. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/lands/places-to-visit/elkhorn-slough-er.

 1 — CDFW’s Annual Salmon Information Meeting, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sonoma County Water Agency, 404 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa (95403). The public is invited to attend CDFW’s annual meeting on the status of California Chinook salmon populations and the outlook for 2017 ocean salmon fisheries. For more information, please contact Kandice Morgenstern at (707) 576-2879 or kandice.morgenstern@wildlife.ca.gov.

1-3 — Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) Annual Workshop, Lake Natoma Inn, 702 Gold Lake Drive, Folsom (95630). The event will feature research results and technical analyses that advance the understanding of scientific topics. The workshop consists of single sessions featuring a panel of speakers discussing topics related to IEP research needs. The cost is $130 per person. For more information, please visit cvent.com/events/2017-iep-annual-workshop/event-summary-bf8b34d482ae423493b075c5a92de492.aspx or contact Sakura Evans at (209) 234-3670 or sakura.evans@wildlife.ca.gov.

1-5 — Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show, Long Beach Convention Center, 300 East Ocean Blvd., Long Beach (90802). Attendees can visit the CDFW booth to ask questions and purchase licenses, tags and report cards. The 2017 CDFW Warden Stamp ($5) will be available to help support CDFW enforcement and fund the purchase of equipment. CDFW license staff can no longer receive cash, so all purchases must be made via debit or credit cards. In addition to the CDFW booth located inside, CDFW’s law enforcement display trailer located outside will feature a free, enclosed laser-shot game, and youths can fish in a CDFW-stocked fishing pond. Visitors can also view CDFW’s first hatchery trout-planting truck, a restored 1925 Dodge, a modern trout- stocking truck and a fish hatchery display. CDFW’s Mojave River Fish Hatchery is stocking the youth fishing pond. CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham and staff will participate in a public forum on March 4 to answer questions and discuss important issues regarding California’s fish and wildlife resources. Admission is $17 for adults, $15 seniors (62 and older), $12 military (with valid I.D.) and free for youths 15 years old and younger with a paid adult. For more information, please visit www.fredhall.com/long-beach.

4, 11, 18 — Elkhorn Slough Reserve Teachers on the Reserve Workshops, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville (95076). The one-day workshops offered on three consecutive Saturdays are designed for kindergarten through college teachers. They provide an introduction to the natural history of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, hiking trails, educational kits and activities that are available on field trips. To register, please visit www.elkhornslough.org/education/teachers and for more information, please contact Virginia Guhin at virginia.guhin@wildlife.ca.gov.

9 — California Wildlife Conservation Board, 9 a.m., will meet at the Natural Resources Building, First Floor Auditorium, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento (95814). The board will consider projects proposed under the Streamflow Enhancement Program. For more information, please visit https://wcb.ca.gov/programs/stream-flow-enhancement.

10-11 — Friant Interactive Nature Site (FINS) Volunteer Days, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Friant Interactive Nature Site, 17443 N. Friant Road, Friant (93626). Volunteers will perform trail maintenance, including raking, pruning, weeding and planting, along the Small Fry Children’s and San Joaquin River Parkway trails. Parking is available at the corner of Friant Road and Flemming Road and participants can meet CDFW staff at the picnic area along the Parkway Trail to sign in. Volunteers under 18 must bring a signed parent permission slip. For more information, please email r4salmonidsclassroom@wildlife.ca.gov or call (559) 243-4014 ext. 245.

10-12 — Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show (formerly the Central Valley Sports Show), Kern County Fairgrounds, 1142 South P St., Bakersfield (93307). Attendees can visit the CDFW booth to ask questions and purchase licenses, tags and report cards. The 2017 CDFW Warden Stamp ($5) will be available to help support CDFW enforcement and fund the purchase of equipment. CDFW license staff can no longer receive cash, so all purchases must be made via debit or credit cards. In addition to the CDFW booth located inside, CDFW’s law enforcement display trailer located outside will feature a free, enclosed laser-shot game. Visitors can also view CDFW’s first hatchery trout-planting truck, a restored 1925 Dodge, and a modern trout-stocking truck. CDFW’s San Joaquin Fish Hatchery is stocking the youth fishing pond. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 seniors (62 and older), $7 military (with valid I.D.) and free for youths 15 years old and younger with a paid adult. For more information, please visit www.fredhall.com/bakersfield.

11-12 — Siskiyou Sportsmen’s Expo, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 11 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 12, Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds 1712 Fairlane Road, Yreka (96097). CDFW will be sponsoring its annual pond fishing event for youths. For more Information, please call (530) 842-2767 or email info@sisqfair.com, or visit www.sisqfair.com/sportsmenexpo.html.

15 — 2017 Abalone Report Cards Available For Purchase. Abalone report cards are required for any person who takes abalone. The cards must be returned to CDFW or reported online even if no abalone were taken. New regulations for this year shortened the season and reduced the annual bag limit. The abalone season now opens on May 1 rather than April 1 and closes Oct. 31 rather than Nov. 30. The new annual bag limit is 12. More information about the new regulations can be found atcdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/01/09/north-coast-abalone-season-dates-regulations-change/. Report cards are crucial in helping biologists to monitor the harvest of abalone and to enforce daily and annual bag limits for abalone. Report cards may be purchased from CDFW license sales offices, license agents and online at www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/online-sales. For more information about abalone fishery management, including current work on a new red abalone fishery management plan, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/invertebrates/abalone.

15 — California Fish and Game Commission Teleconference Meeting, 9 a.m., Jim Kellogg Conference Room, 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1320, Sacramento (95814). For more information, please visit http://www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2017/MarTele/031517agd.pdf.

18 — Nest Box Survey and Orientation at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). The free orientation meeting is required for participation in a season-long field study. Crews of two to three adults will collect data that is used to understand and enhance the local wood duck population and other wildlife. For more information, please call (530) 846-7505 or email lori.dieter@wildlife.ca.gov.

22 — Last Day of California Spiny Lobster Recreational and Commercial Fishing Season, Statewide. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/Iinvertebrates/lobster.

23 — California Fish and Game Commission Marine Resources Committee Meeting, 10 a.m., Holiday Inn Express, 35 Via Pico Plaza, San Clemente (95672). For more information, please visit www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2017/index.aspx.

25 — Fifth Annual San Joaquin River Fishing Derby, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., with registration beginning at 6 a.m., Sycamore Island, 39664 Ave. 7 1/2, Madera (93638). Co-sponsored by CDFW, Trout Unlimited, the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust and the San Joaquin River Conservancy, the derby is a celebration of the San Joaquin River’s diverse fishing and recreational opportunities. Prizes will include an annual pass to Sycamore Island, a River Camp Scholarship, river tours and the grand-prize drawing of a California lifetime fishing license. Prizes will be awarded at noon. There is no charge to enter the fishing derby but participants are required to pay the regular Sycamore Island day-use fee of $9 per vehicle and $5 per trailered boat. For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/jcv9yon.

25 — Spring Turkey Hunting Season and Hunt Application Deadlines. California’s 2017 general spring wild turkey hunting season opens statewide on March 25 and extends through April 30. Hunters using archery equipment may also hunt the two weeks after the general season (May 1-14). Hunters who have a current junior hunting license may also hunt the weekend before the opener, (March 18-19), and the two weeks after the general season (May 1-14), using shotguns or any other legal method of take. For more information, please visit cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/spring-turkey-hunting-season-and-hunt-application-deadlines-approach/.

25-26 — Elkhorn Slough Reserve Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE K-6) Workshop, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville (95076). The workshop for K-6 grade teachers will focus on developing lessons around hydrology, meteorology and soil data collection. Space is limited to the first 16 teachers who enroll. To register, please visit www.elkhornslough.org/education/teachers and for more information, please contact Virginia Guhin at virginia.guhin@wildlife.ca.gov.

23-26 — Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show, Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar (92014). Attendees can visit the CDFW booth to ask questions and purchase licenses, tags and report cards. The 2017 CDFW Warden Stamp ($5) will be available to help support CDFW enforcement and fund the purchase of equipment. CDFW license staff can no longer receive cash, so all purchases must be made via debit or credit cards. In addition to the CDFW booth located inside, CDFW’s law enforcement display trailer will be located outside and will feature a free, enclosed laser-shot game. Visitors can also view CDFW’s first hatchery trout-planting truck, a restored 1925 Dodge, a modern trout stocking truck and a fish hatchery display. CDFW’s Mojave River Fish Hatchery is stocking the youth fishing pond. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 seniors (62 and older), $10 military (with valid I.D.) and free for youths 15 years old and younger with a paid adult. For more information, please visit fredhall.com/san-diego.