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Recreation
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The American River Trout Hatchery operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reopened this week after warm water temperatures forced the closure of the facility in early summer.
Colder winter temperatures and recent rain are allowing hatchery staff to begin filling the raceways with cooler river water and start to produce rainbow trout for planting in northern California lakes this summer.
“The drought forced us to think quickly and make the best decisions for the health of the fish,” said Dr. Bill Cox, CDFW Fishery Program Manager. “Because of the rain and colder weather, we can start producing trout right away.”
In June, CDFW moved all rainbow trout out of the American River Hatchery to avoid losses of young fish due to rising water temperatures.
Both Nimbus and American River hatcheries’ water supply comes from Lake Natoma, upstream of the hatcheries.
Drought conditions resulted in reduced water supplies stored in Folsom Lake and warm summer temperatures increased the water temperature of the available water, exceeding tolerable temperatures for growing fish.
The trout being grown now will be available for planting in state waters beginning in January 2015.
For the fish stocking schedule, please visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/ .
For complete fishing regulations, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations .
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Anderson Marsh State Historic Park will hold a free, guided nature walk over the reopened McVicar Trail beginning at noon on New Year’s Day as part of America's State Parks First Day Hikes initiative.
The First Day Hikes offer individuals and families an opportunity to begin the New Year rejuvenating and connecting with the outdoors by taking a healthy hike on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at a state park close to home.
First Day Hikes offer a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family.
Walkers on the McVicar Trail pass along the edge of Anderson Marsh and end up at the gravel beach on the lake across from Indian Island.
This will be a leisurely walk that will begin a noon and cover about 7 miles of mainly flat terrain.
The walk should take between three and four hours, depending on how many times the group stops to admire what we see along the way.
Participants are welcome to walk part way and make an early return at their own pace.
According to park docent Henry Bornstein, who along with Docent Gae Henry will lead the walk, “This is a fabulous opportunity to experience the Anderson Marsh Natural Preserve, with the McVicar Trail passing through grasslands, oak woodlands, willow and cottonwood riparian habitats and the tule marsh habitat of Anderson Marsh. Let’s get outside on New Year’s Day and share what we know about the geology and history of the area, and the flora, birds and other wildlife that we encounter on the walk.”
Participants should bring water and snacks and binoculars if they have them, and wear sturdy shoes and a hat. Rain will cancel the walk.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is located on Highway 53, between Lower Lake and Clearlake.
For more information about the walk, email
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How well can waterfowl see?
Question: How well can ducks actually see? Can they see color? I know deer see different shades of gray, but what about ducks and geese? (David V.)
Answer: Waterfowl can control the curvature of both the lens and cornea (mammals, including humans, only control the lens). This is basically how birds can see extremely well while flying and while in the act of diving/feeding.
In addition, their eyes act independently and they use one at a time to allow for depth-perception since nearly all waterfowl have monocular, not binocular, vision (they can’t stare forward at objects).
Another unique thing about waterfowl is they can see in almost all directions. A few ducks are the exception to the rule, but usually the eye placement allows them to view in many different directions at the same time.
Secondly, waterfowl have a very high number of cones (which dictates color vision in humans) which allows them to see sharp images and have color vision where colors are more vivid than humans’ ability.
The breadth of color vision is much wider than our own since UV light can be observed by waterfowl (UV light is absorbed by lenses in humans). This allows waterfowl to fly at night or feed in the dark or at low light conditions.
Diving in MPA reserves with game onboard?
Question: If I am on a commercial sport diving boat and we have legally caught lobster on board, may we go into a marine protected area (MPA) to dive and be assured that we will not get a ticket if we are boarded?
We would of course have lobster report cards all properly filled out and the lobsters would be of legal size and taken beforehand in a legal area.
Can the boat operator be assured that he will not be cited as well? (Rusty B., Montclair)
Answer: If you have lobsters on board your vessel, you may not dive in a marine reserve with gear that can be used to catch lobster (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 632 (a)(7) and (8)).
A person can't have their "fishing gear" deployed in the water when anchored or transiting through a marine reserve or other MPA that prohibits fishing for the species you have on board.
Thus, if a diver dives with a game bag and gloves, then it could be argued they have their lobster "fishing gear" in the water. If divers really want to dive in a marine reserve off their boat with catch on board, they should do everything possible to ensure it does not appear they will be pursuing/taking lobster. This would include stowing their completed lobster report card, along with the lobster and dive bags.
A diver wearing gloves and diving with a game bag, or anything else that could be used to take fish, lobsters or abalone (a large dive knife or long stick with a hooked device, etc.) would appear to have another purpose in mind besides sightseeing. It would then be up to the wildlife officer to determine the appropriate action.
Are rules for selling on eBay different?
Question: From my understanding, it is illegal to sell deer skulls, deer antlers or deer mounts in the State of California.
I know that eBay is based in California and they allow the sale of deer antlers, mounts and deer taxidermy.
Obviously, they are receiving money from the online sale of deer parts so how did that come about, and has there been special legislation to cover it?
Was this a decision allowed by the California government, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) or has it just happened this way? (Nate H.)
Answer: Just because eBay is selling these things or allowing them to be sold, doesn't mean it's legal.
Fish and Game Code, section 3039 generally prohibits selling or purchasing any part of a bird or mammal found in the wild in California.
Complete antlers, whole heads with antlers, antlers mounted for display or antlers in the velvet may not be sold or purchased at any time.
However, shed antlers or antlers taken from domestically reared animals that have been manufactured into products or handcrafted items, or that have been cut into blocks or units which are to be handcrafted, may be purchased or sold. Deer hides can also be sold.
Who can validate big game tags?
Question: I have a question regarding who can validate big game tags. In the regulations booklet there is a list of persons who may validate/countersign big game tags, but I noticed there is no mention of County Agricultural Standards Inspectors.
Each county has Agricultural and Standards Inspectors and/or Agricultural Biologists and Standards Inspectors who enforce the laws and regulations of California.
Would a hunter be within their legal right to have their big game tag countersigned by such a person? (Andy R., Escondido)
Answer: No. Only those people listed in the regulations booklet are authorized to validate big game tags (CCR, Title 14, section 708.6).
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is updating its Deer Management Plan.
To assist with this planning effort, CDFW has selected Responsive Management, a company specializing in natural resource-related public opinion surveys, to conduct a deer hunter opinion survey.
Responsive Management will begin contacting randomly selected deer hunters by telephone in mid-December.
Survey participants will be asked a series of deer hunting and deer management-related questions.
Survey results will be used to help CDFW assess and guide the future of its deer management program and identify management strategies.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. However, participation by selected individuals will ensure that deer hunter opinions are documented and considered during development and implementation of CDFW’s statewide deer management plan.
Direct any questions about the deer hunter survey to CDFW Deer Program Coordinator Stuart Itoga at 916-445-3652.
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