Recreation
California bears
Q: I live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and a neighbor of mine said she’s seen a grizzly bear in the wild. Is that possible?
A: Black bears are the only wild bears in California. However, they do come in many different colors from solid black to shades of brown and tan. Some have different patches of color such as a white blaze on the chest or lighter colored muzzles.
Many people will claim to have seen a “brown bear.” Generally, the term “brown bear” refers to Ursus arctos, the grizzly bear.
California grizzly bears were hunted to extinction by the 1920s and only the one on our state flag remains.
There are two subspecies of black bears recognized in California: The northwestern or Olympic black bear (Ursus americana altifrontalis) in the northwest corner of California, and the California black bear (Ursus americana californiensis) throughout the rest of California.
They are thought to be geographically distinguished from each other by the crest of the Klamath Mountains.
California’s black bear population is robust and has increased over the past 25 years. Since the extinction of the California grizzly, black bears have been able to expand throughout much of the state as they no longer face direct competition from the larger bear species.
Songbird outbreak
Q: Earlier this year I read about the salmonellosis outbreak causing songbird deaths in several areas throughout the state. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) asked the public to remove bird feeders to reduce disease transmission. What’s the status of the outbreak? Can we use our bird feeders again?
A: The good news is that the salmonellosis outbreak appears to have subsided and it’s probably safe to resume feeding if residents choose to do so.
However, CDFW would like residents to continue keeping an eye on feeders because there have been reports of a bacterial infection in house finches.
The infection, Avian Mycoplasmosis, causes swollen eyes and an upper respiratory infection. Sick birds may act similar to those infected with salmonellosis. Mycoplasmosis spreads readily at bird feeders, especially tube feeders that require birds to reach their head into the hole to grab seeds.
Because of these new reports, CDFW is asking residents to remain vigilant in monitoring feeders and bird baths.
If sick or dead birds are seen at the feeders or bird baths, they should be removed for at least three to four weeks. This will hopefully encourage the birds to feed on more natural foods and slow the spread of any infections.
Also, it’s generally recommended that bird feeders and bird baths are thoroughly cleaned outdoors at least once a week, and more often if there is heavy use by birds.
SHARE program
Q: If I draw a SHARE program elk tag, does the landowner also charge a fee?
A: No. CDFW’s SHARE program provides public access to land for hunting and fishing. Since it is a public access program, what you’re drawing for is essentially an access permit.
Landowners utilizing the program are in contract with CDFW. Therefore, hunters who draw a tag do not pay fees for accessing the land.
This fall, SHARE is offering 92 elk tags during 60 hunts on 40 properties, including on five new properties. If drawn for an elk hunt, your expenses would be the tag and a nonrefundable application fee.
You can apply for a SHARE elk hunt from June 16 through July 24. For detailed information on available hunts visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/SHARE.
Emotional support ferret
Q: I know ferrets are usually illegal to own as pets, but can I get a permit to have one as an emotional support animal?
A: No. Ferrets (Family Mustelidae) are classified as a restricted species in the state of California, pursuant to California Code of Regulations (CCR), title 14, section 671.
For this reason, it is unlawful to import, transport or possess ferrets (or any other restricted species) in California, except under a permit issued by CDFW.
Permit conditions and requirements are established in California restricted species regulation (CCR, title 14, section 671.1).
There are no provisions in this section that would authorize CDFW to issue a permit for the purpose of importing, transporting or possessing a ferret or other restricted species animals for emotional support purposes. Therefore, ferrets cannot be possessed as emotional support animals in California.
For more information about restricted species laws and regulations in California, please visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Restricted-Species.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
EUREKA, Calif. — The 2019 North State Modified Series champion, Scott Winters of Tracy, narrowly escaped a scary crash that saw current points leader Kyle Tellstrom of Ukiah go airborne and slam the wall hard in turn four.
Winters then passed eight more cars on his way to win his first season victory in the North State Modified Series, or NSMS, presented by Protect the Harvest, at Redwood Acres Raceway Saturday night.
Sixteen NSMS teams made the long and winding tow to Eureka for the O’Reillys 60 lap feature.
Tellstrom was once again fastest in the qualifying runs with a 16.276 second lap. Second fastest was Darrin Knight of Kelseyville with a 16.313 on his first 2021 run with NSMS, followed by Winters (16.315), and two more Kelseyville drivers Darrin Sullivan (16.315) and Jeremy Nowlin (16.389.)
Ten cars were inverted for the start of the race with Oregon driver Rich Cobb and Anderson’s Keith Bloom sharing the front row.
Before even one lap was in the record books, second row starter Foryst Souza of Modesto slapped the turn three concrete in the Sal Lopez backup car.
The restart saw Cobb and Bloom side-by-side the next seven laps, but when Bloom started to lose ground on the high side, Medford, Oregon’s Randy Houston stuck his nose in the hole and moved into second.
Meanwhile Tellstrom had started his outside run, picking off Winters on lap 10 and moving alongside Knight the following round. On lap 13 the outside lane disappeared when Bloom’s car temporarily lost power in the low lane.
Several cars moved high trying to occupy the same real estate resulting in Tellstrom’s car hitting the wall hard, ending his winning streak. Tellstrom walked away without injury, but the car suffered severe damage.
The next two rounds saw the race halted twice, the first for a Kylei Keown spin in turn one, and the second when Dustin DeRosier tagged Knight turning Knight around.
Houston pulled ahead of Cobb on the restart, and this time it was Winters on the move. Knight was also charging back through the pack, and at the “Super Cuts 30 halfway mark” was Houston, Cobb, Bloom, Winters, Sullivan, Ian Elliott, Knight, Keown, DeRosier, Nowlin, Trevor Kollenborn and Mike Neilson. Early retirees were Orion Mosher, Sal Lopez and Souza.
Winters swapped places with Bloom on lap 31 and drove under Cobb for second the following round. Knight passed Sullivan on lap 41 but retired to the pits several laps later after spilling fluid around the track. Lap 46 and 47 saw Elliott pass both Bloom and Cobb as Houston and Winters were pulling away.
Just when it looked like it was Houston’s race, his car ran out of fuel and stopped on the front stretch to bring out the final yellow flag. Winters took control and drove the distance to take the Sunoco checkered flag and the $1000 win.
Elliott finished a strong second with Cobb third, Bloom fourth and Sullivan fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Kylei Keown, DeRosier, Kollenborn, Nowlin and Neilson.
The Naake Hard Charger Award also went to Winters. DeRosier collected $100 for his win in the Lucas Oil Dash for Cash, and Houston got $50 for second. The Frank’s Radios certificates went to Winters, Elliott and Cobb. All drivers received tow money from Lucas Oil and Vogel’s RVs of Ukiah.
The next race for the North State Modified Series will be at Shasta Speedway in Anderson on June 19. Then the series continues on to the All American Speedway in Roseville on July 10.
The North State Modified Series would not be possible without the support of Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Sullivan Construction and Masonry, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Supercuts at the Bayshore Mall, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Mark & Sharon Baldwin, Scribner Plastics, Mort Houston, McMurray & Sons Roofing, Frank’s Radios, and Economy Heating & Air.
O’REILLY AUTO PARTS MAIN EVENT:
Scott Winters, Ian Elliott, Rich Cobb, Keith Bloom, Darrin Sullivan, Kylei Keown, Dustin DeRosier, Trevor Kollenborn, Jeremy Nowlin, Mike Neilson, Randy Houston, Darrin Knight, Orion Mosher, Kyle Tellstrom, Sal Lopez, Foryst Souza
LUCAS OIL DASH FOR CASH:
Dustin DeRosier, Randy Houston, Keith Bloom, Kyle Tellstrom, Scott Winters, Rich Cobb
HOOSIER QUALIFYING:
Kyle Tellstrom (16.276), Darrin Knight (16.313), Scott Winters (16.315), Darrin Sullivan (16.339), Jeremy Nowlin (16.389), Ian Elliott (16.405), Foryst Souza (16.412), Randy Houston (16.465), Keith Bloom (16.561), Rich Cobb (16.571), Mike Neilson (16.632), Dustin DeRosier (16.635), Kylei Keown (16.694), Trevor Kollenborn (16.730), Sal Lopez (16.979) and Orion Mosher (17.028)
- Details
- Written by: Nadine Strauss
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