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Recreation
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
All calendar items are subject to change as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Please continue to adhere to all safety protocols including physical distancing, wearing masks and frequent hand washing.
Wildlife areas, ecological reserves and other properties may be closed due to wildfire damage. Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts are strongly encouraged to check for closures before leaving on any recreational trip.
Various days — California Invasive Species Action Week Youth Art Contest. Students in grades 2-12 are invited to submit artwork on the theme, “Be an Invasive Species Detective!” All types of media are encouraged! Submit entries electronically by May 5, 2021. Find complete information at www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/invasives/action-week/poster-contest. Winners will be announced during California Invasive Species Action Week in June. Please send any questions to
Various days — Nature Bowl 2021: Family Challenge Edition. Hosted by CDFW’s North Central Region, the 2021 Nature Bowl has been reformatted into a virtual nature challenge to all California families with school-age students. Spring is here, and it’s time for rejuvenation, emerging from winter hibernation and getting outside for a healthy dose of nature. Your challenge is to work together as a family to compete in five nature-themed activities – and possibly win cool nature-related prizes. Nature Bowl runs through May 14, 2021. For more information and materials, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/regions/2/nature-bowl or contact Genelle Treaster at
Various days — Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Scavenger Hunt, sunrise to sunset through April 11, 45211 County Road 32 B, Davis (95618). Learn about the Yolo Bypass wetlands and wildlife in this family-friendly, self-guided scavenger hunt around the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. Participants will solve clues as they journey to the scavenger hunt stations shown on the provided map. Visit at least five stations and submit the scavenger hunt form to be entered to win exciting prizes. See if you can visit all 10 stations! The Scavenger Hunt is free, though a $10 donation per family to support Yolo Basin Foundation’s environmental education programs is suggested. For more information, materials and instructions, please visit www.yolobasin.org/scavengerhunt.
Various days — Vernal Pool Speaker Series, 7 p.m., April 1, 13 and 27. Vernal pools are home to a variety of rare and endemic plants and animals. These talks, presented via Zoom, will cover the natural history and ecology of vernal pools of the Central Valley, plant and animal species conservation, and the history of Grasslands Regional Park. For the schedule of talks and to register for these free events, please visit www.yolobasin.org/grpspeakerseries.
1 — California Wildlife Conservation Board Lower American River Conservancy Program Proposal Solicitation Notice Release. For more information, please visit www.wcb.ca.gov/programs/lower-american-river.
1 — Recreational Groundfish Season Opens, for all boat-based anglers in the San Francisco Management Area (Point Arena, Mendocino County to Pigeon Point, San Mateo County), San Francisco Bay and the Central Management Area (Pigeon Point, San Mateo County to Point Conception, Santa Barbara County). For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish.
1 — California Grunion Season Closes. Season closes at midnight the night of March 31. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/grunion.
1 — San Francisco Bay Surfperch Season Closes. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/regulations/fishing-map/sf-bay.
3 — Recreational Ocean Salmon Season Opens from Pigeon Point to U.S./Mexico Border. For more information, please visit the Ocean Salmon webpage at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon or call either the CDFW Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429 or the National Marine Fisheries Service Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (800) 662-9825.
3 — Vernal Pool Virtual Tour, 9 to 10 a.m. Explore the crucial, incredible habitats of vernal pools with Yolo Basin Foundation staff and volunteers through a virtual experience at Grasslands Regional Park. Discover how vernal pools are naturally created, how they can be restored and how they provide unique habitat. Zoom in more closely to view amazing wildflowers and small creatures that call the vernal pools home. Registration is free and limited to 60 devices per virtual tour. For more information and to sign up, please visit www.yolobasin.org/virtualwetlandtours.
6-9 — 11th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference and 2021 IEP Annual Workshop. The 11th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference and the 2021 Interagency Ecological Program Annual Workshop will be a combined virtual event this year. The conference acts as a forum for presenting scientific analyses and results relevant to management of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The goal of the conference is to provide new information and syntheses to the broad community of scientists, engineers, resources managers and stakeholders working on Bay-Delta issues. The conference theme is “Building Resilience through Diversity in Science.” Attendance is free with registration. To register for the event, please visit www.baydeltascienceconference.org. For more information on the conference, please visit www.deltacouncil.ca.gov/delta-science-program/11th-biennial-bay-delta-science-conference.
8 — Advanced Hunter Education Webinar: Archery Turkey Hunting, 6 to 7 p.m. This webinar will cover many aspects of a successful turkey hunt with a bow. Join us as we share information on how to bag a wild turkey using archery equipment. Register at www.register-ed.com/programs/california/162-advanced-hunter-education.
10 — Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Virtual Tour, 10 to 11 a.m. Join Yolo Basin Foundation staff and docents to explore your local wetlands. Observe wildlife up close with our virtual spotting scope view! Registration is free and limited to 60 devices per virtual tour. For more information and to sign up, please visit www.yolobasin.org/virtualwetlandtours.
13 — California Fish and Game Commission Tribal Committee Meeting. The meeting is to be held via webinar/teleconference due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. For more information, please visit www.fgc.ca.gov.
14 — California Fish and Game Commission Meeting. The meeting is to be held via webinar/teleconference due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. For more information, please visit fgc.ca.gov.
15 — 2021-22 Hunting Items on Sale. Hunters can purchase 2021-22 hunting licenses, tags and validations, and apply for the annual Big Game Drawing. Items may be purchased at license agents, online at www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales or by phone at (800) 565-1458. Sales transactions for the Big Game Drawing applications must be completed before midnight on June 2, 2021. Please contact a local CDFW license sales office for more information.
15 — Deadline to Submit Lobster Trap Loss Affidavits. Commercial lobster fishermen must submit an affidavit reporting trap loss for the 2020-2021 season. Forms can be found at www.nrm.dfg.ca.gov/filehandler.ashx?documentid=141218 and can be returned either by email to
22 — California Wildlife Conservation Board Stream Flow Enhancement Program Board Meeting, 10 a.m., via Zoom. For more information, please visit wcb.ca.gov.
22 — Advanced Hunter Education Webinar: Applying for Big Game Tags, 6 to 7 p.m. This webinar will cover how to successfully apply for all big game tag applications. Learn how the process works and how to properly apply for your hunt choices. Register at www.register-ed.com/programs/california/162-advanced-hunter-education.
24 — Aquatic WILD Virtual Workshop, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Elkhorn Slough Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville (95076). This one-day workshop for elementary school teachers takes a deep dive into aquatic habitats and their animals! Participants leave with the Aquatic Wild guide to hundreds of fun and engaging lessons and activities, and skills to lead field investigations at their school or on the reserve. This workshop is free, but registration is required. For more details and to register, please visit www.elkhornslough.org/events/aquatic-wild-teacher-workshop-3.
29 — Watershed Scale Thinking: An Evenings at the Estuary Presentation, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Virtual Event. Join Elkhorn Slough Foundation Stewardship Director Dash Dunkell and Digital Mapping expert Kass Green for a discussion on watershed restoration and the brand-new vegetation maps of the Elkhorn Slough and learn how to take meaningful action in your own area. To register for this free event, please visit www.elkhornslough.org/events/watershed-scale-thinking.
30 — Deadline to Report Spiny Lobster Report Cards. Divers and hoop netters who were issued report cards for spiny lobster must report their data by April 30, 2021. Report card holders who fail to return their Spiny Lobster Report Card or report their harvest online by the deadline will be assessed a $21.60 non-return fee when they purchase a spiny lobster report card for the following season. Divers and hoop netters may report online or mail their report card to the address printed on the report card. To report online, please visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/customersearch/begin.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
As the Golden State’s rainfall is at near historic lows, blooms may not be bountiful, so assessing the situation before heading out is even more crucial this year.
Wildflowers typically bloom in the southern portion of the state first, and blooms then move north as the weather warms.
According to the National Weather Service, some areas in central and southern California have received less than 20 percent of their normal precipitation this year.
As a result, wildflower watchers may have better luck at less traditional viewing spots such as the Red Hills or the Merced River recreation management areas in Tuolumne County or Mariposa County, respectively.
The BLM is kicking off this year’s #TracktheBloom social media campaign to give wildflower watchers a realistic, on-the-ground look at current conditions at BLM-managed recreation sites throughout California.
The public will be able to follow the #TracktheBloom on BLM California’s Facebook and Twitter accounts to view wildflowers virtually or find the best observation spots throughout the season.
One of the sites featured for #TracktheBloom will be the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a popular, but remote, wildflower location in San Luis Obispo County. Peak wildflower season for the monument is usually in late March to early April, but this year the area is experiencing dry conditions leading to a landscape covered in brown grasses and extremely sparse blooms.
Know before you go:
The Carrizo Plain National Monument offers visitors a rare opportunity to be alone with nature, but visitors need to be prepared. The monument does not have services such as water, food or fuel. Most monument roads are dirt and are impassible in wet weather. Vehicles must be street legal and stay on designated roads. Recreationists are encouraged to ensure their vehicle is in good working order, as roadside assistance is extremely limited. Cell phone coverage is spotty. The Goodwin Education Center is temporarily closed to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Recreate responsibly:
BLM-managed public lands are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of daily visitors since the closure of other recreation areas. Campgrounds are filled to capacity. The BLM encourages the public to recreate responsibly and to take precautions to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Stay local; plan ahead; do not gather in large groups; practice safe social distancing; take your own toilet paper, soap and hand sanitizer; pack out your trash and wear a mask when social distancing is not possible. Find additional tips for recreating responsibly on public lands at https://go.usa.gov/xs7DF.
Parking is limited and first-come, first-served at BLM day-use areas. Parking lots are often full by 7 a.m. on weekends and parking in “no parking” areas, on private land or blocking the roadway is not allowed. The BLM encourages visitors to have an alternate recreation area in mind if parking is full at their preferred location.
For more information on the Carrizo Plain National Monument please call the recorded information line at 805-475-2035 or visit https://www.blm.gov/visit/carrizo-plain-national-monument.
For wildflower information, please follow #TracktheBloom on BLM California’s Twitter, Facebook and Flickr @BLMCA and @BLMCalifornia.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Red abalone stocks continue to be impacted by large-scale die-offs in this area due to the collapse of the bull kelp forest, which is their primary food.
At its December meeting, the Fish and Game Commission extended the fishery closure for an additional five years to 2026.
The commission closed the fishery in 2017 because of the mortality of red abalone populations due to environmental stressors.
The current poor environmental conditions and depressed abalone stock were caused by a series of large-scale ecological impacts.
These included a massive marine heatwave and El Niño in 2014-2016, the local extinction of sunflower sea stars due to disease and subsequent population expansion of purple sea urchins.
The result was a major shift from a robust healthy bull kelp forest ecosystem to one dominated by sea urchins with little kelp or other algae. Such conditions lead to starvation and mass mortalities of abalone, which need kelp to survive.
While the presence of persistently stable sea urchin-dominated areas is not a new phenomenon in California, the more than 200 miles of poor conditions across the north coast is unprecedented.
An Interim Action Plan for Protecting and Restoring California’s Kelp Forests was developed to guide the state’s efforts to help understand and improve the situation.
Several projects are focused on reducing purple sea urchin populations at strategic areas of the coastline. The goal is to create patches of healthy bull kelp that will provide a source of kelp spores that may lead to recovery of the kelp forest when environmental conditions become favorable.
Recovery of bull kelp forests and the diverse ecosystem they support will take time. Thus, the extension of the abalone fishery closure is needed to allow for recovery and protection of surviving abalone.
When reopening of the fishery is considered, it will be guided by the Red Abalone Fishery Management Plan, which is currently under development.
Learn more about the Red Abalone Fishery Management Plan.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Q: I read about a person in Riverside County who tried to capture a wild donkey but was stopped by the sheriff’s office and game wardens. What is the legal status of wild donkeys? Why can’t I go out and capture one and re-domesticate it? How do you tell the difference between a wild donkey and a domesticated one?
A: You may be surprised how much effort has been put into establishing the legal status of donkeys!
The California State Legislature enacted Fish and Game Code section 4600 to make it unlawful to kill, wound, capture or have in possession any wild donkey, known legally as an “undomesticated burro,” with a few exceptions noted below.
An undomesticated burro means a wild burro or a burro which has not been tamed or domesticated for a period of three years after its capture. The fact that a burro was killed, wounded or captured on publicly owned land, or on land owned by a person other than the person who killed, wounded or captured the burro is prima facie evidence that the burro was an undomesticated burro at the time it was killed, wounded or captured.
The Legislature went further and included in Fish and Game Code section 4600 a provision that states that the California Fish and Game Commission, or any other department or agency, does not have the authority to modify the section.
Government Code section 53074.5 offers three primary exemptions. The first exemption is at the request of a landowner, officer or employee of a local animal control agency who may remove an undomesticated burro that strays onto private land. The second is when an officer or employee of a local animal control agency needs to remove an undomesticated burro that strays onto a public roadway to ensure public safety. The third occurs if an officer or employee of a local animal control agency may provide medical care or treatment, including, but not limited to, euthanasia if medically appropriate, to an undomesticated burro that is seriously ill or injured.
Two-way radio
Q: Is it legal to use a two-way radio while hunting in California? Some states do not allow this, do you know the reason why? (Tosh)
A: California law does not prohibit use of two-way radios during hunting. Those who oppose using two-way radios may feel that they provide an unfair advantage when stalking and hunting wildlife. Currently, California has no such law, so radios and cell phones are legal.
Finding lead-free ammo
Q: Because of the pandemic, there has been a lot of issues finding lead-free ammo. Will there be any exceptions this year to California requiring lead-free ammo for hunting? (Tyler)
A: Nonlead ammunition is required when taking any wildlife with a firearm anywhere in California. That requirement originated with state legislation signed into law in 2013 and, therefore, cannot be suspended, changed or altered by either the California Department of Fish and Wildlife or the California Fish and Game Commission.
The ammunition shortage you reference is actually a nationwide situation impacting the availability of lead and lead-free ammunition of all kinds. The shortage is the result of several factors – high demand brought about by millions of new gun owners, fear prompted by the global pandemic (resulting in panic-buying and hoarding), supply chain and workforce issues impacting the manufacturing process also brought about by the global pandemic, among other issues.
The best advice we can offer California sportsmen and women is to plan ahead – far in advance of any hunting seasons or trips in order to acquire the ammunition you want and need. The days of quickly grabbing a couple of boxes of hunting loads at the neighborhood sporting goods store on your way to a hunting trip are largely over.
The upside is that there are more and better-performing lead-free ammunition offerings being developed and introduced every year.
You’ll likely need to call or check with a variety of retail outlets to find the ammunition you need. You can also shop and order ammunition online – you’ll just need to have it shipped and processed by an individual or a business with a Federal Firearms License or a California Ammunition Vendor License before you can pick it up. These businesses typically charge a small handling fee for this service.
As the bulk of California’s big game and bird hunting seasons are still some months away, we expect the amount and availability of lead-free hunting ammunition to improve as these seasons approach.
For more information, please consult CDFW’s Nonlead Ammunition in California webpage.