Recreation
- Details
- Written by: California State Parks
As of Wednesday, non-campground outdoor areas of parks, including trails and beaches, remain open.
Visitors are reminded to practice social distancing and maintain at least 6 feet between other visitors and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Restrooms also remain open, and visitors are advised to take soap for handwashing and alcohol-based hand sanitizers when water is not available.
Most importantly, State Parks recommends that everyone follow precautionary guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health, public local health agencies, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when recreating in the outdoors.
Last week, State Parks temporarily suspended guided tours and large events, and temporarily closed facilities such as visitor centers and museums.
State Parks is monitoring the COVID-19 situation carefully and is committed to following the state’s updated policy on social gatherings to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
For the most up-to-date information on how State Parks is supporting the state’s COVID-19 efforts, please follow State Parks on its social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Details
- Written by: Mendocino National Forest
Information about online purchasing of maps and permits is available on the Forest website: www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino/ .
Forest maps may be purchased through the USGS store: https://store.usgs.gov/maps .
Recreation passes are also available at the USGS store: https://store.usgs.gov/product/206946 .
Please be advised of these new procedures regarding access to USDA facilities. We are asking all visitors to self-assess using the following USDA provided questions:
– Have you, someone living in your household, someone with you, someone you have been in close or frequent contact with, or someone you are caring for been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or had any contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
– In the last 14 days, have you, someone living in your household, or someone with you have been in close or frequent contact with, or someone you are caring for returned from, or made a travel connection through a CDC Level 2 or Level 3 country or State Department Level 3 or Level 4 country, for example, China, Korea, Japan, the European Union, Iran?
– Do you currently have, or have you had within the last 24 hours, any cold or flu symptoms, including a fever greater than 100.4, shortness of breath, body aches and coughing?
If the answer to all of these questions is “no,” please call the Mendocino National Forest offices at the numbers below from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch) for assistance in obtaining entrance to our offices.
This may include setting up an appointment in order to enhance social distancing and minimize the number of visitors in our office at one time.
If any of the answers to the questions is ”yes,” forest officials ask that you still please call the number so we may see how we may assist your needs through other means than face-to-face:
– Supervisor’s Office: 530-934-3316;
– Stonyford Work Center: 530-963-3128;
– Upper Lake Ranger District: 707-275-2361;
– Covelo Ranger District: 707-983-6118.
“The forest remains open for your enjoyment. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we all work together to minimize the impacts and spread of COVID-19,” forest officials said in a statement.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
While many business functions will continue during this time, some may be temporarily modified.
Before heading to a CDFW facility, please contact the regional headquarters office to determine if that facility is open.
Information on purchasing licenses, permits, tags and other entitlements, can be found on the CDFW website.
Outdoor areas will remain open and available for the public to enjoy. CDFW is responsible for over one million acres of public lands that will remain open.
These lands include Wildlife Areas and Ecological Reserves that provide an opportunity to recreate and explore the rich diversity of fish, wildlife and habitats that California has to offer.
CDFW recommends that all visitors follow guidance for social distancing (of at least 6 feet) when visiting our public lands.
To explore the outdoor opportunities on CDFW public lands, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands .
As the situation continues to change, please check with your local public health agency and adhere to guidance they provide. Please stay healthy and safe.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
Question: I am a South African. I and four others were travelling by car on the 101 north from Santa Barbara, and somewhere just south of the elephant seal sighting point on the coast, we were astounded to see a large herd of zebras grazing in a large grassed field. Any information you can give about these zebras would be gratefully received! All five of us would dearly love to know how they got there. I accused my daughter, who was driving at the time, of having taken a wrong road, as I thought we were back in Africa! (James R.)
Answer: Your eyes weren't deceiving you. There is a herd of about 120 wild zebras living on the coastal range off Highway 1 near Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
We have famed publisher William Randolph Hearst to thank for them. At the height of Hearst's career, he imported a host of exotic animals onto his property – including bears, tigers, monkeys, storks, an elephant and some zebras – to build what was then the world's largest private zoo.
The zoo closed in 1937 due to financial constraints. Many of the animals were sold or donated to other zoos, but some were set free, including non-native elk, barbary sheep, sambar deer and a small population of Himalayan Tahr goats.
According to Hearst Ranch staff, zebras were also imported to the property during the 1960s by a Hollywood production company. The production company paid for the zebras to live there so they could access them for use in films and television.
California law does not restrict animals in the taxonomic family Equidae, which includes horses, donkeys and zebras. Because zebras are not on the state's list of restricted species, they are not regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
The zebras – a novelty sighting for many Highway 1 motorists – are not domesticated in any meaningful way. Staff at Hearst Ranch maintain a small herd of cattle on the southern portion of the property, in part to keep the zebras from wandering onto neighboring land. Other than that, the zebras aren't fed or managed and are considered completely wild and free.
According to both staff at the ranch and CDFW employees in the area, the zebras don't appear to have any negative impact on native wildlife.
Do Native Americans need a fishing or hunting license?
Question: I am a registered member of a Native American tribe in California. Do I still need to purchase a hunting and fishing license? (Aaron)
Answer: You do need a state fishing license to fish outside of tribal lands, but fishing licenses are free for any Native American or lineal descendant who is a California resident and whose total annual income does not exceed $12,490 for the head of the household, plus $4,420 for each additional family member living with them.
Certification by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or proof of being on a tribal registry is required and must be verified annually. These licenses must be purchased from a CDFW License Sales Office and are not available online or through license sales agents. Additional report cards and validations must be purchased at the regular price.
There is no equivalent free license for Native American hunters. Tribal members who are hunting within their own reservation generally do not require a state hunting license and are subject to federal and tribal fish and wildlife laws, rather than state laws.
Is beaver hunting legal?
Question: Can I legally take a beaver in California? (Hugo)
Answer: Hunting of beavers is addressed in California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 463. The season is Nov. 1 through March 31 in certain counties (see the regulations for a full list). There is no bag or possession limit in those counties.
CCR Title 14, section 465 specifies the authorized methods of take for beaver, which include firearm, and bow and arrow. Please note that although section 465 indicates that the use of traps is allowed, that regulation has been superseded by AB 273, which prohibits trapping of all furbearing and nongame mammals in California for purposes of recreation or commerce. CDFW is in the process of updating the regulations to remove trapping as an authorized method of take.
Authorized traps (per section 465.5) can still be used to take beaver for depredation purposes.
Fishing in the Carquinez Strait
Question: When fishing in the Carquinez Strait, east of the Carquinez Bridge, either from shore or by boat, are there any limits on lines and hooks per person? ("Rookie Fisherlady")
Answer: Waters east of the Carquinez Bridge are considered inland. While fishing in inland waters, except as otherwise authorized, fish can only be taken by angling with a closely attended rod and line, or a one-hand line with up to three hooks or three lures with three hooks each, per California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 2.00. Those who possess a two-rod validation can use two lines.
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, email
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