How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Recreation
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The hikes will begin at 10 a.m. every Saturday from Jan. 4 through Feb. 8.
Early reservations are recommended for the popular hikes, which last about four hours.
Hikes are limited to 25 participants each and fill up quickly. To reserve a space for a specific day, or to request reasonable accommodations to participate, please call the BLM Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.
Participants will meet at the Redbud Trailhead parking area located eight miles east of the community of Clearlake Oaks on State Route 20. The trailhead is just west of the North Fork Cache Creek Bridge within the Cache Creek Natural Area, a portion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
The trail includes a steep 600-foot climb in the first mile, so hikers should be in good physical condition.
Participants should wear sturdy hiking boots suitable for wet conditions and dress for cold weather.
Please bring water, a lunch and binoculars, as most eagle sightings are from a distance. Hikes will be cancelled in rainy weather.
Public lands keep America not only beautiful, but also strong. Hikers will enjoy scenic vistas of the Cache Creek Canyon where eagles often soar over the creek or perch in streamside trees.
Participants often spot other wildlife including tule elk, golden eagles, osprey, herons, red-tailed hawks and egrets.
The BLM believes partnerships and inclusion are vital to managing sustainable, working public lands. The Cache Creek Natural Area is cooperatively managed by the BLM and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Cache Creek is located within a portion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which is jointly managed by the BLM and the Mendocino National Forest.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Meet with Clear Lake State Park volunteers Brad Barnwell and Bob Schoenherr at the visitor center parking lot to start the walk down the Old Kelsey Creek Trail.
Entry into the park for walk participants will be free.
The one-hour, one-mile walk is on an ADA-accessible trail that meanders along old Kelsey Creek through the cottonwood and willow trees.
The slow pace will give you the opportunity to experience the park’s flora and fauna as if you were actually one of the park’s wildlife residents.
The winter weather could be brisk and participants should dress appropriately and wear sturdy shoes and bring binoculars, and water.
Rain will cancel the walk. No pets please.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, and entry into the park is free for those attending the walk.
Anyone having special needs should contact the Clear Lake State Park Sector Office at 707-279-2267.
For further information on California State Parks go to www.parks.ca.gov.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
This practice helps prevent the spread of New Zealand mudsnails (NZMS), tiny (3/16") aquatic snails capable of surviving out of water in the crevasses of damp gear for weeks.
The resiliency of NZMS has enabled them to spread to aquatic environments across the globe, including Europe, Australia, North America, and Asia.
To prevent further spread, anglers and others who wade or work in California waters should thoroughly clean all gear before using it in another waterbody.
"While New Zealand mudsnails have been detected in watersheds across the state, many watersheds and counties remain free of this unwanted species. Anglers and the public are key to keeping these waters free of mudsnails," said CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist George Neillands.
NZMS were first reported in California in 2000 in the Owens River (Inyo and Mono counties).
In 2003, NZMS were discovered in northern California in Putah Creek (Yolo County) and the Mokelumne River (San Joaquin River).
They have since been detected in one or more waterbodies in 27 additional counties: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Ventura, and Yuba.
NZMS can survive in a variety of environments including rivers, streams, reservoirs and estuaries. They are parthenogenic live-bearers, meaning they self-reproduce. This enables a new population to begin from only one snail.
NZMS have demonstrated the potential to reach high densities of up to nearly one million snails per square meter and comprising up to 95 percent of the invertebrate biomass of a river.
When they reach high densities, NZMS outcompete native insects and invertebrates for space and algae, which reduces the forage available to steelhead trout.
As a result, steelhead populations can decline. Once NZMS are established in a body of water, it may not be possible to eradicate them.
Here's what you can do to prevent the spread of NZMS:
– After leaving a body of water, inspect all gear including waders, boots and float tubes. Also inspect boats and trailers. Remove visible debris with a stiff brush and rinse on site.
– Freeze waders and other gear overnight (for a minimum of six hours) or dry completely between use.
– Use additional waders and boots in infested waters and store them separately.
– Never transport live fish or other aquatic animals or plants from one waterbody to another.
For more information on NZMS visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/NZMS .
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Bringing an out-of-state elk head into California
Question: I'm going elk hunting in Colorado. If I get a nice bull, can I transport the head back into California?
Answer: If you do bag an elk on your out-of-state trip, here's what you need to know.
There are restrictions on importing deer and elk into California – and they are in place for a very good reason.
You've probably heard of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, the neurodegenerative disorder which is fatal to cervids. Colorado is a CWD positive state. Keeping the disease out of California is one of CDFW's top priorities.
It is incumbent upon every hunter to do his or her part to prevent inadvertently transporting the agent that causes CWD into California. We must keep our cervid populations healthy in part so that hunters like you can continue to benefit from their harvest.
While CWD has never been detected in humans, scientists haven't completely ruled out the possibility that the disease could spread between species.
To prevent the accidental importation of CWD-infected tissues into the state, California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 712 prohibits hunters from importing or possessing carcasses with a skull or backbone still attached. If you are hunting out of state, please make sure to review the regulations related to CWD for that state. Also, if hunting in a state where CWD is present, make sure to check with that state's wildlife agency for information about hunter check stations and how to get your animal tested in the state where it is harvested.
An animal that is taken in a CWD endemic zone should be processed in that area or state. Bringing back packaged meat is the best and safest approach. If a harvested animal tests positive for CWD, CDFW supports the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to not consume the meat. The hunter should contact a CDFW office or the Wildlife Investigations Laboratory to have all remaining tissues incinerated.
So, what can you bring home? You do have options as per CCR, section 712. You can import meat with no part of the spinal column, brain or head attached. You can also bring in a clean skull plate without a single iota of brain tissue present.
Also allowed are hides and capes, antlers, finished taxidermy mounts and upper canine teeth. In all cases, the spinal column, brain tissue must be removed. (Please read the regulation carefully for specifics.)
Failure to comply with section 712 is a misdemeanor offense that will result in a citation by a California wildlife officer. But compliance is easier than you may think.
CDFW created a video to show you how to clean your elk (see above). You can also find background information, additional links and updates on California's efforts to fight CWD at www.wildlife.ca.gov/cwd.
Does a spectator need a fishing license?
Question: Do all persons on a vessel need to have fishing licenses and lobster cards? My daughter wants to go with her dad and watch (which means I'll have to go as well) but we aren't sure if she and I would need our own license/cards just to go along. We are not going to be fishing – just spectating. (Bonnie)
Answer: No, as long as you're not attempting to fish (and that includes handling lines and nets, helping bring in catch, etc.), you don't need a license on the boat.
Also, fishing licenses are only required for those age 16 and older. If your daughter is younger than that, she is welcome to help her father - no license needed, but she will still need a lobster report card!
Does a helper need a fishing license?
Question: My friend has offered to net fish that I catch. In particular, he is interested in accompanying me on a steelhead outing. Does he need to have a current license in order to net any fish that I may bring to net? (Mike F.)
Answer: By definition, "take" of a fish or animal includes hunting, capturing, killing and catching. So if your friend is assisting you with the "catching" of fish, by the letter of the law, he would need a license too.
Free Fishing Days for 2020?
Question: Have you decided which 2020 days will be designated as Free Fishing Days? (Jim)
Answer: Yes! Next year, California's Free Fishing Days will be Saturday, July 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5. On those days, anyone can fish without a sport fishing license.
All fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect, and every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead, sturgeon or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity River systems.
It's a great time to introduce a friend or family member to the sport of fishing!
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, email