California’s November 2012 Department of Fish and Game Calendar
DATE — EVENT
Sandhill Crane Wetland Tours, the first three weekends of each fall/winter month through February at Woodbridge Ecological Reserve near Lodi. The docent-led tours start approximately 90 minutes before sundown and run to about 30 minutes after sunset. Pre-tour registration is required online at www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/cranetour and may be made up to six weeks in advance. Suggested donation is $10 per adult. The South unit of Woodbridge ER is accessible to the public at any time. It features informative interpretive panels, and viewing of sandhill crane ‘fly-over’ at sundown is common. The Woodbridge North unit (accessible only by tour) includes a bird-viewing blind and typically receives the ‘fly-in’ where the cranes come to roost for the night.For more information please visit the website or call (209) 948-7708.
Guided Swan Tours in rice fields near Marysville, Saturdays in November, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Driving tours along a short route with very little walking required. See tundra swans, ducks, geese, cranes, shorebirds, white pelicans, herons, egrets and raptors. Pre-registration is required on the DFG website,www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/2/SwanTours. Tours are free, but registrants are encouraged to make a donation online to the California Wildlife Foundation to support this program. For more information please call (916) 358-2852.
Weekends — Guided Wetland Tours of Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 12:30 to 2 p.m. at 3207 Rutherford Rd, Gridley (95948). On the Pacific Flyway at the base of the Sutter Buttes, Gray Lodge WA is one of the premier birding spots in northern California. This public land provides appealing habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other wildlife. Migrating ducks arrive through fall and winter populations grow to hundreds of thousands. Local experts lead a 0.3-mile stroll on a paved trail to an elevated viewing deck and discuss wildlife adaptations, natural history, conservation efforts and how to identify wildlife. Tours are included in the $4 entrance fee and self-guided visitors are also welcome. Tours are cancelled in heavy rain. Please make reservations for groups of twelve or more. Contact the Gray Lodge WA Naturalist Office for information or scheduling at (530) 846-7505 or ldieter@dfg.ca.gov, and visit www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/graylodge/index.html.
Weekends — Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve docent-led walks, every Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Binoculars and bird books available to borrow at no cost. Visitor Center and main overlook are fully accessible. Day use fee is $4.32 per person, ages 16 and older. Groups of 10 or more should schedule a separate tour. Directions and more information at www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/er/region4/elkhorn.html.
Every Monday — Volunteer Stewardship Field Crew Mondays at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Rd., Royal Oaks (95076), 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Help preserve natural habitat by doing seed collection, planting, trail maintenance and weeding introduced species. Details atwww.dfg.ca.gov/lands/er/region4/elkhorn.html or www.elkhornslough.org.
Upland Game Season openings — There are several in November. General and archery pheasant season, fall turkey season and the late dove season open Nov. 10. The fall turkey season has been increased from 16 to 30 days and the possession limit has been increased to two birds. For a summary of upland game seasons, bag limits and possession limits, please visit
www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/upland-summary-12-13.html. The complete regulation booklet is posted at
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=54748&inline=1.
1 — Port of Hueneme Harbor Safety Committee Meeting, 1 p.m. at Oxnard Harbor District Administration Building, 333 Ponoma St., Port Hueneme (93041). For more information please contact Reuben Macaspac at (916) 324-0144 or rmacaspa@ospr.dfg.ca.gov or Robin Campos at (805) 488-3677, rcampos@portofhueneme.
1 — First day of commercial coonstripe shrimp trapping season. Details at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/regulations.asp#commercial.
2-6 — Nimbus Fish Hatchery will turn on the water in the fish ladder on Friday, Nov. 2. On Monday, Nov. 5 they’ll open the trap to allow some fish up the ladder, and sort the fish they’ve trapped on Tuesday, Nov. 6. The public is welcome to come watch. More information is at www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Hatcheries/Nimbus.
2-16 — Deadlines to apply for Bobcat Ranch Wild Pig Hunt permits (for hunts Nov. 19 to Dec. 4) in Yolo County. For information about these SHARE hunts please see www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/share/index.html. Permit application instructions are at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/share/docs/ALDSInstructions.pdf.
3 — Stanislaus River Salmon Festival, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Knights Ferry Recreation Area, 12 miles east of Oakdale, off Hwy. 120. Free family event to celebrate the return of the salmon. Meet local DFG staff and learn to identify local fish species and the invertebrates they eat, and how they determine a fish’s age and monitor fish populations. Enjoy live river critters, music, fly casting, interactive exhibits, DFG videos, fish-print T-shirts and a salmon barbecue. More information at www.facebook.com/pages/Stanislaus-River-Salmon-Festival/210542636004.
3 — Fishing in the City: Bell Gardens Family Fishing Derby, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at John Anson Ford Park Lake, 8000 Park Lane, Bell Gardens (90202). DFG will provide rods and reels for children 15 and under to borrow. Please bring a valid form of ID if you wish to borrow a rod for your child. There will also be a raffle. For more information please see www.dfg.ca.gov/fishinginthecity/la/.
3 — First day of recreational Dungeness crab season, statewide. For details please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/crabs.asp.
3 — Sage grouse falconry season opens. Please see the regulations booklet athttps://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=54748&inline=1.
3 — White goose regular season opens in the Imperial County Special Management Area for 86 days. Please see migratory game bird hunting regulations at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/waterfowlregs.aspx#502.
5 — DFG Climate College lecture: What’s happening? Projected climate change impacts to California and the San Francisco Bay region: 2C or not 2C, that is the Challenge.1 to 2 p.m. at Sacramento State University, Modoc Hall, in the Willow Room. The speaker is Dr. Tom Suchanek, Research Manager, Lead Scientist and Climate Change Coordinator for the USGS Western Ecological Research Center. The lecture will kick off a day of presentations on climate change projects in California supported by the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC). It will also be broadcast live via WebEx. Lectures are designed for DFG employees but open to our partners and the public. Please e-mail Registrar@dfg.ca.gov to sign up if not already registered for the course, and indicate whether you intend to participate in person or via WebEx. Please register at least two days prior to the lecture. More information is at www.dfg.ca.gov/Climate_and_Energy/Climate_Change/Climate_College.aspx.
7 — Fish and Game Commission meeting at the Radisson Hotel at Los Angeles Airport, 6225 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles (90045). Please visit www.fgc.ca.gov for more information. View or listen to California Fish and Game Commission meetings in real time via Internet webcasting.
7 — Black brant season opens in the Northern Brant Special Management area for 30 days. Please see waterfowl hunting regulations at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/waterfowlregs.aspx#502.
8 — Teacher Workshop: Waves, Wetlands and Watersheds, 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Back Bay Science Center, 600 Shellmaker Rd., Newport Beach (92660). For both formal and informal educators, space is limited and registration deadline is Oct. 29. Participants will receive a free copy of the California Coastal Commission’s science activity guide for teachers, Waves, Wetlands, and Watersheds. Learn how to use the guide, get an overview of the Coastal Commission’s other free educational resources and programs, and learn about environmental education programs and volunteer opportunities at the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve. Professional growth credit offered through the University of the Pacific (when additional work is performed). For details and registration, please e-mail Annie Frankel at Annie.Frankel@coastal.ca.gov. More information is also at www.coastforyou.org.
8 — San Francisco Bay Harbor Safety Committee meeting, 10 a.m. to noon at the Pier 1 Conference Center, The Embarcadero, San Francisco (94111). For more information please see www.sfmx.org/support/hsc or call Jeff Cowan at (916) 324-6450.
10 — Public Tour of Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, 9 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of each month. Tour the 16,000-acre Yolo Wildlife Area with an experienced field trip leader the second Saturday of the month from September through June. View flooded seasonal and permanent wetlands, native grasslands and young riparian forests. Depending on the season, look for migrating and resident waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds. A $5 donation is suggested. Please call (530) 757-4828 the morning of the trip for a recorded message for trip cancellations. More information is at www.yolobasin.org.
10 — Black brant season opens in the Balance of State Brant Special Management Area for 30 days. Please see waterfowl hunting regulations at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/waterfowlregs.aspx#502.
10 — General and archery pheasant season, fall turkey season and the late dove season open. Please see complete regulations at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.
11 – Last day of recreational ocean salmon season from Horse Mountain to Pigeon Point. For more information please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/oceansalmon.asp or call the ocean salmon regulations hotline (707) 576-3429.
12 — State offices closed for Veterans Day holiday.
12 — Flyway Nights Lecture Series: The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California’s Great Central Valley. 7 p.m. at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area headquarters building. Enjoy a night of nature-related enrichment and inspiration. A $5 donation per person or $10 per family is suggested at the door. For more information please see www.yolobasin.org.
14 — Port of San Diego Harbor Safety Committee Meeting, 10 a.m. to noon at the Port Administration Building, 3165 Pacific Highway, San Diego (92101). For more information, please contact Jack Prescott at the DFG Office of Spill Prevention and Response, jprescot@ospr.dfg.ca.gov or (858) 637-5570.
15 — Humboldt Bay Harbor Safety Committee meeting, 9 to 11 a.m. in the Woodley Island Marina conference room, Eureka (95501). Area Committee meeting follows at 1 p.m. Details at http://humboldtharborsafety.org or call Al Storm at (916) 324-6259.
15 — First day (scheduled) of commercial Dungeness crab season south of Mendocino County. Details at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/management_com.asp#crab.
17 — Fishing in the City kids’ fishing event, 8 a.m. to noon at El Dorado Park, 7550 E. Spring Street, Long Beach (90815). DFG will provide rods and reels to borrow for children 15 and under. Please bring a valid form of ID if you wish to borrow a rod for your child. A raffle will also take place. For more information please see www.dfg.ca.gov/fishinginthecity/la.
22, 23 — State offices closed for Thanksgiving Day holidays
27 — DFG Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) Technical Advisory Committee meeting, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1700 K Street, Sacramento (95811). Please phone (916) 445-9338 for more information.
28 — Fish and Game Commission Marine Resources Committee meeting at the Harbor Classroom, 125 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara (93101). Agenda will be available at www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2012/2012submtgs.aspx . For more information please contact Craig Shuman, Marine Advisor, at cshuman@fgc.ca.gov or (916) 653-5040.
29 — Wildlife Conservation Board meeting, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the State Capitol, Room 112, Sacramento (95814). Room is subject to change. Please check the WCB website at www.wcb.ca.gov for updates and agenda.
30 — Last day of recreational red abalone season. For details please see www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/abalone.asp.
