CDFW News

CDFW to Meet with Public, Talk about Hunting and Fishing Resources at 2024 Sport Shows

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 15:48:34 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is returning to the annual International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE), Bart Hall and Cal Shows for 2024. Wildlife officers, fisheries, marine and wildlife scientists, along with other CDFW staff will be available during the shows to answer questions and provide information regarding fishing, hunting and employment opportunities throughout the state.

“Participating in this type of outreach and engaging with the public are important to our mission,” said Jen Benedet, Assistant Deputy Director of CDFW Outreach. “Sharing information about CDFW, our programs, and thanking hunters and anglers for their contribution to wildlife and fisheries management and conservation is key to being successful in our efforts and as a department.”

CDFW’s sport show appearances will begin at ISE Jan. 18-21 at the Cal Expo Fair Grounds in Sacramento. The Long Beach Bart Hall Show will follow from Jan. 25-28 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The Del Mar Bart Hall Show is Feb. 15-18 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar (San Diego County) and the Cal Shows Central Valley Sportsmen’s Boat & RV Show will be Mar. 15-17 at the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield.

New for 2024, all CDFW programs will be in one convenient location in the shows’ main buildings. At ISE, CDFW can be found along the front, right wall when you enter the Pavilion. For Bart Hall shows, CDFW will be in the main area of the Convention Center in Long Beach and in the main Exhibit Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. For the Cal Show they will be in Building Two at the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield. CDFW plans to have their wildlife officers on hand to help answer any hunting or regulation questions, with occasional appearances by their K-9 partners. Fisheries and Marine staff will be present to answer questions about angling and conservation opportunities. CDFW’s Talent and Acquisitions Unit will be available to discuss various recruitment and employment opportunities, while the Fishing in the City program and Hunter Education will be onsite educating attendees on the fish stocking program and hunter safety.

Also new this year, CDFW staff will have tablets to assist the public in setting up their own CDFW Online License Portal account to purchase their hunting and fishing license from anywhere with an internet connection. Staff can also assist those who are interested in learning how to navigate various CDFW online resources. Some of these resources include the Marine Species Portal, the hunter and angler Recruit, Retain, Reactivate (R3) how-to videos and resources, where to sign up for virtual and in person hunting and fishing events, and more. On demand printed licenses will not be available at the 2024 shows.

For more information on the ISE show, please visit www.sportsexpos.com/attend/sacramento. For Bart Hall shows, please visit hallshows.com/home. For more information on the Bakersfield show, please visit www.calshows.com.

See you there!

Media Contact:
Leticia Palamidessi CDFW Communications, (916) 708-8517

CDFW to Meet with Public, Sell Licenses and Warden Stamps at 2023 Sport Shows

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:39:21 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is returning to the annual Bart Hall and Cal Shows for 2023. The Del Mar Bart Hall Show is Feb. 16-19 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar (San Diego County), the Cal Shows Central Valley Sportsmen’s Boat & RV Show is Mar. 10-12 at the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield and the Long Beach Bart Hall Show is Mar. 29-Apr. 2 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Wildlife officers, fisheries and wildlife scientists, license agents and other CDFW staff will be available during the shows to answer questions and provide information regarding fishing and hunting opportunities throughout the state. Licenses, license items and warden stamps will be available for purchase. Customers may pay by credit card or check.

The CDFW Law Enforcement trailer will be on display with a wide array of taxidermy, and Wildlife Officers will be on hand to answer questions about employment opportunities and rules and regulations regarding hunting and fishing. The 2023 Warden Stamp will also be available for purchase at the indoor booth. Stamp sales help fund extra training and equipment for our officers.

Also featured will be a free youth fishing pond stocked with rainbow trout provided by CDFW. Information on CDFW’s Fishing in the City program, as well as a modern fish-transporting truck will be on display at the Bart Hall shows.

For more information on the Bart Hall shows, please visit hallshows.com/home. For more information on the Bakersfield show, please visit www.calshows.com.

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Media Contact:
Amanda McDermott, CDFW Communications, (916) 738-9641

New Surcharge on Bird Hunting Validations to Provide Nesting Habitat for Waterfowl, Upland Game Birds in California

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 12:43:54 GMT

JOINT NEWS RELEASE:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
California Waterfowl Association

State legislation to incentivize the creation of upland nesting habitat for ducks and other ground-nesting game birds in California will result in a $10 surcharge on the price of both the California Duck Validation and the Upland Game Bird Validation next hunting season.

For the 2022-23 hunting license year, the cost of the California Duck Validation will increase to $34.56 ($23.25 in 2021-22). The Upland Game Bird Validation will cost $21.60 ($10.54 in 2021-22).

The bird hunting validations, along with 2022-23 hunting licenses, tags and related items, will be available for purchase beginning April 15. The $10 surcharge is added to the annual price increase mandated by state law ($1.31 for the California Duck Validation and $1.06 for the Upland Game Bird Validation). The legislation requiring the $10 surcharge for each validation does not apply to validations included with the Lifetime Bird Hunting Privilege Package purchased by Lifetime Hunting License holders.

AB 614 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) was sponsored by the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last October. The resulting $10 surcharge is expected to generate more than $2 million annually to fund the Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program, which will be administered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to benefit nesting mallards and other puddle ducks, wild ring-necked pheasants, pollinators and other grassland-dependent species. All revenue generated from the validation surcharge must be dedicated to the program by law and cannot be diverted to other uses.

“I am proud that CWA sponsored this important legislation, and I am excited to see it implemented on the ground,” said CWA President John Carlson Jr. “Once again, hunters are taking the financial lead to ensure that our nesting bird populations have the habitat necessary to be successful.”

The Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program is designed to provide financial incentives to California landowners to cultivate or retain upland cover and other vegetation to benefit nesting wildlife. The funding can also be used to support habitat work on state wildlife areas and national wildlife refuges open to public hunting.

As a result of drought and water shortages, thousands of acres rice fields and other farmland throughout the state were fallowed last year. The Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program will soon be able to offer those farmers financial payments to plant their fallowed fields in cover crops and other beneficial vegetation to provide productive nesting habitat for ducks, pheasants and other wildlife.

The Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program was originally created by California Waterfowl-sponsored legislation signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. The program’s funding was tied to Proposition 3, a water infrastructure and conservation bond measure ultimately rejected by voters. The program has been unfunded until the passage of AB 614 last year, which provides the funding mechanism.

California’s breeding population of ducks has experienced declines commensurate with the loss of breeding habitat. Habitat loss and changing agricultural crops and practices have eliminated upland habitat near water that mallards and other species need to nest successfully.

Upland bird hunters have been front-row witnesses to the wild pheasant decline in California. Once the source of opening-day festivities and traditions of all kinds across California’s rural farm communities, wild ring-necked pheasants are an important indicator species in addition to being a popular game bird.

Wild pheasants require the same sort of contiguous, healthy upland and grassland habitat needed by pollinators, native songbirds and nesting waterfowl. Habitat restoration to benefit wild pheasants and nesting ducks is also expected to have positive ramifications for other native species.

The California Duck Validation is required of adults hunting waterfowl in California. The Upland Game Bird Validation is required of adults hunting resident and migratory upland game birds in California. All proceeds from the validations go directly to waterfowl and upland game bird conservation, to support hunting opportunities and for education and outreach.

During the current 2021-22 hunting license year, which ends June 30, 2022, CDFW has sold 66,644 California Duck Validations and 147,574 Upland Game Bird Validations, not including validations issued to lifetime license holders.

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About the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The mission of the Department of Fish and Wildlife is to manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

About the California Waterfowl Association
The California Waterfowl Association is a 501c3 organization whose mission is to grow California’s waterfowl populations, wetlands and hunter-conservationist communities. Our vision is a California with thriving waterfowl populations, vibrant wetland ecosystems and respected hunting communities.

Media Contacts:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858
Mark Hennelly, California Waterfowl Association, (916) 612-0230