The Upland Game Bird Account is a dedicated account created by the California Legislature in 2010 (currently Fish and Game Code Section 3684) to ensure funds generated by the sale of upland game bird hunting validations and stamps be used in programs and projects which benefit upland game birds as defined in Fish and Game Code Section 3683. The legislation creating this account also mandated a public advisory committee (PDF)(opens in new tab), composed of “interested non-profit organizations that have goals and objectives directly related to the management and conservation of game bird species and primarily represent the interest of persons licensed pursuant to 3031[hunters]”. This committee is responsible for reviewing project proposals and budgets and providing recommendations regarding them and other issues of relevance to the department's executive leadership team for game related activities.
The objective of the Upland Game Bird Account Grant Program (UGBAGP) is to implement projects which benefit upland game bird populations and the habitats upon which they depend with the goal of ensuring that sustainable populations of these species persist in perpetuity in order to provide continued hunting opportunity and other public uses. The UGBAGP will accomplish this by funding:
- Projects and activities that provide demonstrable and measurable benefits to upland game species by increasing the quality and/or quantity of available habitats;
- Projects which increase our knowledge and understanding of the scope and impact of inter-specific competition, predation, and disease;
- Projects which increase the understanding of population dynamics, distribution, and habitat selection;
- Projects which increase the accuracy, precision, and efficiency of population surveys;
- Projects which increase hunting opportunity;
- Projects which increase our ability to detect and apprehend those involved in illegal hunting activities;
- Projects which broaden our knowledge and understanding of stakeholder expectations.
The UGBAGP will annually solicit proposals based on approved needs, topics, and/or themes which address the goals and objective of the program through its Proposal Solicitation Notice (PSN).