Upland Game Bird Management Account Projects

Southern California has experienced a severe drought over the past three years that has resulted in a recent declaration by the Governor of an emergency state-wide water shortage. Quail populations within the project area have been in steady decline over the past 30 years and have reached record lows during the recent period of extended drought. Artificial wildlife watering devices are essential to maintaining quail reproduction in this semiarid environment, particularly during periods of extended drought.

CDFW initiated a wildlife guzzler construction program, completing many projects throughout California during the 1950’s through the 1970’s however, during the past 40 years or more, CDFW, USFS and others have failed to maintain the guzzlers installed in the Los Angeles District for various reasons, including lack of funding and lost records. Santa Clarita Chapter of Valley Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation (SCVQUWF) has recently undertaken a volunteer project to locate and assess all of the existing DFW guzzlers and has already located over 20 of the DFW guzzler units in the Los Angeles District, all of which are in need of repair.

The primary products of the project are:

• Reestablish 10 DFW wildlife guzzlers to once again provide necessary water sources for quail and other upland game animals.
• Install game cameras on selected guzzlers during nesting season to monitor the effectiveness of the project. Manual bird counts by volunteer observation are also planned.
• Provide a long-term study basis for documenting the positive effect of artificial water sources and usage of free-standing water sources by wildlife as recommended by Simpson, et. al. of CDFW Wildlife Investigations Laboratory (2011, California Fish and Game 97(4):190-209)
• Provide important “leaping points” on remote divides between known natural watering holes in order to help support biodiversity in the face of climate change.
• To study the effectiveness of providing artificial water sources for upland game animals within areas of public lands designated for off-highway vehicular recreational use (Selected Guzzler Nos. 25, 27, 30, and 31 will provide this unique opportunity)

• Project Proposal (PDF)
• Final Report (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 29 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 30 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 32 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 33 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 34 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 36 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 37 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler 38 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler Whitaker 1 (PDF)
• Final Report Guzzler Whitaker 2 (PDF)