The month of March will be a busy one, as the Department of Fish and Wildlife hosts a number of programs and activities. Here are some of the events on the schedule.
The California Invasive Species Youth Art Contest is now opens. Youths in grades 2 to 12 can submit entries for the California Invasive Species Action Week’s Youth Art Contest. This year’s theme is “Be a Habitat Hero.” Create an original piece showing the actions a “Habitat Hero” can take to protect your community by stopping the spread of invasive species. Examples include: a poster encouraging pet owners not to release pets; a public service announcement on a particular species; a video or brochure with instructions for cleaning your boats, boots or gear. Be creative! All types of media are welcome and encouraged: drawings, paintings, animations, comic strips, videos, public service announcements or campaign posters. Submissions must include a completed entry form and be received by May 1. For more information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/cisaw.
March 18 — Last Day of California Spiny Lobster Recreational and Commercial Fishing Season, Statewide. For more information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/invertebrates/lobster.
March 21 — Nest Box Survey, Orientation at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley. This free orientation meeting is required for participation in a season-long field study. Crews of two or three collect detailed data, used to understand and enhance the local wood duck population and other wildlife. Commitment varies, averaging four hours, twice a month, April through July. Participation is open to the public, ages 18 and over. Due to limited space, please make reservations early. For more information, call (530) 846-7505 or email lori.dieter@wildlife.ca.gov.
March 21 — Additional Spring Wild Turkey Season opens for hunters with Junior Hunting Licenses (extending through March 22). For more information on upland game bird seasons and limits, visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/upland-game-birds.
March 25 — California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group. The California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group will hold a public meeting to provide information about their assessment of marine life entanglement risk, including any Working Group recommendations to the CDFW Director regarding the April 1 risk determination. There will not be a designated opportunity for public comment during the meeting, however feedback can be shared directly with the department via email to whalesafefisheries@wildlife.ca.gov. An agenda will be posted on www.opc.ca.gov/whale-entanglement-working-group. For additional details about the meeting, contact info@cawhalegroup.com or ryan.bartling@wildlife.ca.gov.
March 26 — CDFW Conservation Lecture Series, 1:30 to 3 p.m., “Taking photos of nature for science and conservation: utilizing technology to scale community-collected biodiversity data in California.” The Citizen Science program at the California Academy of Sciences engages tens of thousands of volunteers in California and beyond to document biodiversity, since understanding when and where species occur at scale can only be done through mobilizing people everywhere to make observations of their local nature. In this talk, Rebecca Johnson and Alison Young, Co-Directors of Citizen Science at the Academy, will highlight how they work with partners and communities to do this work and will discuss the resulting science, conservation and stewardship outcomes. Attendance is free. To register or learn more, visit wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/lectures.
March 28 — General Spring Wild Turkey Season Opens (extending through May 3). For more information on upland game bird seasons and limits, visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/upland-game-birds.
March 28 — Seventh Annual Sycamore Island Fishing Derby, 7a.m. to 11 a.m., with registration beginning at 6 a.m., Sycamore Island, 39664 Avenue 7-1/2, Madera. Co-sponsored by Central Sierra Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust, the San Joaquin River Conservancy and CDFW. The Sycamore Island Fishing Derby is a celebration of the San Joaquin River’s diverse fishing and recreational opportunities. Prizes will be awarded at noon to first and second place for youth (15 years and under) and adults. There is no charge to enter the derby, but participants are required to pay the regular Sycamore Island day use fee of $9 per vehicle and $5 per trailered boat. For more information and online registration, visit www.riverparkway.org.
March 28-29 — Elkhorn Slough Reserve Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Workshop, Elkhorn Slough Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville. This free two-day field and classroom workshop for middle and high school teachers focuses on developing lessons on hydrology, meteorology and soil-data collection. To register, visit www.elkhornslough.org/education-program/teacher-development. For more information, contact Virginia Guhin at virginia.guhin@wildlife.ca.gov.
