DFG Remembers Talent, Generosity of Wildlife Artist Harry Adamson

Media Contacts:
Andy Atkinson, DFG North Central Region, (530) 846-7500
Kyle Orr, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8958

Renowned wildlife artist Harry Adamson, whose artwork was reproduced on California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) stamps, passed away April 22. He was 95.

 Adamson’s detailed, lifelike portrayals of waterfowl are well-known to collectors. He was first commissioned by DFG in 1989 to produce the art for the now-defunct Native Species stamp. A profile of Adamson written by Dennis Pottenger in an issue of DFG’s Outdoor California magazine that year describes the first time Adamson encountered a peregrine falcon “knifing through filmy white clouds” in 1934. The event clearly made an impression on Adamson, whose painting of a peregrine falcon graced the DFG stamp more than half a century later.

 In 2008, when DFG returned to art competitions to select the duck stamp art, the department sought the assistance of Adamson to help promote the program and encourage artists to participate in the competition. Adamson created an original oil painting of mallards in flight and donated the use of the image for the 2008 California Duck Stamp.

 Adamson and his wife, Betty, were also wetland conservationists who admired the waterfowl that frequent the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Butte County and were depicted in many of Adamson’s paintings. They led the effort that contributed to the construction of two observation hides at the wildlife area that allow people to be among wildlife in a natural setting.

“Harry Adamson was a great conservationist whose efforts will continue to be recognized and admired, both in his art and his accomplishments,” said DFG Gray Lodge Wildlife Area Manager Andy Atkinson. “The observation hides are a direct result of the Adamsons’ passion for the wetlands and wildlife of the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. These facilities allow thousands of school kids and visitors to experience waterfowl migration every year and will be part of their legacy.”

 An obituary posted on www.harryadamson.com states that Adamson ultimately donated paintings and prints worth almost $3 million to raise money for various conservation projects and causes. The 1989 Outdoor California profile concludes with Adamson explaining that he would “paint ‘till I can’t anymore.” According to his obituary, Adamson was still painting at age 94 until his health began to weaken.

Adamson’s art can be viewed online at www.harryadamson.com and www.bluewinggallery.com,

Looking for Summer Activities for the Kids? Get Them Up and Outdoors!

Media Contacts:
Lesa Johnston, DFG Education and Outreach, (916) 322-8933
Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Education and Outreach, (916) 322-8988

The final school bell has rung … and moms and dads everywhere are scrambling to figure out how to keep the kids active and entertained for the next several months. But parents, take heart – the Youth and Family in the Outdoors (YO!) program, sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), may have just the ticket to get your kids off the computer and out the door this summer.

“It’s amazing how many outdoor opportunities are available to kids in every corner of the state,” said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. “From fishing lessons to guided nature tours, each of these events serves to encourage a deeper understanding of our state’s natural resources.”

YO! maintains a calendar of kid-friendly summer events around the state, including those sponsored by organizations and nonprofits unaffiliated with DFG. To find the perfect summer opportunity for your child, please check out the calendar at www.dfg.ca.gov/yo/.

Just a few of the opportunities currently listed include:

• Tehama County: Kids Outdoor Sports Camp, various dates in June and July. Kids age 10 and up spend a week gaining a variety of fishing, conservation and hunting skills emphasizing safe firearms handling. For more information, please visit www.mykosc.org.
• Butte County: Chico Creek Nature Center, “Creepy Crawly Slimy Slithers,” various dates in June and August. This one-week camp for kids ages 5 to 11 includes short nature walks, lab activities and swimming in Big Chico Creek. For more information, please call (530) 891-4671 or visit www.bidwellpark.org.
• San Joaquin County: Youth Waterfowl Hunter Camp, various dates. Kids ages 10 to 16 will learn conservation principles and hunter education. For more information, please visit www.calwaterfowl.org.
• San Mateo County: San Carlos Library, Summer Reading Party with Wild Things, Inc. on June 19. Kick off the summer with wildlife education and a chance to meet some real wild animals. For ages 3 and up. For more information, please visit www.smcl.org.
• Fresno County: Fresno Chaffee Zoo, “Young Naturalist:  Junior Marine Biologist” field trip for kids ages 11 to 17, June 25-29. Explore the ocean with a special focus on seals and sea lions. Learn about needs of these unique animals and their new zoo home at Seal Lion Cove. For more information, please visit www.fresnochaffeezoo.org.
• Los Angeles County: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, “Marine Science Hi” program for teens in ninth through 12^th grades. Participants will study oceanography, marine biology and field research methods with daily trips to the Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park. For more information, please visit www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org.
• Riverside County: Turtle and Tortoise Celebration at Louis Robidoux Nature Center, June 30. Spend an exciting day at the Nature Center meeting and learning about different turtles and tortoises, and take a self-guided nature walk. Pet turtles and tortoises welcome. For more information, please visit www.rivcoparks.org/education/hiddenvalley/calendar.
• Various locations: American Red Cross’s First Aid and CPR training. Enjoy the outdoors by being properly prepared – a must for outdoor enthusiasts (many other classes are also available). For more information, please visit http://redcrosscrc.org.

The calendar will be updated regularly so please check back throughout the summer months.

YO! is a collaborative effort between DFGand a number of outdoors-oriented foundations and organizations around the state. Its purpose is to facilitate the conservation, enhancement and restoration of our fish and wildlife and habitats through the education and participation of our youth in California’s outdoor heritage. For a complete list of YO! sponsors, please see www.dfg.ca.gov/yo/sponsors.html.

If you know of a youth-friendly outdoor event that is not listed on the calendar, please contact YO! at (916) 322-8933

Wildlife Conservation Board Funds Environmental Improvement and Acquisition Projects

Media Contacts:
John Donnelly, Wildlife Conservation Board, (916) 445-0137
Dana Michaels, DFG Communications, (916) 322-2420

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At its May 31 quarterly meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved $29.4  million to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. The 30 funded projects will provide benefits to fish and wildlife species, including some endangered species, and others will provide public access opportunities to important natural resources. Several projects will also demonstrate the importance of protecting working landscapes that integrate economic, social and environmental stewardship practices beneficial to the environment, the landowner and the local community. The funds for all of these projects come from recent bond initiatives approved by the voters to help preserve and protect California’s natural resources.

Some of the funded projects include:

• A $1.4 million grant to the Regents of the University of California to construct a new classroom/lecture hall, install underground utilities, improve existing roadway and parking areas, and replace water control structures at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, approximately eight miles east of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County.

• A $234,000 grant to the East Bay Regional Park District to replace an existing vault toilet with an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible restroom, construct an ADA parking space, improve an ADA path and conduct a structural engineering inspection of the Point Pinole Fishing Pier at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park in Contra Costa County.

• A $552,076 grant to the Monterey County Parks Department to acquire approximately 113 acres to protect native grasslands, oak woodlands, riparian woodlands and seasonal wetlands that serve as an important wildlife corridor. The land is located west of Salinas, adjacent to the Toro County Park, along Highway 68, in Monterey County.

• Acceptance of a $10,000 grant from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Habitat Conservation Planning grant that will be passed on to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission to acquire approximately 1,342 acres of land for the protection of Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat, and to provide future wildlife oriented public use opportunities.

• A $2 million grant to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to acquire a working forest conservation easement over approximately 4,024 acres located two miles southeast of the community of Bridgeville in Humboldt County, where the State proposes to administer federal Forest Legacy Program  funds to protect forest land, important scenic, fish, wildlife, riparian and other ecological values under the California Forest Legacy Program.

• A $1.5 million grant to the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) to acquire fee title of approximately 763 acres of land south of Suisun City, north of Grizzly Bay in Solano County, for the protection of San Francisco Bay Area wetlands and associated upland areas that support migratory waterfowl and shorebirds and threatened and endangered species, including the fully-listed salt-marsh harvest mouse.

• A $2 million grant to CWA to acquire fee title of approximately 982 acres of land in Solano County, south of Suisun City and north of Grizzly Bay for the protection of San Francisco Bay Area wetlands and associated upland areas that support migratory waterfowl and shorebirds and threatened and endangered species, including the fully-listed salt-marsh harvest mouse.

• A $2.8 million grant to the Solano Land Trust for a cooperative project with the California Coastal Conservancy, Moore Foundation, City of Fairfield, Resources Legacy Fund and the Syar Foundation to acquire approximately 1,165 acres of land in the hills north of Cordelia Junction, in Solano County to protect significant natural landscapes and wildlife corridors. This land runs north to the Blueridge open space areas near Lake Berryessa and includes oak woodland, grassland, wetland and riparian habitats, and will provide access and passive recreational opportunities to the public.

• An $8 million grant to Ducks Unlimited, Inc., for a cooperative project with the State Coastal Conservancy and the Department of Fish and Game to restore approximately 230 acres of coastal wetlands and to construct public access improvements at ponds E12 and E13 at DFG’s Eden Landing Ecological Reserve, approximately 5.5 miles west of Union City in Alameda County.

• A $400,000 grant to the State Coastal Conservancy for a cooperative project with the Earth Island Institute to assist with the implementation of the Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program that provides funding for community-based restoration projects in coastal wetlands and watersheds in Southern California. Projects are located in the five coastal counties from Point Conception to the U.S.-Mexico border, including portions of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties.

For more information about the WCB, please visit www.wcb.ca.gov.