Junior Duck Hunts at Grizzly Island Wildlife Area

Media Contacts:
Patrick Graham, DFG Region 3, (707) 425-3828
Janice Mackey, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8908

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is now accepting applications for two special junior duck hunts at Grizzly Island Wildlife Area. On Saturday, Dec. 8 and Wednesday, Dec. 26, spaced blinds on Pond 11 and the Crescent Unit of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will be available only to junior hunt participants and will be closed to the general public.

Hunters will be selected by draw and must be in possession of a current junior hunting license. An adult chaperone (18 years of age or older) is required to accompany and supervise each junior hunter. The adult may hunt with the junior hunter if he or she is in possession of the required 2012-2013 California hunting license, as well as State and Federal waterfowl stamps and the free HIP validation. Junior license holders who are age 16 or older must have a Federal waterfowl stamp.

All available blinds can accommodate two persons (the junior hunter and his or her adult chaperone). Hunters may only use non-toxic shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  A minimum of one dozen duck decoys are required at all blind sites and chest waders are recommended.

To apply for a reservation, send a standard postcard (available from your local post office) to:

Grizzly Island Junior Duck Hunt
2548 Grizzly Island Rd.
Suisun City, CA  94585

Please include the name of the junior hunter, his or her mailing address (including zip code), a phone number, the 2012-13 hunting license number, and the name of the adult chaperone. Also please include the desired hunt date. Each hunter may apply only once and for only one date.

Application cards must be received by close of business on Friday, Nov. 30. Junior hunt reservations will be filled by a random drawing conducted on Monday, Dec. 3. There will be 24 reservations issued for each date. All successful applicants will be notified by mail.

Please note that all chaperones who wish to hunt must have either a Type A One Day, Two Day, or Season Pass, and these must be purchased prior to arriving at the check station through either a license Agent or online at www.dfg.ca.gov (allow two weeks’ mailing time if ordering online).

The Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will also accept junior hunters on the day of the hunt on a first-come, first-served basis to use the free roam areas and to fill any no-shows from the reservations. DFG would also like to encourage use of the West Family Unit, which is available only to junior hunters. Hunt days are Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays on a first come, first served basis throughout the open season. The gate will be opened approximately two hours before shoot time. An adult chaperone is required and five double blinds, including one mobility-impaired blind and one three-person blind, are available.

The unit is north of Benicia on Goodyear Road. From Highway 680, take the Marshview Road exit and turn right onto Goodyear Road from the off-ramp. The hunt area will be on the left.

Any questions can be directed to the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area at (707) 425-3828.

DFG to Offer Waterfowl Hunting Clinic in Southern California

Media Contacts:
Lt. Dan Lehman, Advanced Hunter Education Program Coordinator, (916) 358-4356
Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Education and Outreach, (916) 322-8988

If you want to learn to successfully hunt waterfowl in Southern California, then the Department of Fish and Game has the perfect clinic for you.

DFG’s Advanced Hunter Education Program and the Southern California Hunter Education Instructor Association are jointly sponsoring a waterfowl hunting clinic on September 29 in Riverside County. This clinic, which will be held at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, is designed to teach hunting techniques specific to waterfowl in Southern California and is appropriate for hunters of all skill levels.

The class will be hosted by experienced California Hunter Education Instructor Gregg Bouslog. Topics to be covered include concepts of decoy placement, blind design, ballistics, calling, duck identification, dog considerations, gear, game care, cooking tips and safety. 

The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $45. Students 16 years and younger are free, but must be accompanied by adult. Space is limited and participants must register online in advance at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/advanced. After registering, participants will receive an e-mail with a map to the facility and a list of items to bring.

San Jacinto Wildlife Area is located approximately 8 miles east of Riverside.

Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project Under Way With Public Input

Public Invited to Submit Comments on the Scope of Environmental Documents

The California Department of Fish & Game (DFG) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have begun the process of developing environmental reviews for the restoration of the Ballona Wetlands in west Los Angeles County. The documents will review potential designs for the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve and evaluate their likely impacts on wildlife, water pollution, local traffic and other factors.  The public is encouraged to submit suggestions for the environmental review at a scoping meeting planned for August 16, 2012.

The Ballona Wetlands was at one time a large wetland complex that covered more than 2,000 acres along the coast near Los Angeles, from Playa del Rey to Venice. Today, the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve encompasses 600 acres owned by the State of California and offers one of the largest opportunities for repairing lost coastal wetlands in Los Angeles County. The site contains important habitat and is identified as a high priority for restoration in the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Plan and the regional strategy of the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project.

The area is currently off-limits to the public. After restoration, the site will be open to residents and visitors for walking, biking, birdwatching and learning about nature. The project may involve removing the concrete levees on Ballona Creek to restore river and marsh habitat between Marina del Rey and the Westchester Bluffs, west of Lincoln Boulevard.  Due to construction costs logistics and wildlife management needs, the project would take several years to build even after it is approved.

DFG and the Corps will hold a scoping meeting on Thursday, August 16, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Fiji Gateway entrance to the Ballona Wetlands (13720 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. The site is across from Fisherman’s Village and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors).

Members of the public are invited to attend, speak to agency representatives and provide input for the environmental review. The agencies expect to examine the impacts to aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, water quality, land use and planning, noise, public services, recreation, sea-level rise, traffic and others.

Written comments on the scope of environmental review, or additional issues may be submitted at the scoping meeting or sent to the address listed below. Comments will be accepted until September 10, 2012

Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project
C/O Donna McCormick
1 Ada, Suite 100
Irvine, CA  92816 or by email to Donna.McCormick@icfi.com

Additional information on the project and the environmental review process is available on the Ballona Wetlands Restoration website at: www.ballonarestoration.org.

Media Contacts:
David Lawhead, DFG Region 5, (858) 627-3997
Donna McCormick, ICF International, (949) 333-6611
Dr. Daniel P. Swenson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (213) 452-3414