April 2018 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Calendar

Weekends — Ecological Reserve Tours at Elkhorn Slough. Volunteers lead walks every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Binoculars and bird books are available for the public to borrow at no cost. The visitor center and main overlook are fully accessible. The day use permit fee is $4.12 per person, ages 16 and older (permits may be purchased on-site). Groups of five or more should please notify staff that they are coming and groups of 10 or more can request a separate tour. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/lands/places-to-visit/elkhorn-slough-er. Various Days — Guided Wetland Tours, By Reservation, at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). A wildlife naturalist will lead any group, school or organization on a half-mile route through the diverse wetlands of the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. General information includes wildlife identification, behavior patterns and conservation efforts. The experience can be customized to include requested information. The minimum group size is 18 people. For more information, please call (530) 846-7505 or email lori.dieter@wildlife.ca.gov. 1 — Recreational Groundfish Season Opens for All Boat-based Anglers in the Central Management Area (Pigeon Point, San Mateo County to Point Conception, Santa Barbara County). For more information, please visit the Groundfish Central webpage at www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish. 7 — Recreational Ocean Salmon Season Opens from Pigeon Point to U.S./Mexico Border. All other areas off the California coast will remain closed during the month of April. For more information, please visit the Ocean Salmon webpage at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon or call the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429 or the National Marine Fisheries Service Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (800) 662-9825. 7 — Elkhorn Slough Reserve Annual Snowy Plover Habitat Restoration Mud Stomp, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Moss Landing Wildlife Viewing Area, 2460 Highway 1, Moss Landing (95039). Carleton Eyster, a biologist with Point Blue Conservation Science, will discuss the snowy plover and how to help improve their habitat. Please wear rubber boots as participants will walk along drying ponds and the footprints they leave will provide camouflage for chicks and eggs. For more information, please contact Virginia Guhin at virginia.guhin@wildlife.ca.gov. 10 — Public Scoping Meeting for Marine Aquaculture Programmatic Environmental Impact Report. 6:30 to 8 p.m., Sonoma County Water Agency, 404 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa (95403). CDFW is holding scoping meetings to solicit public input regarding the Marine Aquaculture Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR). Scoping assists with identifying the range of actions contained in the PEIR, as well as alternatives, environmental impacts, methods of assessments and mitigation measures to be analyzed. The submission of written comments is encouraged, whether one attends the meeting or not, and comments may be sent to aquaculturepeir@wildlife.ca.gov prior to the deadline posted in the Notice of Preparation, which is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/Aquaculture/PEIR. 11 — Public Meeting for Strategic Plan for Trout Management, Strategic Plan for Trout Hatcheries, and Inland Trout Regulation Simplification, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Talman Pavilion, 1234 Fair St., Bishop (93514). CDFW is holding a series of public meetings to discuss topics surrounding the management of trout resources statewide, an effort CDFW is calling the “Trout Renaissance.” The Strategic Plan for Trout Management will be used as a guiding document by CDFW trout managers statewide and will guide trout hatchery operations. Input from stakeholders regarding trout sportfishing regulations will help guide future steps in simplifying and streamlining the current format and content. CDFW is requesting public comments to help guide the planning processes. For more information, please contact Roger Bloom at roger.bloom@wildlife.ca.gov. 12 — California Fish and Game Commission Teleconference Meeting, 3 p.m., California Natural Resources Building, Jim Kellogg Conference Room, 1416 Ninth St., Room 1320, Sacramento (95814) or listen to the live webcast at www.cal-span.org. For more information, please visit www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2018/index.aspx. 12 — Public Scoping Meeting for Marine Aquaculture Programmatic Environmental Impact Report. 6:30 to. 8 p.m., Port of San Diego, 3165 Pacific Highway, San Diego (92101). CDFW is holding scoping meetings to solicit public input regarding the Marine Aquaculture PEIR. Scoping assists with identifying the range of actions contained in the PEIR, as well as alternatives, environmental impacts, methods of assessments and mitigation measures to be analyzed. The submission of written comments is encouraged, whether one attends the meeting or not, and comments may be sent to aquaculturepeir@wildlife.ca.gov prior to the deadline posted in the Notice of Preparation, which is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/Aquaculture/PEIR. 12 — CDFW Conservation Lecture Series, “Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) version 3: A CDFW conservation analysis tool,” 1 to 3 p.m., Natural Resources Building, First Floor Auditorium, 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento (94814). As part of the Conservation Lecture Series, Melanie Gogol-Prokurat will present ACE, a non-regulatory tool that brings together the best available map-based data in California to depict biodiversity, significant habitats, connectivity, climate change resilience and other datasets for use in conservation planning. Attendance is free. To register and for more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/lectures. 14 — Earth Day Festival at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, 3842 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach (92649). The free event, sponsored by CDFW, the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and Amigos de Bolsa Chica, will feature educational activities and displays. For more information, please call (714) 846-1114 or email abbey@bolsachica.org. 14-16 — Elkhorn Slough Reserve Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program Workshop, Elkhorn Slough Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville (95076). The two-day workshop, which is designed for middle and high school teachers, combines informative presentations with data collection in the field. Space is limited to the first 25 teachers who enroll. To register, please visit www.elkhornslough.org/education-program/teacher-development/ and for more information, please contact Virginia Guhin at virginia.guhin@wildlife.ca.gov. 15 — Recreational Groundfish Season Opens for All Boat-based Anglers in the San Francisco Management Area (Point Arena, Mendocino County to Pigeon Point, San Mateo County). For more information, please visit the Groundfish Central webpage at http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish. 15 — 2018 Hunting Items On Sale. Hunters can purchase 2018/2019 hunting licenses, tags, validations and apply for the annual Big Game Drawing. Items may be purchased at CDFW license sales offices, license agents, online at www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales or by phone at (800) 565-1458. Sales transactions for the Big Game Drawing applications must be completed before midnight on June 2. Please contact a local CDFW license sales office for more information. 15 — Port of San Diego’s Day at the Docks, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., San Diego Sportfishing Landings, Scott Street and Garrison St., San Diego (92109). Day at the Docks celebrates sport fishing and signals the official start of Southern California’s spring saltwater fishing season. Admission is free. For more information, please visit www.sandiego.org/explore/events/sports/day-at-the-docks.aspx. 18 — Public Meeting for Strategic Plan for Trout Management, Strategic Plan for Trout Hatcheries, and Inland Trout Regulation Simplification, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tahoe-Truckee Airport Community Room, 10356 Truckee Airport Road, Truckee (96161). CDFW is holding a series of public meetings to discuss topics surrounding the management of trout resources statewide, an effort CDFW is calling the “Trout Renaissance.” The Strategic Plan for Trout Management will be used as a guiding document by CDFW trout managers statewide and will guide trout hatchery operations. Input from stakeholders regarding trout sportfishing regulations will help guide future steps in simplifying and streamlining the current format and content. CDFW is requesting public comments to help guide the planning processes For more information, please contact Roger Bloom at roger.bloom@wildlife.ca.gov. 18-19 — California Fish and Game Commission Meeting, 8:30 a.m., Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor Resort, 1050 Schooner Drive, Ventura (93001). For more information, please visit www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2018/index.aspx. 26 — Public Meeting for Strategic Plan for Trout Management, Strategic Plan for Trout Hatcheries, and Inland Trout Regulation Simplification, 7 to 8:30 p.m., CDFW Los Alamitos Field Office, 4665 Lampson Ave. #C, Los Alamitos (90720). CDFW is holding a series of public meetings to discuss topics surrounding the management of trout resources statewide, an effort that CDFW is calling the “Trout Renaissance.” The Strategic Plan for Trout Management will be used as a guiding document by CDFW trout managers statewide and will guide trout hatchery operations. Input from stakeholders regarding trout sportfishing regulations will help guide future steps in simplifying and streamlining the current format and content. CDFW is requesting public comments to help guide the planning processes. For more information, please contact Roger Bloom at roger.bloom@wildlife.ca.gov. 28 — Gray Lodge Clean-up and Field Day Plus Annual Public Meeting, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). The morning clean-up and field event is conducted in partnership with California Waterfowl Association (CWA), and will include both habitat and maintenance projects, followed by a lunch sponsored by CWA. All family members are encouraged to participate. At 1:30 p.m., CDFW will hold its annual public outreach meeting regarding the Gray Lodge and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Areas. The meeting at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area’s Main Office Building is held in accordance with state law (Fish and Game Code, section 1758). For more information, please call (530) 846-7500 or email GLWLA@wildlife.ca.gov. 28 — General Eastern Sierra Trout Opener. The general trout season will open one hour before sunrise April 28 in waters in Mono and Inyo counties. This is one of the most popular season openers in the state, with anglers coming from around California to try their luck in the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Because of the popularity of this annual event with the angling public, CDFW is striving to stock trout in all accessible waters approved for planting prior to the season opener. Most lakes, rivers and streams have a limit of five trout per day and 10 in possession. However, regulations differ on season opening and closing dates, bag limits, minimum and maximum size limits, and gear restrictions. Anglers are advised to check specific area regulations and opening dates in the 2017/18 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet at www.wildlife.ca.gov/regulations for regulations specific to each body of water. A helpful document, the Eastern Sierra Back Country Fishing Guide, is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/regions/6. 30 — Deadline to Report Spiny Lobster Report Cards. Divers and hoop netters who were issued report cards for spiny lobster must report their harvest or effort by April 30, 2018. Report card holders who fail to return their Spiny Lobster Report Card or report their harvest online by the deadline will be assessed a $21.60 non-return fee when they purchase a spiny lobster report card for the following season. You may report online or mail your report card to the address printed on the report card. To report online, please visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/customersearch/begin.