Category Archives: Wildlife

California, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife, Wildlife & Habitat Protection

A Gray Wolf Just Turned Up West of Interstate 5

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Why did the gray wolf cross the road? Nobody knows yet.

A gray wolf was spotted in northern Lake County in late August, and it’s the first confirmed sighting west of Interstate 5 since the species began returning to California.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife got two reports and a set of photos from the area where Mendocino, Glenn, and Lake counties meet. A CDFW wolf biologist checked the photos, surveyed the area, and found wolf tracks at one of the two sighting locations. The agency believes it’s a single, dispersing black wolf – one animal moving on its own, likely still searching for territory or other wolves. It may have already left the county.

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California, History, Public Lands and Access, Public Lands Policy & Management, Wildlife

The Grizzly Bear Bill Is Dead. Here’s How California Lost the Real Thing

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Senate Bill 1305 would have required the state to study the feasibility of reintroducing grizzlies. It never got a vote – and the fight isn’t over.

California has a grizzly bear on its flag, on its state seal, and on the jerseys of two university mascots. It has not had a wild grizzly bear inside its borders in more than a hundred years. On August 13, a bill that would have taken the first real step toward changing that died in an Assembly committee room without a single public word said about it.

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Bureau of Land Management, California, Wildlife

Bear Aware: Tips for a Safe Season on California’s Public Lands

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Spring and summer are prime time for getting out into California’s backcountry — and they’re also prime time for bears to be on the move. The Bureau of Land Management recently put out a reminder for public lands visitors to brush up on bear safety, and given how much time I spend out exploring (and how much time I hope you do too), it seemed worth passing along and bookmarking for the season.

As bears come out of winter dens, they’re searching for food, moving through new habitat, and in some cases protecting cubs — all of which can increase the odds of a surprise encounter on the trail. As BLM’s Acting Director Bill Groffy put it, “Public lands managed by the BLM are wild places, and wildlife safety is visitor safety.” Simple precautions go a long way toward keeping both you and the bears safe. Continue reading →

California, Fishing, News, Outdoors, Wildlife

MAPWaters Act: Digitizing Access to America’s Public Waters

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The MAPWaters Act has cleared Congress and is headed to the President’s desk.

For people who boat, fish, hunt, or paddle on federally managed waters, this is a practical fix: the law directs agencies to digitize and publish recreational access information so users can find clear, up-to-date rules on phones and chartplotters, rather than digging through scattered paperwork.

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California, Conservation, National Forests, Outdoors, Wildlife

Burke Creek Gets Its Natural Course Back

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Forest Service restoration work begins on Burke Creek and Rabe Meadow near South Lake Tahoe

 
The Forest Service has started restoration work on Burke Creek and Rabe Meadow near South Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, working with the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, finalized the decision back in April – the project restores the creek’s natural function and improves water quality, meadow vegetation, and habitat for the wildlife that depends on it.

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