Assemblywoman Grove hosts Fish and Wildlife panel

On Oct. 25th at the Tehachapi Veteran's Memorial Hall, Assemblywoman Shannon Grove hosted a Town Hall Meeting featuring a panel of experts from California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Stafford Lehr, Chief of the Anadromous Fisheries Branch, began the meeting with an overview of the department's Mission Statement. Their twofold mission is to first protect fish and wildlife and their habitats and secondly to provide for the continued public use and enjoyment of activities like hunting and fishing.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife extends the length of California and is made up of six inland regions and one marine region. It extends east to the Nevada/Arizona border. The department conducts studies of species and habitats in each of the areas and prepares reports and makes recommendations for regulations and species conservation to the California Fish and Game Commission. Lehr and Assemblywoman Grove reminded everyone that this commission is made up of political appointees of the governor who generally have little experience in the field of conservation. It is not unusual for them to ignore the department's recommendations if it is politically expedient.

Assistant Chief John Baker of the Central Law Enforcement District said that the division is made up of four districts. Kern County is located in the central district. Much of what the division does involves species management through directed patrols as well as through law enforcement. These patrols often focus on one species at a time. Baker introduced Andrew Halverson who is assigned to Kern County. He noted that one of the most serious problems is currently the illegal marijuana gardeners operating in the northern area who are using pesticides that get into the ground water and are killing deer and other wildlife Officials fear that it could eventually end up in central valley ground water.

Baker added that this year the division has been assigned two new officers to monitor for possible oil spills from the transport of oil by rail.

Speaking on wildlife management in the Central Region was wildlife biologist,Tim Kroeker. His primary area of focus is deer research. He said that by using GPS collars, it is now possible to track and study the habitat of individual does. There is currently a pilot project in the upper Kern watershed to track deer winter and summer. His department also conducts Elk studies, handles upland game projects and repairs guzzlers, the natural filling watering holes created for wildlife.

Fisheries Program Manager, Dean Marston, spoke about trying to restore Salmon to many areas of the Sierra and especially to Millerton Reservoir. Aquatic education is also part of his responsibilities. The department has an existing program for schools where fish eggs are provided to teachers and hatched in classroom aquariums. Students can watch while the fish begin to grow and then take a field trip to release the young fish into the streams. The Kern River Hatchery is now supplying three sizes of Rainbow Trout and the department will decide what size and how many fish will stock the lakes and streams. Marston said that a budget reduction in 2015 severely limited the number of fish that were released in 2015.

During a question and answer period, the panel addressed the local pig issue. Now that they have been named a big game species, the rules for kill/capture have changed. Traps are allowed WITH a permit.

Shannon Grove rounded out the program by giving a short update on current bills before the State Assembly. She said that SB350 The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 passed in October and will require a 50% reduction in emissions over the next ten years. The bill originally would have required a 50% reduction in fossil fuel use, a provision which would have affected every person in the state as it would have seriously restricted the use of plastics. The governor did leave an opening for the continued pursuit of the issue. Grove also reported that the Assembly was also able to defeat nearly three billion dollars in possible tax increases.