Four Wildlife Areas in Humboldt to Require CDFW Lands Pass

This is a press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Restored pond in Ash Creek Wildlife Area, home to Pronghorn antelope, beaver, and bobcat. Bird species include numerous waterfowl species, sandhill cranes, falcons, sage grouse, short-eared owls, and bald eagles.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is expanding its Lands Pass Program to 41 wildlife areas and ecological reserves this fall and winter and will soon require a CDFW lands pass of all visitors 16 or older. Those carrying a current hunting or fishing license are exempt from this new requirement.

CDFW’s Lands Pass Program began in 1988 as a way to broaden the funding base beyond hunters and anglers to pay for conservation and habitat improvement on some of the state’s most popular and frequently visited wildlife areas and ecological reserves. In 2013, the California Legislature directed CDFW to expand the program to more properties as a way for all visitors to contribute to the management of the places they enjoy and appreciate.

A daily lands pass costs $4.32 and an annual lands pass costs $24.33. Lands passes can be purchased online at www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales, by phone at (800) 565-1458 or in-person wherever hunting and fishing license are sold (please see www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing for a list of locations). The passes are good at any CDFW-managed wildlife area or ecological reserve designated as a lands pass area. With the exception of the Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve, lands passes are not sold on site and should be purchased in advance. Though lands passes can be purchased from a smartphone and used immediately, many of CDFW’s wildlife areas and ecological reserves are in remote locations with limited or no cell service or Wi-Fi availability. Signs will be posted notifying visitors of the need for a lands pass.

A lands pass already is required to visit six CDFW properties:

  • Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve in Monterey County
  • Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Butte County
  • Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in Solano County
  • Imperial Wildlife Area in Imperial County
  • Los Banos Wildlife Area in Merced County
  • San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County.

Beginning in November, a lands pass will be required to visit the following 11 properties:

  • Ash Creek, Bass Hill, Honey Lake and Willow Creek wildlife areas in Lassen County
  • Battle Creek Wildlife Area in Tehama County
  • Butte Valley, Horseshoe Ranch and Shasta Valley wildlife areas in Siskiyou County
  • Mouth of Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area in Shasta County
  • Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area (Green Island Unit only) in Napa County
  • Woodbridge Ecological Reserve in San Joaquin County (beginning Nov. 15)

Starting January 2018, a lands pass will be required at the following 23 properties:

  • Batiquitos Lagoon, Boden Canyon, Buena Vista Lagoon and San Elijo Lagoon ecological reserves and Hollenbeck Canyon and San Felipe Valley wildlife areas in San Diego County
  • Upper Newport Bay (Big Canyon Unit only) Ecological Reserve in Orange County
  • Canebrake Ecological Reserve in Kern County
  • Crescent City Marsh, Elk Creek Wetlands and Lake Earl wildlife areas in Del Norte County
  • Eel River, Elk River Wetlands, Fay Slough and Mad River Slough wildlife areas in Humboldt County
  • Hope Valley Wildlife Area in Alpine County
  • Mendota Wildlife Area in Fresno County
  • North Grasslands and Volta wildlife areas in Merced County
  • North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve in Butte County and the Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area in Butte and Glenn counties
  • Tehama Wildlife Area in Tehama County
  • Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area in Yolo County

Starting February 2018, a lands pass will be required at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Orange County.

For more information on CDFW’s Lands Pass program, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass.

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19 Comments
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zoltan
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zoltan
6 years ago

Won’t rule out domonic.this will enhance it ,if rules are not applied to feed (runoff waste ) and PH.

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago
Reply to  zoltan

BULLDOZE THE WORKS, JUST ANOTHER TAX HIKE

Ernestine
Guest
Ernestine
6 years ago
Reply to  zoltan

What did you possibly mean to say Zoltan?

Lundbar Hillbilly
Guest
Lundbar Hillbilly
6 years ago

Thumbs down! This is just another rip off of the California taxpayers. Greedy state government.

Ernestine
Guest
Ernestine
6 years ago

I agree. Thumbs down! Land of the free??? Uggh!! So, we can only enjoy public lands if we have big bucks?? The poorest among us benefit most from access to public lands. Uggh!

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago

The State can’t or won’t enforce the regulations already in place so adding more means little. Just another bit of signage subject to vandalism. An irritation to those who respect the law, meaning nothing to those the government has already irritated past caring. And way of forcing money out of its citizens that costs more in expenses than it takes in.

Alikat
Guest
Alikat
6 years ago

Exactly! Those that play by the rules will continue to pay, and those that already don’t, still won’t. I guess F&W is expanding its fundraising efforts by broadening its definition of jurisdiction and applying it to more public lands.

Jeffersonion
Guest
Jeffersonion
6 years ago

Another hidden tax to use public land

Bozo
Guest
Bozo
6 years ago

>”Another hidden tax to use public land”

Can’t afford to visit it with the increased gasoline taxes.

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago

AFTER A HEALTHY FUEL TAX AND AN EVEN HEALTHIER REGISTRATION INCREASE, NOW THEY WANT MORE! NOT TO MENTION A FIRE TAX THAT DIDNT PUT OUT ONE FLAME. WHY DONT YOU ASK THE COMMIE CONGRESSMAN WHAT IS GOIN ON AND AFTER PAYING ALL THIS MONEY OUR SCHOOLS ARE THE WORST IN THE NATION! WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY GOIN IT AINT INTO OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE, WE ALREADY HAVE THE WORST ROADS IN THE COUNTRY. AND THEY WERNT DAMAGED BY FIRE, JUST THE LACK OF REPAIR WORK. ANY IDEAS WHERE ALL THIS MONEY IS GOING? BESIDES SUM SLICK POLITICANS POCKET. WE ARE BEING TAXED RIGHT OUT OF CA.

Ernestine
Guest
Ernestine
6 years ago
Reply to  HOGRANCH

It’s going to pay interest on bond funded projects– so not the politician, but the banker behind him. Nice, eh? Every time we pass a bond funded project we screw our future-selves maximally.
By the way I don’t mean the local land tax bonds,I mean the general bonds which are basically credit card spending by the state of California

Andrew
Guest
Andrew
6 years ago
Reply to  Ernestine

Spot on

Tall Trees
Guest
Tall Trees
6 years ago

Okay so hunters and anglers have paid fees for years to kill living creatures. Now our lovely state wants to charge for wildlife viewing on lands saved through conservation money. Wonder how much those darn annual passes gonna cost to just go bird watching.

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago
Reply to  Tall Trees

25 BUCKS A YEAR TO GO LOOK AT THE BIRDIES. VAT A DEAL!

Bunsley Rubber
Guest
Bunsley Rubber
6 years ago
Reply to  Tall Trees

I hope as much as fishing and hunting license,don,t whine, I paid over $120.00 this year for hunting and fishing fees,and you are whining about paying $24.00 a yer for using F&W lands,ha!

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago
Reply to  Bunsley Rubber

NEXT YEAR POACH AN GET EVEN

Crime stopper
Guest
Crime stopper
6 years ago

Sounds like hunters and/or fishermen have a push here so we DON”T have to buy this new entrance tax crap. Sounds fine to me.HEH HEH Eat it enviros-its your fault!

3rd generation
Guest
3rd generation
6 years ago

So, I must pay to go to the reserve for the day while my guy hunts? I just hang out and read a book. Stupid.

El Cid
Guest
El Cid
6 years ago
Reply to  3rd generation

Yep!
More taxes pure and simple!