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Recreation
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Knoxville-Berryessa Road, which runs through the wildlife area, is currently closed.
Due to the uncertain nature of the fire it is unknown when the wildlife area will reopen.
A followup press release will be issued regarding the reopening of the wildlife area when ground conditions warrant.
To monitor the status of the County fire, please visit www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents.
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- Written by: BoatUS
Just like Americans’ hectic Thanksgiving Day holiday travel habits, July 4 is recreational boating’s biggest holiday of the year.
The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water predicts crowded launch ramp and marina facilities with significant recreational boat traffic congestion on lakes, rivers and coastal waters.
Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, machinery failure, and alcohol use rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents according to the U.S. Coast Guard, and each could come into play on boating’s biggest time of the year.
Here are five July 4 safety tips from the BoatUS Foundation:
1. Stop the distractions: Being distracted – even for an instant – can make a good day go bad. Before you head out on the water, learn how to use your GPS at the dock, rather than with your head down, trying to figure out how to toggle between screens while under way. Can you move your hand between the throttle and wheel without looking? Do you know the locations of the trim switch, running lights or bilge switch by feel? If not, spend some time memorizing the locations of your boat controls. When running, try to zone out of unnecessary conversations that are going on around you, with the exception of valuable input from a helpful lookout. Texting and boating is a dangerous activity, just as it is in a car.
2. Hold off on the alcohol until you’re safely ashore or tied up for the night: Added to the effects of sun, wind and waves, alcohol lowers situational awareness. Bring lots of water and other nonalcoholic beverages.
3. The best life jacket is the one you will wear: Spending the extra money on a comfortable life jacket means your chances of wearing it greatly increase. Check out the newer, small lightweight inflatable-style life jackets that are nothing like the uncomfortable life jackets of old. And it’s also always wise to have everyone aboard in life jackets when going to fireworks shows – accidents can happen very quickly, especially after the shows end and the mad dash for home begins. If you need a right-sized kids life jacket, you can borrow one for free from one of 550 locations by going to BoatUS.org/Life-Jacket-Loaner.
4. Some help just for paddlers: Paddlers should understand all of the nautical rules of the road, practice defensive paddling and assume no one can see you. At night, show a white light (glow sticks hung around the paddler’s neck do not qualify). Avoid crowded anchorages and congested ramp areas.
5. About that broken down boat: The nationwide TowBoatUS on-water towing fleet traditionally reports hundreds of requests from boaters needing assistance with battery jumps and anchor-line disentanglements over the July 4 holiday. To avoid having to contact BoatUS 24-hour dispatch (BoatUS.com/App) monitor your boat’s battery drain during the long day on the water, go slow while hauling your anchor line, watch for wakes, and be super vigilant so you don’t run over someone else’s anchor line after the fireworks show ends.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
CDFW annually offers two Free Fishing Days, typically around the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.
On these two designated days, people can fish without having to buy a sport fishing license. Free Fishing Days also provide an easy opportunity for licensed anglers to introduce non-angling friends and children to fishing and the outdoors.
“Free fishing days provide endless opportunities to enjoy California’s wild places with family and friends,” said Charlton H. Bonham, director of CDFW. “Whether catching a trout in a mountain stream or simply enjoying a spectacular sunset, you’ll never regret time spent fishing.”
All fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements and fishing hours and stream closures, remain in effect.
Every angler must have an appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead, sturgeon, or spiny lobster anywhere in the state, or for salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems.
Anglers residing in urban areas also have opportunities to fish close to home. Some CDFW regions also offer Fishing in the City, a program that allows children to learn to fish in major metropolitan areas.
For more information on the Fishing in the City program, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing-in-the-city.
All anglers should also check the rules and regulations at www.wildlife.ca.gov/regulations for the waters they plan to fish because wildlife officers will be on duty to enforce them.
In addition, information on fish planting is available at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/fishplants and a fishing guide can be viewed at www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/guide.
For more information on Free Fishing Days, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/free-fishing-days.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, but what signs should I be looking out for? Can I have someone come out and survey my property to make sure they're not here, just for my own peace of mind? (Ann)
Answer: Nutria are large, invasive and destructive rodents from South America. Due to their extensive herbivory and burrowing habits, they can have devastating impacts on wetland habitats, agriculture and water conveyance infrastructure.
To date, nutria have been found in six Central Valley counties (Merced, Stanislaus, Fresno, Mariposa, Tuolumne and San Joaquin).
If nutria take up residence in habitat on your property, you will probably start to notice the damage pretty quickly. Nutria consume up to 25 percent of their body weight in plant material each day.
They are very wasteful feeders that prefer the submerged portions or tender tips of plants such as bulrush and cattails. Look for large areas of cleared (eaten) vegetation, stem cuttings left floating or grazed tops of new growth at the water surface.
Their feeding causes extensive damage to the plant community, soil structure and nearby agricultural crops.
Nutria also burrow into banks and levees, creating complex dens that span as far as 6 meters deep and 50 meters into the bank. This can cause severe streambank erosion, increased sedimentation, levee failures and roadbed collapses.
Nutria burrows – which can be misidentified as muskrat burrows – look like large holes in dirt banks. See examples at www.wildlife.ca.gov/nutria. Vegetation damage is much easier to spot.
CDFW has deployed nutria survey and trapping teams in the Delta and throughout the San Joaquin Valley, but we need landowners' help! If you have received a letter from CDFW requesting written permission to enter or cross your property for the purpose of nutria work, please sign and return that form as soon as possible.
If you have not received a form but believe nutria are on your property, please contact us at 866- 440-9530 or
Currently, we have limited staff available to respond and are prioritizing our efforts, but the public continuing to assist with identifying new locations of nutria is critical to the success of this effort.
How do you identify a nutria?
Question: I saw a rodent swimming in the water that I have never seen before. It looked bigger than a muskrat. What should I do? (Paul)
Answer: Without additional information, it's hard to determine whether or not you spotted a nutria – but you may have!
California has multiple semi-aquatic mammals that live in habitats currently known to be occupied by nutria. The most common animals mistaken for nutria are muskrats, beavers and sometimes otters, all of which are native or naturalized in California.
To determine if an animal is a nutria, look for the following characteristics: whiskers, tail, size and fur color beneath the ears. Nutria are set apart from muskrats, beavers and otters by their obvious white whiskers, a hairless, round, rat-like tail and black webbed hind feet.
Though white muzzles are not uncommon in these species, the long, white whiskers are a very distinguishing characteristic of nutria. Though muskrat and nutria tails can be difficult to tell apart without a good view, full-grown muskrats only grow to about the size of a football, while adult nutria grow to about the size of a beagle. A nutria identification guide can be found on the CDFW Web site.
If you spot a possible nutria, please try to take a photo or video, so that we can identify the animal. We also need you to be as specific as possible about where the animal was spotted, and let us know as soon as possible.
A number of nutria sightings that were reported to CDFW by the public have been confirmed by using the information listed above. If you see a nutria, please call the Invasive Species Program Hotline at 866-440-9530 or email
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, please feel free to ask us via email at