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 catered to include requested information. The minimum group size is 18 people. This wildlife area is part of the CDFW Lands Pass Program and its fee-for-use requirement. For more information on the Lands Pass Program, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass.  For more information on the tours and the land pass, please call (530) 846-7505 or email [email protected].

Various Days — Lands Passes Required on Certain Additional CDFW Properties. Each visitor to a CDFW lands pass property who is 16 years of age or older must carry a lands pass while on the property. Visitors who are carrying a valid California hunting or fishing license in their own name are exempt from this requirement. School and organized youth group field trips are also exempt. The Lands Pass Program has existed on a limited number of CDFW properties since the 1990s. Additional properties are implementing this requirement beginning Nov. 1, another one on Nov. 15 (the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve), and additional properties will require a lands pass beginning in January 2018. A daily lands pass costs $4.32 and an annual lands pass costs $24.33. Revenue from lands passes helps support CDFW wildlife areas and ecological reserves. For more information, including which CDFW properties require a lands pass and purchasing instructions, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass. For more information on the program, please contact Julie Horenstein at [email protected].

First Through Third Saturdays and Sundays of the Month —Sandhill Crane Wetland Tours at Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, 7730 W. Woodbridge Road, Lodi (95242). Online registration is required to participate in these guided tours, which run through February during the sandhill cranes’ fall and winter stay in California’s Central Valley. Beginning Nov. 13, a CDFW Lands Pass or a current hunting or fishing license in possession is required to participate for those 16 or older. For more information on the Lands Pass Program, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass. For more information about the tours, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/regions/3/crane-tour.

Various Days — Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Access Permit Application Deadline for Multiple Hunting Opportunities. Wild pig, turkey, dove and quail hunts are available through the SHARE program. A $10.50 non-refundable application fee (plus handling fees) is charged for each hunt choice. For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/share.

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 should please notify staff that they are coming and groups of 10 or more can request a separate tour. For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/lands/places-to-visit/elkhorn-slough-er.

1 – Recreational Red Abalone Season Closed. CDFW reminds abalone anglers that the law requires them to return their abalone cards to CDFW or report their harvest data online by Jan. 31, 2018 even if they did not try to take abalone. The cards provide critical information needed to help CDFW monitor the abalone fishery. Cards may be mailed to CDFW, 32330 North Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437-5554 or dropped off at the office. Data may also be submitted online from Nov. 1 until Jan. 31, 2018 at wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lishing#758846-harvest-reporting.

4 — First Day of Recreational Dungeness Crab Season. For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/regions/marine/calendar.

4 — Imperial County White Geese Season Opens (extends through Jan. 28). For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

4 — Southern San Joaquin Valley Scaup Zone, Colorado River Scaup Zone, Southern California Scaup Zone and Balance of the State Scaup Zone Open (extends through Jan. 24). For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

7 — North Coast All Canada Geese Zone Opens (extends through Jan 28). For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

8 — Northern Brant Special Management Area Black Brant Season Opens (extends through Dec. 14). For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

8 — California Fish and Game Commission Coastal Fishing Communities Public Meeting, 6 to 8 p.m., Middlebury Institute of International Studies, McGowan Building, 411 Pacific Street, Monterey (93940). For more information, please visit fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2017.

8 — Draft Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve Public Meeting, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Burton Chase Park Community Center, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey (90292). As the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, CDFW is coordinating the preparation of an EIR for the proposed Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project. CDFW is soliciting comments on the Draft EIR, and will review all substantive comments received during the review period and provide written responses in a final EIR. The final EIR will be made available to the public and will provide a basis for decision-making by permitting authorities. For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/regions/5/ballona-eir.

9 — Balance of State Brant Special Management Area Brant Season Opens (extends through Dec. 15). For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

9 — California Fish and Game Commission Marine Resources Committee Meeting, 8:30 a.m., Marina Branch Public Library, 190 Seaside Circle Marina (93933). For more information, please visit fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2017.

10 — Deadline to Submit Public Review Comments for Delta Conservation Framework Draft. For more information about the public review process, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/watersheds/dcf.

11 — Pheasant, Fall Wild Turkey and Late Season Dove Open. General pheasant season opens statewide and extends through Dec. 24; fall wild turkey season opens statewide and extends through Dec. 10; and late season dove hunting season opens statewide and extends through Dec. 25. For more information on upland game bird seasons and limits, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/upland-game-birds.

11 — Stanislaus River Salmon Festival, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 17968 Covered Bridge Road, Knights Ferry (95361). For more information, please visit facebook.com/srsfest or call (209) 403-1046.

12 — Last Day of Recreational Ocean Salmon Season from Horse Mountain to Point Arena. For more information, please visit the Ocean Salmon webpage at wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon or call the Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429.

15 — First Day of Commercial Dungeness Crab Season, South of Mendocino County (scheduled). For more information, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/regions/marine/calendar.

15 — 2018 Sport Fishing Licenses Available. The 2018 sport fishing licenses become available where licenses are sold. For more information or to purchase a license online, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing.

30 — Wildlife Conservation Board Meeting, 10 a.m., 1416 Ninth Street, Resources Building, First Floor Auditorium, Sacramento (95814). For more information, please visit wcb.ca.gov or call (916) 445-0137.