Weekends — Guided Wildlife Tours at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948), 12:30 p.m. The 90-minute walking tour covers slightly more than a half-mile through this premier birding spot that highlights migratory waterfowl and other wetland wildlife. Tours are cancelled in the event of heavy rain. No reservations are necessary for groups of fewer than 20 people. This land is part of the CDFW Lands Pass Program and its associated fee-for-use requirement. For more information on the Lands Pass Program, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass. For more information on the tours, please call (530) 846-7505 or email [email protected].

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 www.wildlife.ca.gov/lands/places-to-visit/elkhorn-slough-er.

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 www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/share.

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. Seventeen CDFW properties currently require the lands pass, and another 24 properties will require a lands pass beginning in January 2018. A daily (one-day) lands pass costs $4.32 and an annual lands pass for 2018 is $25.10. 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 www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass. For more information on the Lands Pass Program, please contact Julie Horenstein at [email protected].

Various Days — Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Access Permit Application Deadline for Multiple Hunting Opportunities. Applications for the remaining current wild pig, waterfowl and quail hunts offered through the SHARE program are due on various dates in January. A $10.50 non-refundable application fee (plus handling fees) is charged for each hunt choice. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/share.

1 — Online Harvest Reporting Begins for Steelhead, Sturgeon and North Coast Salmon Report Cards. Anglers who were issued report cards for any of these species and abalone divers must report their harvest or effort by Jan. 31, 2018. Anglers and divers may report online or mail their report cards to the address printed on the report card. To report online, please visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/customersearch/begin.

14 — Dark Goose Season Closes in the Northeastern California Zone. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

18 — California Fish and Game Commission Wildlife Resources Committee Meeting, 10 a.m., Redding Library Community Room, 1100 Parkview Ave., Redding (96001). For more information, please visit www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2018/index.aspx.

18-21 — International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE), Cal Expo State Fairgrounds, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento (95815). CDFW personnel will be involved in the annual event, which will feature exhibitions, free seminars and other activities. CDFW and the California Wildlife Officers Foundation have once again co-sponsored the annual “Passing on the Tradition” essay contest for young hunters. The California Wildlife Officers Foundation will recognize one grand-prize winner with a lifetime California hunting license that is valued at more than $600. The grand prize will be awarded during a special award ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1:30 p.m. For more information on the ISE, please visit www.sportsexpos.com/attend/sacramento.

19 — Duck Season, Scaup Season and White Goose Split Season Close in the Northeastern California Zone. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

28 — Waterfowl Season Closes in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, Balance of State, Southern California and Colorado River Zones. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/waterfowl.

29 — California Elk Plan Draft Public Comment Deadline. CDFW has released a draft of the Statewide Elk Conservation and Management Plan for public review and comment. The plan provides guidance and direction to help set priorities for elk management efforts statewide. All public comments should be submitted by 5 p.m. on Jan. 29. Comments may be submitted online at [email protected], or can be mailed to: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Branch, Attn: Joe Hobbs, 1812 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA  95811. For more information, please visit https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/california-elk-plan-draft-now-available-for-public-comment.

29 — General Tree Squirrel Season Close Statewide. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/small-game.

29 — Falconry Only Season Opens for Rabbits and Varying Hares (extending through March 18). For more information on upland game bird seasons and limits, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/upland-game-birds.

30 — Northern Spotted Owl Stakeholder Forum, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Resources Building First Floor Auditorium, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento (95814). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will join CDFW, other agencies, and members of the public to discuss the northern spotted owl. The meeting is open to the public and is also available via webinar. For more information please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/timber or email [email protected].

31 — Deer Tag Reporting Deadline. Deer tag holders must submit a harvest report for any 2017 deer tag by the Jan. 31, 2018 deadline. Tag holders who do not report by this deadline will be charged a $21.60 non-reporting penalty fee when purchasing a 2018 deer tag drawing application or deer tag. Tag holders must submit a harvest report even if they did not hunt, or hunted unsuccessfully. For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/deer.

31 — Deadline to Return or Report Red Abalone Cards. CDFW reminds abalone anglers that the law requires that they 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. Cards may be mailed to CDFW, 32330 North Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437-5554 or deposited in the mailbox located on the front railing of the Fort Bragg office. Data may also be submitted online at www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/customersearch/begin. The cards provide important data used by CDFW to monitor the abalone fishery. The red abalone fishery will be closed next year and the California Fish and Game Commission will decide whether to continue the closure toward the end of next year.