Credit: USFWS

A "Celebrity" Puts the Spotlight on Colusa Refuge

For two consecutive winters, an exotic avian visitor from Asia has had a strong influence on Colusa National Wildlife Refuge and the northern California communities surrounding it. On Dec. 8, 2011, a Sacramento birding group spotted a beautiful male falcated duck resting conveniently close to a refuge wildlife observation deck. Falcated ducks have been sighted in North America outside Alaska just a few times. On Dec. 2, 2012, he returned. Visitors saw the falcated duck sleeping on the same island that he had favored the previous winter. Full story...

Credit: USFWS

Pacific Flyway Wing Bee Identifies Over 20,000 Waterfowl Wings

Every February biologists, birders and hunters meet at Coleman National Fish Hatchery to "read" thousands of waterfowl wings sent in a by hunters on the Pacific Flyway. The Pacific Flyway Wing Bee, a name derived from a gathering like a quilting bee or spelling bee, allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to exam wings from seven states, as wing readers and experts determine the species, sex and age composition of harvested Pacific Flyway waterfowl using detached wings mailed in by hunters. Full story...

Credit: USFWS

Anglers Include Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the ' Sierra Grand Slam'

Lahontan cutthroat trout historically occurred in most cold waters of the Lahontan Basin of Nevada and California. However, a severe decline in numbers of Lahontan cutthroat occurred by the 1930s due to loss of spawning habitat due to logging, blockage of streams due to dams, and less water due to irrigation and urban water demand. Today, a decade later, the Lahontan cutthroat trout continues to make headlines in Nevada's Pyramid Lake as fish weighing nearly 20 pounds are being caught. Full story...

Credit: USFWS

One Man's Vision Leads to a 'Refuge on the Bay'

One of the unsung heroes of the decades long effort to create the San Francisco Bay's first National Wildlife Refuge is the man who came up with the idea, a visionary Santa Clara County Planner named Art Ogilvie. In the mid-1960s, Ogilvie first brought a group of citizen-activists together to discuss the possibility of a refuge on the Bay. On October 31, 2012, over 100 enthusiastic supporters, including U.S. Reps. Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren, gathered at the refuge to celebrate its 40th anniversary and recognize local heroes like Ogilvie who were instrumental in making it a reality. Learn more...