Hunt Results for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 10/25/17, Saturday – 10/28/17 and Sunday – 10/29/17

The number of waterfowl taken at the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Wednesday bounced back somewhat from last Sunday’s extremely low numbers.   Green Wing Teal came in at first place again for number of birds checked in with Cinnamon Teal retaining the second spot.   The Wister Staff reported that the results for Wednesday, 10/25/17 were as follows:

92 adult and 2 junior hunters checked in 5 Northern Shovelers, 9 Mallards, 9 Gadwall, 21 Widgeon, 22 Pintail, 58 Green Wing Teal, 32 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Redhead, 1 Wood Duck, and 1 Blue Wing Teal.  There were no Geese bagged at Wister on Wednesday. Also, 6 Coots were included in the take on Wednesday.  This figured out to an average take of 1.69 ducks per hunter or, with the Coots added in, 1.76 waterfowl for each hunter. Out of 100 reservation cards issued 38 showed up on time for their spot.

The duck averages for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Saturday dropped again from Wednesday’s fairly low numbers.  Pintail and Cinnamon Teal tied for first place for number of ducks taken with Green Wing Teal dropping back to second place. The Wister Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 10/28/17 were as follows:

104 adult and 8 junior hunters checked in 2 Northern Shovelers, 10 Mallards, 10 Gadwall, 13 Widgeon, 25 Pintail, 21 Green Wing Teal, 25 Cinnamon Teal, 1 Redhead, 5 Ring Necks, and 1 Ruddy Duck.  Again, no Geese were bagged at Wister on Saturday. Also, 7 Coots were included in the take on Saturday.  This worked out to an average take of 1.01 ducks per hunter or, with the Coots figured in, 1.07 waterfowl for each gun. Out of 100 reservation cards issued 30 checked in on time to claim their spot.

The waterfowl take for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Sunday, not unexpectedly, dropped again from Saturday’s low numbers. Pintail took first place for number of ducks taken on Sunday with Cinnamon Teal sliding back to second place. The Wister Staff reported that the results for Sunday, 10/29/17 were as follows:

58 adult and 4 junior hunters bagged 2 Mallards, 2 Gadwall, 3 Widgeon, 7 Pintail, 3 Green Wing Teal, 5 Cinnamon Teal, 2 Redheads, 1 Bufflehead, and 1 Ruddy Duck. There were no Geese harvested again at Wister on Sunday. Also, 3 Coots were checked in on Sunday.  This came out to an average bag of 0.42 ducks per hunter or, with the Coots added in, 0.47 waterfowl for each person. There was no information provided regarding how many reservation holders out of the 100 reservation cards issued arrived on time for their spot.

Wister is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of.  Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done the night before at 10:30 pm, with sign-up for the drawing between 7:30 and 10:30 pm. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at Wister Staff at 760-359-0577.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 10/28/17

The bird count for San Jacinto Wildlife Area slipped a little lower from Wednesday’s count under still hot conditions with clear, calm skies.  Cinnamon Teal remained in first place for the number of birds checked in with Green Wing Teal taking over second place.  Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 10/28/17 were as follows:

131 adult and 4 junior hunters bagged 27 Northern Shovelers, 8 Widgeon, 2 Bufflehead, 1 Canvasback, 37 Cinnamon Teal, 2 Gadwall, 31 Green Wing Teal, 4 Mallards, 1 Merganser, 2 Pintail, 3 Redheads, 7 Ring Necks, and 19 Ruddy Ducks.  There were no Geese harvested at San Jacinto on Saturday.  In addition, 37 Coots were also taken today.  This resulted in an average harvest of 1.07 ducks per hunter or, with Coots figured in, 1.34 waterfowl per gun. Tom advised that out of 52 reservation cards 36 arrived on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  As in past seasons, no licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

 

Tuesday, November 14th, 1:30 pm – Riverside Board of Supervisors Final Vote on Massive Project That Will Encroach on San Jacinto Wildlife Area – ATTENDANCE NEEDED TO SHOW SUPPORT SJWA!

Now that the Riverside Planning Commission unwisely voted to recommend approval of the Lewis Homes project proposed along the southern border of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area the final decision on this ill-advised project now rests with the Riverside Board of Supervisors.  The Board of Supervisors will take public comment on the project then vote on its approval at their meeting on Tuesday, November 14^th at 1:30 pm the same location as the Planning Commission Meeting, 4080 Lemon Street, 1st Floor, Riverside, CA 92502.

Google maps link to 4080 Lemon Street, Riverside, the location of the hearing.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/4080+Lemon+St,+Riverside,+CA+92501/@33.9777754,-117.3755947,17.08z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80dcb1e5ff7ca79f:0x566b43c951322556!8m2!3d33.9778578!4d-117.3733832?hl=en

The County Supervisors will be making the final decision on the project and the fate of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s (and the hunting program’s) future.  This is the very last chance to do something about this project.  They will, in effect, be creating a 25,000-population city right on the border of San Jacinto, along with a large commercial development also, which can only have detrimental effects on the Wildlife Area, the wildlife within it and the hunting program.    Once again, as with the Planning Commission hearings, PLEASE tell everyone you know this is very important!  We need to show up IN NUMBERS for the Supervisors’ meeting!

As I reported before, there are T-shirts available to show your support for SJWA.  At this point, they can be purchased at Lilian Greenland’s Salon at 426 West Esplanade Ave., Suite 201, San Jacinto, CA 92583.  It would be nice to see a sea of Green SJ shirts at the Supervisor’s meeting.  If you haven’t already, you can also sign the petition against the project there too.

So, if there’s any way you can make it to the Riverside Board of Supervisors meeting on November 14^th, BE THERE!  As I’ve already said before the future of San Jacinto Wildlife Area, and most certainly the hunting program there, depends on it.

SoCalHunt San Jacinto Hunting Report – 10/25/17

Looking at the weather report for today I debated…for a few seconds…but I had to go.  It’s been since January that I’ve been privileged to sit in a duck blind at San Jacinto.  The weather report said it was going to be hotter than blazes but they also said there might be some wind, which is usually a good thing to move the birds at SJ.

So, Today SoCalHunt traveled out to San Jacinto Wildlife Area for solo afternoon refill hunt.  The bird counts for the opener this past Saturday were pretty good and I was hoping, despite the predicted hot weather, that at least a few birds would be flying in the afternoon.

I actually got out a little earlier than usual and as I drove up Davis Road towards the SJ Check Station I was passed by at least 8 truck leaving SJ after completing their morning hunts.  I thought that might be a good sign if a lot of hunters were finishing up early.  When I arrived, I walked up to the Check Station to check in and get my name on the refill list. I was totally surprised to see that I was 5^th on the refill list and 3 of the 4 hunting parties ahead of me on the list had already refilled, meaning, in effect, I was now 2^nd on the list.  There were already several good blinds available so, for the first time I can recall, there was no waiting for a good blind to check in, I picked my spot and was on the way out to the Wildlife Area almost immediately.

I walked out to my blind and set up and was hunting by about 11 am.  The conditions were already hot, with the temperature rising fast, and the sky was completely clear and calm.  The very definition of a “bluebird” day.  Ducks don’t really like “bluebird” days…actually, they probably like them fine, it’s us duck hunters that don’t like them.

So, I settled in to wait for the first duck of the 2017/18 season to make an appearance for me.  Things were slow and the thermometer was quickly creeping upward as the sun beat down on the Wildlife Area.  The wind that I had heard was predicted didn’t materialize and the pond took on the appearance of a mirror.

While I waited, I enjoyed the non-duck residents of the marsh…except for one (I’ll explain in a minute).  Of course, the ever-present coots splashed around in the pond and some other “critters” made appearances.  A couple groups of ibises flew by and several dragonflies and damselflies made visits to the blind.  The visitor, actually visitors, that I didn’t really enjoy, were a group of yellow jackets that insisted I was in their blind.  They kept buzzing me all day and climbed in and out of the palm fronds that made up the blind walls.  Not a fun blind partner if you get my drift.

About 1:00 pm a group of 4 Teal snuck in over my left shoulder and were at the far side of the pond before I could do anything.  I hit the pintail whistle a couple times and they turned and came back towards my pond.  They passed over high, out of range and just as they did that another pair of Teal slipped in from over my right shoulder.  These two were well within range but, as they surprised me slipping in over my shoulder, I wasn’t prepared and missed the rushed shot.

About 20 minutes later I noticed a couple ducks swimming around at the far side of my pond.  They looked like they might be Scaup but they also might have been Ring Necks.  It was hard to tell at that distance, even with the binos.  It was important to ID these birds in case they would come in range as Scaup aren’t legal the first two weeks of the season but Ring Necks are.  The point was rendered moot anyway as they never even came close to where I could have even attempted a shot.

So, after that little flurry of activity things slowed again.  I looked at the weather app on my phone and it was right at 99 degrees.  I believe, for me at least, this was probably the warmest temperature I’ve ever duck hunted in.  I wondered if I might break the 100-degree mark today.

At about 2:30, as I sat in the blind, over my left shoulder a hawk flew over so low he almost knocked my hat off.  He appeared just as surprised as me as he sort of “jumped” (for lack of a better description) when he saw me and quickly gained some altitude.

After that, except for an occasional shorebird or songbird, there wasn’t much flying.  I checked the weather app a few more times but the temperature never broke the 100 mark.  As the sun was just going down behind the hills a flock of about 20 Geese passed behind me about 200 or so yards away headed towards Mystic Lake.  As the approached Mystic, some hunters in one of the new Mystic blinds opened up on them.  I couldn’t see if they managed to down any of them but this caused them to reverse course and head straight for my blind.  This would have been great, except for one thing.  They were probably at least 120 yards high by the time they made it over me so I had no shot.  It was tempting the throw a shot their way but it would have been a total fluke to down one at that range and wasn’t worth the possibility of wounding one to fly off and die later.  Although it was nice to see them right overhead.  If I’d been thinking I should have grabbed the camera instead of the shotgun.

So, that was it for the day.  The sun dropped behind the hills and another day of duck hunting at SJ was in the books.  I’ll be back soon to try it again.  Hopefully, it’ll be about 25 or 30 degrees cooler next time…whew!

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Wednesday – 10/25/17

The bird count for San Jacinto Wildlife Area dropped somewhat from the rather good numbers of opening day under hot conditions pushing 100 degrees and clear cloudless skies.  Cinnamon Teal captured first place for the number of birds harvested today with Shovelers taking second place.  Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Wednesday, 10/25/17 were as follows:

124 adult and 9 junior hunters bagged 27 Northern Shovelers, 10 Mallards, 1 Gadwall, 7 Widgeon, 3 Pintail, 25 Green Wing Teal, 155 Cinnamon Teal, 5 Redheads, 6 Ring Necks, 1 Wood Duck, 1 Blue Wing Teal, and 9 Ruddy Ducks.  1 Aleutian Goose, 2 Canada Geese, and 1 White-Front Goose were bagged at San Jacinto today.  Also, there were 40 Coots checked in at SJ on Wednesday.  This resulted in an average harvest of 1.88 ducks per gun or, with the Geese and Coots included, 2.21 waterfowl per hunter. Tom advised that out of 52 reservation cards 31 arrived on time.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  As in past seasons, no licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

 

Hunt Results for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area, Saturday – 10/21/17 and Sunday – 10/22/17

The waterfowl take for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for the 2017/18 season opener was outstanding with many limits checked in.  Teal were way out front for the most numerous duck checked in.   Cinnamon Teal took the lead for number of birds bagged with Green Wing Teal coming in at second place.   The Wister Staff reported that the results for Saturday, 10/21/17 were as follows:

305 adult and 0 junior hunters bagged 4 Northern Shovelers, 715 Cinnamon Teal, 55 Gadwall, 38 Widgeon, 670 Green Wing Teal, 182 Mallards, 131 Pintail, 8 Redheads, 1 Canvasback, 7 Ring Necks, 2 Blue Wing Teal, 1 Bufflehead, 1 Black Duck, and 3 Ruddy Ducks.  There were no Geese harvested at Wister on Saturday.  In addition, 15 Coots were bagged on Saturday.  This resulted in an average bag of 5.96 ducks per hunter or, with the Coots figured in, a 6.01 waterfowl average for each hunter. Out of 100 reservation cards issued 72 showed up on time for their spot.

The waterfowl take for the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area for Sunday, as is usually the case, tapered off considerably from Saturday’s season opener’s excellent numbers.  The top two species from Saturday swapped places putting Green Wing Teal in first place for number of birds bagged with Cinnamon Teal dropping back into the second spot.  The Wister Staff reported that the results for Sunday, 10/22/17 were as follows:

218 adult and 20 junior hunters bagged 4 Northern Shovelers, 63 Cinnamon Teal, 2 Gadwall, 9 Widgeon, 88 Green Wing Teal, 15 Mallards, 16 Pintail, 6 Redheads, 2 Ring Necks, 2 Blue Wing Teal, and 15 Ruddy Ducks.  Again, no Geese were bagged at Wister on Sunday.  There were also 21 coots included in the total on Sunday.  This resulted in a per hunter average of 0.93 ducks and, with the coots included, 1.02 waterfowl per gun. Out of 100 reservation cards issued 51 hunting parties arrived on time to claim their spots.

Wister is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of.  Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done the night before at 10:30 pm, with sign-up for the drawing between 7:30 and 10:30 pm. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you’re the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  No licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at Wister Staff at 760-359-0577.

Hunt Results for San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Saturday – 10/21/17

San Jacinto Wildlife Area hunters experienced a great waterfowl opener with a high bird take average for opening day with warm weather and clear skies. Cinnamon Teal were the top bird for numbers bagged today with Green Wing Teal taking second place for the opener.  Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that the results for Saturday, 10/21/17 were as follows:

216 adult and 20 junior hunters bagged 107 Northern Shovelers, 384 Cinnamon Teal, 4 Gadwall, 9 Widgeon, 271 Green Wing Teal, 19 Mallards, 1 Pintail, 18 Redheads, 36 Ring Necks, 3 Wood Ducks and 16 Ruddy Ducks.  There were also 3 White-Front geese taken at SJ Saturday.  In addition, 26 coots were checked in on Saturday.  This resulted in an average harvest of 3.68 ducks for each hunter or 3.80 waterfowl with the geese and coots figured in. Tom advised that out of 52 reservation cards 39 showed up on time to claim their spot.

San Jacinto is open for waterfowl hunting on Wednesdays and Saturdays only. You can put in for reservations online through the DFW Automated License Data System (ALDS).  Your reservation request has to be to the ALDS system 17 days in advance to get in on the drawing or you can get in on the daily “sweatline” drawing for the remaining blinds after the reservations are taken care of. Reservation spots are given out starting at 3 AM and the “sweatline” drawing is done after that. The ALDS can be accessed through the DFW website at the below link –

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales

Don’t forget that all licenses and 1 day, 2 day or season passes must be purchased at a DFW Office or a license agent before your arrival at the refuge.  These can be purchased online via the ALDS system also, however, you will have to wait for the DFG to mail you the actual licenses and passes which can take up to 15 days.  If you purchase your license and passes in person at a DFW office or license agent you immediately get them without the wait for the mail.  As in past seasons, no licenses or passes will be sold at the check stations this season.  You can also show up for an afternoon refill hunt but the last refill is at 2 PM. For more information, contact the staff at San Jacinto at 951-928-0580.

 

Three Special Apprentice Pheasant Hunts Offered at San Jacinto This Season

San Jacinto Wildlife Area is offering three apprentice pheasant hunts this coming season.  These hunts will be for pen-raised pheasants released in the upland area of San Jacinto.  Dogs are not required for these hunts but trained hunting dog, provided by volunteers, may be available to assist in these hunts, or, if you have a trained dog, he/she may also participate.

The hunts are for Junior Hunters on Sunday, November 19^th (limit 2 hunters per party), Families on Sunday, December 17^th, (limit 4 hunters per party), and Women, Sunday, January 6^th, (limit 2 hunters per party).  For further details and to sign up go to the DFW link below and follow the instruction:

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/ApprenticeHunts/view/publicScreens/ViewHunts.aspx

Here’s the DFW website info on each hunt for reference:

(RIVERSIDE COUNTY)  SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA Jr. Only Apprentice Pen-raised Pheasant Hunt, Sunday, November 19, 2017 8:00 AM. This hunt will accommodate 60 hunters. Maximum hunting party size for this hunt is 2 hunters. Application deadline for this hunt is Tuesday, October 24, 2017 4:00 PM.In efforts to demonstrate safe hunting practices, the Department of Fish and Wildlife–along with our CDFW Volunteers–is offering the assistance of trained hunting dogs to participating hunting groups. Use of a hunting dog is optional for this hunt. Hunters may bring their own dogs, provided the dog is trained in the practices of hunting upland game. Recommended dog breeds are: Pointers, or Flushers. (All dogs must remain in the owner’s control.) NOTE: The Department of Fish and Wildlife cannot guarantee the availability of a dog the day of the hunt. For more information or questions, please call (951) 928-0580.

(RIVERSIDE COUNTY)  SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA Family Apprentice Pen-raised Pheasant Hunt, Sunday, December 17, 2017 8:00 AM. This hunt will accommodate 56 hunters. Maximum hunting party size for this hunt is 4 hunters. Application deadline for this hunt is Tuesday, November 14, 2017 4:00 PM. In efforts to demonstrate safe hunting practices, the Department of Fish and Wildlife–along with our CDFW Volunteers–is offering the assistance of trained hunting dogs to participating hunting groups. Use of a hunting dog is optional for this hunt. Hunters may bring their own dogs, provided the dog is trained in the practices of hunting upland game. Recommended dog breeds are: Pointers, or Flushers. (All dogs must remain in the owner’s control.) NOTE: The Department of Fish and Wildlife cannot guarantee the availability of a dog the day of the hunt. For more information or questions, please call (951) 928-0580.

(RIVERSIDE COUNTY)  SAN JACINTO WILDLIFE AREA Women’s, Apprentice Pen-raised Pheasant Hunt, Sunday, January 6, 2018 8:00 AM. This hunt will accommodate 30 hunters. Maximum hunting party size for this hunt is 2 hunters. Application deadline for this hunt is Tuesday December 12, 2017 4:00 PM.In efforts to demonstrate safe hunting practices, the Department of Fish and Wildlife–along with our CDFW Volunteers–is offering the assistance of trained hunting dogs to participating hunting groups. Use of a hunting dog is optional for this hunt. Hunters may bring their own dogs, provided the dog is trained in the practices of hunting upland game. Recommended dog breeds are: Pointers, or Flushers. (All dogs must remain in the owner’s control.) NOTE: The Department of Fish and Wildlife cannot guarantee the availability of a dog the day of the hunt. For more information or questions, please call (951) 928-0580.

Good luck and great hunting!

San Jacinto’s Volunteer Blind Brush Up / Work Day, Saturday, September 30th a Big Success

On Saturday, September 30^th, San Jacinto Wildlife Area held its third volunteer blind brush-up / work day.

About 30 volunteers worked on finishing up brushing blinds and clearing overgrown brush on some of the dikes on the Wildlife Area.

SoCalHunt was privileged to be able to attend this work day and lend a helping hand.  I was assigned to a group clearing brush from some on the routes to the blinds and doing any general cleanup needed.

The weather cooperated and it was pretty mild and pleasant conditions to work under for this work day.

Even more ducks are showing up at SJ every day and things are looking promising for the season opener in just a few weeks.  Mystic Lake is still holding on with about half of its surface area still there and this should make for a lot better conditions for this season’s hunting.

After a hard morning’s work, many of the volunteers gathered at Marcello’s Pizza in Nuevo for a great lunch.

As always, Tom and the Staff at San Jacinto would like to give a big thank you to everyone that came out and worked hard to get things ready for the upcoming waterfowl.

One more note…IMPORTANT!!  The Riverside Planning Commission, at the October 4^th hearing, continued the hearing on their decision on the Lewis Homes project until October 18^th.  They will still take public comment at that hearing and it’s important that we hunters give them a “show of force” and attend this meeting to show that we will fight this development, and the possible destruction of San Jacinto Wildlife Area to the bitter end.  (details here: https://socalhunt.wordpress.com/2017/10/07/final-chance-riverside-planning-commission-hearing-for-san-jacinto-wildlife-areas-future-october-18th/ )

Tom briefing the work parties

SJ Scenery – always beautiful!

Clearing brush from a dike

 

 

Final Chance! Riverside Planning Commission Hearing for San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s Future – October 18th

SoCalHunt attended the last Riverside Planning Commission hearing regarding the 11,350 housing unit Lewis Homes project proposed along the southern border of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area.  During this hearing, the Commission took public testimony regarding the project.  Scott Sewell, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Supervisor gave a great presentation regarding unanswered questions about the project and its potential effects on SJ, the wildlife there and the hunting program.  A lot of people gave comments to the Commissioners, a few in favor of the project, but most expressing opposition due to the adverse effects on the SJ wildlife and the hunting program and the detrimental effects on the rural lifestyle of the surrounding communities of Nuevo and Lakeview.  The few people that spoke in favor of the project seemed to have some type of monetary interest.  An out of state dairy owner (land value would go up), a group from a landscape company (8,000+ more potential customers), a real estate guy (6% per house sold adds up to?), school administrators (more schools and students so more $$$).  Also, the “applicant” (Lewis Homes) spewed a bunch of Bovine Scat and boasted about turning dairies into Starbucks and Walmarts (or something like that – like that’s a good thing?).

No decision was made at this hearing and the Commissioners continued the hearing until October 18^th where it is almost certain the Commission will be making a decision on the project and the fate of the San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s (and the hunting program’s) future.  I thought last time was our one more chance to try to make a difference and prevent this from happening but now we have one more final chance.  Once again, PLEASE tell everyone you know this is very important!  We again need to show up IN NUMBERS for the next hearing.  The hearing is October 18th at 9 AM at 4080 Lemon Street, 1st Floor, Riverside, CA 92502.

Google maps link to 4080 Lemon Street, Riverside, the location of the hearing.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/4080+Lemon+St,+Riverside,+CA+92501/@33.9777754,-117.3755947,17.08z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80dcb1e5ff7ca79f:0x566b43c951322556!8m2!3d33.9778578!4d-117.3733832?hl=en

So, if there’s any way you can make it to the Riverside Planning Commission meeting on October 18^th, BE THERE!  As I’ve already said before the future of San Jacinto Wildlife Area may very well be in the balance.