(1) Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Game to operate lands, or lands and water, acquired for public shooting grounds, state marine recreational management areas, or wildlife management areas on a nonprofit basis (collectively, department-operated lands). Existing law states that multiple recreational use of wildlife management areas is desirable and requires the Fish and Game Commission to encourage multiple recreational use. Existing law authorizes the commission to determine and fix the amount of, and authorizes the department to collect, fees for any use privileges. Existing law restricts shooting permits for department-operated lands to persons holding valid hunting licenses. Existing law, except as expressly provided, makes any violation of the Fish and Game Code, or any rule, regulation, or order made or adopted under that code, a misdemeanor.

This bill would authorize the department to enter into contracts or other agreements with nonprofit conservation groups, as specified, for the management and operation of department-managed lands, defined to include public shooting grounds, state marine recreational management areas, ecological reserves, and wildlife management areas. The bill would state that hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, wildlife photography, conservation education, and fish and wildlife research are priority uses compatible with department-managed lands, except as specified, and would allow the department to authorize by regulation other public uses. The bill would authorize the department to require the purchase of a special use permit for those other public uses. The bill, commencing January 1, 2015, would require the purchase of an entry permit if the department makes certain findings, as specified, for nonconsumptive uses of department-managed lands, except as provided. The bill would make the failure to obtain a permit an infraction, as specified, and provide that a person in possession of a valid hunting license, sport fishing license, or trapping license is exempt from a requirement to obtain a permit. The bill would require moneys generated by these provisions to be deposited in the Native Species Conservation and Enhancement Account of the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, and those funds would be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department to use for the management and operation of its lands. The bill would require, to the extent that the department is able to identify the source of the fee revenue collected, the department to provide no less than 35% of the funds generated by these provisions to the department-managed lands from which the fee revenues were collected.

(2) Existing law requires specified fines and penalties paid to and retained in the county treasury to be deposited in a county fish and wildlife propagation fund and expended for the protection, conservation, propagation, and preservation of fish and wildlife, under the direction of the county board of supervisors. Existing law limits expenditures from the fish and wildlife propagation fund of a county for specified purposes.

This bill would require all proposed expenditures from a county fish and wildlife propagation fund to be reviewed first at a regular meeting of the county board of supervisors or its designated county fish and game commission to ensure compliance with those specified expenditure purposes. The bill would find and declare that these provisions are an issue of statewide concern and not a municipal affair, as specified. By imposing new duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.