A note about hunting:

A note about hunting:
"In case you find the many mentions of hunting or game availability on the pages linked above to be in any way distasteful I would like to respectfully remind you that despite the stereotype, hunters are some of the best naturalists in California. The state of California actually uses hunters and hunting as a key tool in the State's wildlife management plan. Hunters and other shooting enthusiasts contribute far more to wildlife habitat conservation and management than all other sources combined. The following quote taken directly from the Grassland site speaks for itself:

A national survey by the U.S. Department of the Interior reveals that hunters spend $12.3 billion each year for travel , licenses, duck stamps and excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and equipment to finance wildlife research and management. These funds are also used to purchase and protect wildlife habitat that benefits a wide variety of game, non-game and plant life on a year-round basis. In California, expenditures by hunters are far greater than those provided for wildlife by the non-hunting public. In 1994, the state Department of Fish and Game received more than $11 million in revenue for wildlife management from hunters, compared to just $41,629 collected from non- hunters through the California Wildlife Campaign and only $532,000 donated through state Income tax returns for Rare and Endangered Species Preservation. Unfortunately, the degradation and reduction of wetland habitat within California over the past 100 years has resulted in a steady decline in revenues generated from hunters. This trend will likely continue unless the public becomes educated in the role of the hunting community in preserving our wetlands and wildlife resources for all to enjoy." Los Banos-