Last week's Butte County Fish and Game Commission meeting included introduction of Tyson Hulse, the new Gridley-area warden for the Department of Fish and Game. A recent graduate of the DFG's training academy at Butte College, Hulse's responsibilities will include the Oroville Wildlife Area and the Thermalito Afterbay.

Local DFG Lt. Sam Castillo reported that the local wild turkey season opener was washed out by storms, but the subsequent weather has been more conducive to success. Castillo also reminded the public that wild turkey hunting on the Oroville Wildlife Area is now by draw only, and anyone who has been hunting the outside perimeter should be cautious about transiting across WA territory with turkeys in possession.

The commission heard a presentation by Craig Bell, chairman of the Mendocino County Fish and Game Commission and a Springer Spaniel enthusiast. Bell is petitioning for the DFG to continue to allow Springer Spaniel training in the Oroville Wildlife Area using live ammo and live pheasants. The DFG's position is that this training method amounts to a "special hunt", and is incompatible with other uses of the WA. The DFG does acknowledge that this practice went on in previous years, but that this was due to a lack of available personnel to enforce already existing regulations.

The commissioners voted to take no action on this matter, but instead to allow it to be handled at the statewide level in a manner that will be applicable to all areas. Additional presentations were made by the Big Chico Creek Watershed Citizen Monitoring Program, which is associated with the California Urban Streams Alliance. Also presented was the "Field of Dreams" project. Founded by Tom Dermody, the FOD project allows terminally ill and special needs children to participate in fishing and hunting activities, sometimes in conjunction with TV and movie celebrities.