Conservaiion education covers many phases of wildliSe management and 

 calls for varied approaches, 



(Fish and Game Photo) 



interested in the welfare of their wildlife resources, 

 every public media in the State was provided with 

 information and educational materials on these sub- 

 jects of vital importance. 



Approximately 8,000,000 pieces of mimeographed 

 or printed material, half of which were angling and 

 hunting regulation abstracts, were made available to 

 the public upon request during the biennium. 



Hundreds of public schools which requested infor- 

 mation on wildlife were also provided materials avail- 

 able. 



Working with the Interdepartmental Committee on 

 Conservation Education, Fish and Game supported 

 various efforts to improve wildlife conservation mate- 

 rials available to the schools from various sources, and 

 to seek ways of expanding and improving conservation 

 education training available to student teachers in 

 various state colleges. 



HANDBOOK SERIES 



Specifically designed as a guide to school teachers 

 was the Home and Hunter Safety Training handbook 

 produced cooperatively by the Departments of Fish 

 and Game and Education. A series of handbooks, 

 designed for future use as supplemental classroom 

 material, also was undertaken by Fish and Game. The 

 first two handbooks. Waterfowl of California, and 

 Upland Game of California, had their preliminary 

 printings while Big Game of California and Trout of 

 California were in production. These handbooks were 

 to be offered for sale at cost to California schools for 

 the 1957 school year. 



A number of school districts purchased copies for 

 local use of several of the department's motion pictures 

 on wildlife subjects during the biennium, and scores 

 of schools borrowed loan copies of these films for 

 short periods. 



As a service unit of the department, the Conserva- 

 tion Education Section handled an increasing load of 

 requests for all kinds of information concerning wild- 



life. Methods for collecting the basic information from 

 department personnel throughout the State were im- 

 proved, while economies were effected in producing 

 and disseminating such information to the public, 

 schools and public media. 



Special requests for information and photographs 

 from authors, legislative committees and other agencies 

 of government numbering more than 100 were 

 handled by the section. 



A series of anglers' guides, designed to interest fish- 

 ermen in high-mountain areas where the trout are 

 now under-utilized, was expanded. Purpose of such 

 guides is to bring about more extensive use of trout 

 which maintain themselves at small or no cost to the 

 department and to thus relieve some of the fishing 

 pressure on more accessible waters where hatchery- 

 raised trout are planted by the department. 



TELEVISION, RADIO, MOVIES 



Approximately 200 radio stations were regularly 

 serviced with information on fish and game matters. 

 In cooperation with department personnel, the section 

 assisted in the airing of about 75 "live" radio and 

 television shows. 



Personnel also cooperated with program directors 

 in planning television shows, obtaining the services of 

 department personnel and visual material for use on 

 such shows. In some cases Conservation Education 

 personnel appeared on shows in person, along with 

 local leaders or instructors, particularly on programs 

 explaining the new hunter safety training program. 



Nearly 3,000,000 people viewed the department's 

 two new and five revised wildlife conservation movies 

 during the biennium and another 48,460 saw the three 

 hunter safety films. The seven movies were shown to 

 an authenticated audience of 155,939, comprised 

 mainly of school students, conservation club members, 

 and members of fraternal, social, civic and service or- 

 ganizations. The films were also shown on television 

 to an estimated audience of 2,603,500 viewers. 



In addition to regular duties, Conservation Educa- 

 tion personnel handled special problems during the 

 biennium. The hunter safety training program, the 

 in-service training program and the logging pollution 

 problem were chief among these. 



HUNTER SAFETY 



On July 1, 1954, a new law required that youths 

 under 16 could not obtain a hunting license before 

 completing a minimum four-hour course in the safe 

 handling of guns. Since the law went into effect a 

 total of 41,740 juniors attended classes set up by the 

 Conservation Education Section's hunter safety train- 

 ing program, which was spearheaded in the field by 

 the wardens. A total of 4,654 adults were certified as 

 volunteer instructors, through cooperation of the Na- 

 tional Rifle Association. Much of the load of teaching 

 was shouldered by reserve wardens, school teachers, 



