FORTY-FOURTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



81 



particularly true of certain critical periods such as 

 opening days of various seasons and heavily pressured 

 week ends, when the regular wardens need help. 



Applicants desiring a commission as a reserve war- 

 den must attend weekly training classes for 10 weeks 

 and pass an examination before gaining an appoint- 

 ment. Receiving neither salary nor expenses, the\' 

 team up on their tours of duty with regular wardens. 

 Failure to conduct himself with consideration, cour- 

 tesy and helpfulness toward the public is justification 

 for immediate dismissal of a reserve from the program. 



Tours of Duty 



By terms of their appointments, reserve wardens 

 are required to perform one tour of duty a month. 

 Generally this service is conducted on a week end, 

 although many reserves generously donate time far in 

 excess of requirements. Consideration of the personal 

 expense borne by each reserve warden leads to the 

 conclusion that the ranks are filled only ^\•ith men 

 who are genuinely interested in the welfare of Cali- 

 fornia's fish and game. 



At the close of the biennium 1 1 reserve ^\•arden 

 units, comprising 242 men, were active within the 

 State. Units were located at Sacramento, Stockton, 

 San Francisco, Fresno, Sonora, Tulare, Merced, 

 Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Terminal Island (marine) 

 and San Diego. 



HUNTER SAFETY PROGRAM 



At the beginning of the biennium Section 424 of 

 the Fish and Game Code became effective. This 

 statute, designed to reduce the number of hunting 

 casualties, required that hunters under the age of 16, 

 other than those having held a hunting license in prior 

 years, be trained in proficiency with firearms as a con- 

 dition of obtaining a hunting license. Upon satisfac- 

 tory completion of a minimum four-hour course in 

 the safe handling of guns, enrollees in these classes are 

 issued a certificate of competence which, when pre- 

 sented to a license agent, furnishes proof of compe- 

 tence upon which issuance of a hunting license is 

 based. 



Much of the work of disseminating information, re- 

 cruiting instructors and organizing training schools 

 fell upon the Wildlife Protection Branch. Wardens 

 worked prodigiously to assure success of the program. 

 Most wardens gave cheerfully of their own free time 

 to show films and speak to sportsmen's clubs and civic 

 organizations concerning the need for safety with 

 firearms. 



At the close of the second year of the hunter safety 

 law 41,740 youngsters had been granted certificates 

 of competence and 4,654 adults had been certified as 

 instructors by the department and the National Rifle 

 Association, the organization with which the depart- 



ment has worked closely in carrying out the mandate 

 of the Legislature. 



During the biennium a schedule of marksmanship 

 training for wardens was inaugurated. Ammunition 

 allowances were provided and wardens were required 

 to regularly submit a report of their scores. 



In the spring of 1955 a five-man team was sent to 

 the California State Championship Pistol Matches in 

 San Diego. This team won two state championships in 

 the sharpshooter class and took nine individual medals. 



EQUIPMENT 



Because Department of Fish and Game radios were 

 assigned to an operating frequency used by the Divi- 

 sion of Forestry, communications in the past were 

 often unavoidably unsatisfactory. Peaks in work loads 

 of both agencies occur during the summer and autumn, 

 with a resultant heavy demand on radio facilities. 



During the period of this report a complete new 

 radio sv^stem was installed by the land and marine pa- 

 trol of Region V. This included 82 mobile units in 

 patrol cars, boats and an airplane, 10 land-based sta- 

 tions and seven relay stations. Now operating on a 

 frequentl\" assigned to exclusive use of the department's 

 A\-ardens, this system has been an invaluable asset to 

 law enforcement. 



To further improve the efliciency of the depart- 

 ment's radio system, a budget request for 1 186,000 was 

 made in 1955, so that a complete departmental radio 

 system might be installed. The request was approved 

 by the Legislature, and at the close of the biennium 

 pians had been completed for early installation of the 

 SN'stem. 



MARINE PATROL 



Two new patrol boats were acquired during the 

 period of this report. One of them replaced the 25- 

 foot Gninion, based at San Diego. The Gnmion, 

 which had been in operation continuously since 1947, 

 was incapable of performing its duties further with- 

 out undergoing an expensive overhaul. The new ves- 

 sel, christened Skipjack, is 30 feet in length and is 

 capable of a speed of 25 miles an hour. Based at San 

 Diego, the Skipjack is used for patrol of the heavy 

 sport and commercial fishing activities in that area. 



In the spring of 1955 the Rainbow HI was added 

 to the patrol force in the Sacramento-San Joaquin 

 Delta. Replacing the Rainbow II, which had outlived 

 its usefulness, the new boat is also 30 feet in length. 

 Purchased in October, 1954, its primary function is 

 patrol of the striped bass and sturgeon fisheries and 

 commercial boats netting salmon in the Carquinez 

 Straits. The Rainbow III is based at Crockett. 



Radar was installed during the biennium on the 32- 

 foot patrol boat Yellowtail, operating out of Port 

 Hueneme. Addition of this electronic equipment ap- 

 preciabl\- increased the effectiveness of the boat. 



