FORTY-FIFTH BIENNIAL REPORT 15 



CONSERVATION EDUCATION 



During the biennium, the potential audience for this increasing volume of wildlife conservation 

 information grew materially by addition of approximately 1,000,000 citizens to the State. The 

 number of conservation education and information specialists, as well as funds available to do the 

 job remain virtually static, however. 



Efforts to make the conservation education program more effective by improvement of informa- 

 tion materials issued, and their use, as well as concentration on aggressive programs on specific prob- 

 lems such as stream destruction by logging, water pollution and protection of wildlife in water devel- 

 opments were generally targeted at four publics: 



First target for departmental information of all kinds are those who work for the department, 

 including volunteer reserve wardens, license agents and hunter safety instructors. All these people, 

 who represent the department officially in varying degrees, are considered keys to informing other 

 segments of the public. 



Information to Employees 



In employee orientation and training classes, all regular employees arc informed of the character, 

 use and availability of all materials published by the department. Information included therein often 

 are subjects for inservice training and discussion sessions. In addition, two periodicals, the News- 

 letter and Monthly Progress Report, comprising principally internal and operational information, is 

 prepared monthly for inservice use. 



The other three targets are: licensed sportsmen, the general public, and future sportsmen. The 

 approach is by two means — special purpose media and mass media, or "rifle" and "shotgun" coverage. 



The "shotgun" media are the newspapers, television, radio stations and moving pictures. The 

 department attempts to reach the general public through these media by means of a weekly press 

 release from headquarters and periodic news releases from regions. The department's motion pictures 

 are made available to television stations. 



"Outdoor California," a monthly publication of the department, is designed for general newspaper 

 and magazine use as feature material, as well as for broadening the general wildlife conservation knowl- 

 edge of employees and others specifically interested in wildlife. 



The special purpose media are the materials produced by the department to answer particular 

 questions most often asked, or for other special purposes. In this class are the "Conservation Informa- 

 tion Folders," such as "Stop, Look and Live," a new folder produced for the first time in this bi- 

 ennium. The folder emphasizes the positive approach to safety in the field, as well as good farmer- 

 sportsman relations. Approximately 700,000 were printed in the last two years and distributed to 

 license buyers through license agents. Similar information also was included for the first time in the 

 750,000 copies of the Hunting Regulations Digest distributed to hunting license buyers. 



Species identification booklets are also special purpose media, as is the biennial report. 



"Trout of California" and "Big Game of California" joined the first two booklets in the series 

 (on waterfowl and upland game) during the period. The booklets have a threefold purpose. They 

 are designed to be informational and educational and to provide training to department personnel 

 across functional lines. The biennial report is designed as an easy-to-read report of the last two years 

 of wildlife management and research and is sent to newspapers and leaders in the conservation field 

 as handy reference material. The American Association for Conservation Information honored the 

 biennial report as the outstanding publication of its kind in 1956 and rated "Trout of California" 

 as a runner-up in the species identification booklet category in the same year. 



Motion Picture Production 



Motion pictures serve the double purpose of reaching the general public through mass media and 

 particular publics through individual showings before small groups, clubs, schools and other or- 

 ganizations. 



