County farm advisors and extension specialists

Responsibilities: Provide advice and information on wildlife damage control, conduct applied research to help solve wildlife damage problems; organize and participate in workshops and training sessions, develop written and other materials to educate interested parties in appropriate and effective control methods.

Contact…

.....for advice and information on specific wildlife damage control techniques and strategies.

.....for direction on contacts, other sources of information, or the appropriate person/agency to contact.

.....when you have a wildlife damage situation that may require research.

Agricultural Commissioner offices in almost all of California’s 58 counties.

Responsibilities: Local enforcement agent for California Dept. of Food & Agriculture and Dept. of Pesticide Regulation. Manage programs and agricultural enforcement activities at the county level. Activities include: pest prevention and plant quarantine, insect, disease and vertebrate pest management, noxious weed control and pesticide use enforcement for Dept. of Pesticide Regulation.

.....to purchase rodenticides (anticoagulants, zinc phosphide, gas cartridges).

.....to obtain a permit for restricted use materials.

.....for necessary form(s) for bird species that may be controlled under the general supervision of the Agricultural Commissioner (crowned sparrows, horned larks, or house finch).

.....to purchase a copy of the Vertebrate Pest Control Handbook.

.....for general advice on wildlife damage control, especially concerning agricultural pests.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/index.html

Headquarters in Sacramento; 5 district offices around the state.

Responsibilities: Provide advice and information regarding wildlife damage management; provide services (e.g., predator trapping, nuisance wildlife removal) on a contract basis; assist with federal permit applications for bird control; conduct wildlife hazard surveys at airports; protect endangered species from wildlife depredations.

.....for general advice and information on wildlife damage control.

.....when a federal depredation permit is required for lethal bird control.

.....for damage problems and removal of predators (coyotes, mountain lions) and nuisance wildlife (skunks, raccoons, beaver, pigeons, waterfowl).

State headquarters in Sacramento; 6 regional offices plus a marine region office. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/org/index.html

Responsibilities: to manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend for their ecological values and for use by the public; set and enforce regulations regarding hunting and trapping of wildlife; issue depredation permits for selected species; set regulations under which animals may be possessed, taken, or controlled; determine threatened or endangered status of species for state listing.

Contact…

.....for clarification of regulations in the Fish and Game Code.

.....regarding damage caused by deer, bear, elk, wild pigs, gray squirrels, beaver, or mountain lions.

.....for issuance of depredation permits to kill deer, bear, elk, wild pigs, gray squirrels, beaver, or mountain lions causing damage.

Headquarters in Sacramento; regional offices in Anaheim, Fresno, and West Sacramento.

Responsibilities: Regulates all aspects of pesticide sales and use to protect public health and the environment; tests and licenses pest control operators and advisers, and pesticide applicators who use or supervise the use of restricted pesticides; evaluates and registers (licenses) all pesticides before they can be used possessed, or offered for sale; maintains the safety of the pesticide workplace; enforce federal and State laws and regulations pertaining to the proper and safe use of pesticides; maps sites occupied by federally listed threatened and endangered species, evaluates pesticide exposure risks to listed species in occupied sites, classifies risk and develops protection strategies to minimize risk as needed; maintain databases on pesticide use reports, chemical ingredients, active and inactive product/labels, and section 18 emergency exemptions.

.....regarding issues of pesticide worker safety and licensing/certification.

.....via the internet to determine the potential occurrence of listed species and allowable control techniques in occupied areas (http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/es/index.htm).

.....via internet to determine registration status of rodenticides, avicides, and repellants (http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/label/labelque.htm).

Department of Health Services: Vector-Borne Disease Section and Veterinary Public Health Section

Headquarters in Sacramento; 7 regional offices.

Responsibilities: Vector-Borne Disease Section - a service agency provides technical consultation and assistance to local vector control agencies to prevent and control such vector-borne diseases as hantavirus, plague, malaria, tickborne diseases, and arboviral encephalitis. The Veterinary Public Health Section assists local counties in the investigations and control/prevention of zoonotic diseases, such as rabies, brucellosis, and Q-fever.

.....for advice on safety precautions to minimize exposure to wildlife-related diseases and handling of sick or dead animals.

.....to report bites or exposure from suspected rabid animals (e.g., bats, dogs, skunks).

.....to report any unusual occurrence of dead animals (e.g., as in a plague outbreak) or suspected diseased animals.

.....via the internet to download brochures on hantavirus, Lyme disease, plague, and others (http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/html/disbindex.htm).