Audubon California and any number of other organizations work hard to ensure that the wonder of spring migration continues well into the future. But arguably no one spends more time on the front lines of conversation than California State Game Wardens. We can pass all the laws we want, get the state to adopt all kinds of beneficial policies, but all of that means nothing if there isn’t anyone out in the field enforcing it. And that’s what the game wardens do, day in and day out. California wardens patrol 159,000 square miles of land, 4,800 lakes & reservoirs, 30,000 miles of rivers, 1,100 miles of coastline, and 200 miles out to sea. You would think we would have an army of wardens to do this, but actually the state does this with about 200 wardens. Audubon California is an enthusiastic supporter of the California Game Wardens Foundation, and we encourage everyone to learn more about these folks and support them as much possible. One way to learn more is to watch Wild Justice on the National Geographic Channel, a reality program that follows the work of these dedicated folks.

The photo above is from a 2009 poaching bust by game wardens. This particular arrest prompted the Audubon California to successfully push a bill calling for harsher penalties for poaching in California. It was the wardens who called our attention to that problem, and it will be the wardens who enforce the new laws.