I love to tell stories. That’s exactly what I did when Tom Wilmer, the award-winning host of National Public Radio’s Journeys of Discovery, interviewed me about my new book, The Game Warden’s Son. Tom’s a real pro, and we had a ball.
The Middle Fork American River and Ruck-A-Chucky Falls. Photo by Eric Peach.
When I looked at the list of outdoor activities for this year’s Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC) spring conference, a rafting trip down the American River practically jumped off the page. “Let’s do this!” I said to Kathy. “I haven’t rafted the American River since 1973, when I was a graduate student at Sacramento State.” I had also worked as a paid intern for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors during that time and learned firsthand about a fledgling organization called Friends of the River. Friends of the River was mounting a campaign to stop the proposed Auburn Dam project. It seemed that certain political heavyweights were pushing to bury the breathtakingly pristine north and middle forks of the American River under several hundred feet of water. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and the project was eventually abandoned. Natural treasures like the American River Canyon are never completely safe, however. Like a bad cold that just won’t go away, the plan to build Auburn Dam still rears its ugly head from time to time.
Sharing information about The Game Warden’s Son; Badges, Bears, and Eagles; and my career in wildlife protection. Photos by Kathy Callan.
Thank you to Tom Amundson and the Red Bluff Rotary for making my presentation yesterday a real pleasure. Kathy and I received a warm welcome and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
We were also impressed to learn of all the community service projects performed by this exceptional group. They are truly an asset to their community.
Outdoor Writers Association of California President Tom Martens presenting me with the award. Photo by Kathy Callan.
What a thrill it was to receive the “Best Outdoor Magazine Column” award from the Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC) for the third year in a row, at the OWAC spring conference in Auburn. Thank you to OWAC and to the faculty of the journalism department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, who were the judges in the competition.
The book tour is in full swing for The Game Warden’s Son. Two recent stops on the tour were Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and The Fly Shop in Redding.
Entrance to Cave Creek Canyon and the Chiricahua Mountains. All photos by author.
I’ve always been fascinated with birds, but I really became hooked on bird-watching, or birding, as it’s often called, during the mid-seventies when I was a rookie Fish and Game warden down on the Colorado River. Warden Bill Peters and I were patrolling the river south of Earp, California, when we spotted a large bird off in the distance. “That’s a peregrine,” said Peters, focusing his binoculars on the fast-flying raptor. “Looks like a female.”
Having grown up near Chico and graduated from Chico State, I always enjoy coming back to my old stomping grounds. Last week’s successful book signing at the Chico Costco made this occasion extra special: I was able to visit with classmates I hadn’t seen since high school and make a passel of new friends. Kathy and I had a great time and thought we’d share our experience by posting a few photographs.
I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on the popular National Public Radio program Nancy’s Bookshelf. What an honor to be interviewed by one of radio’s finest and most professional hosts, Nancy Wiegman. I invite all my friends to listen to the interview this Friday morning, April 15, at 10:00 a.m., on KFPR in Redding (88.9 FM) or KCHO in Chico (91.7 FM). You can also listen to the broadcast live or play it at your convenience by going to mynspr.org.
Last Saturday’s book signing at the Redding Costco was a huge success, with readers coming from as far away as Chester, Chico, Fall River, Red Bluff, and Corning. Kathy and I made a bushel of new friends and loved visiting with our old friends. Thank you to everyone who turned out.
Lower Battle Creek as it would appear during the fall salmon run. All photos, unless otherwise noted, by author.
This is an excerpt from “Stakeout at Battle Creek,” a chapter in my recently released sequel, The Game Warden’s Son.
I’m sometimes asked if I had any favorite places to work during my twenty-one years supervising the warden force in western Shasta County. Lower Battle Creek immediately comes to mind—from the mouth, where Battle Creek flows into the Sacramento River, to the barrier weir at Coleman National Fish Hatchery.