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AB 1987 lets nonprofits help run hunting programs on state wildlife areas

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The bill authorizes CDFW contracts with conservation groups and directs waterfowl reservation and entry-permit revenue back into public hunting programs.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: AB 1987 matters to hunters who use Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas and to conservation nonprofits. From Jan. 1, 2027, the Department of Fish and Wildlife may contract with qualifying nonprofits to run hunting and public-use programs on lands it manages, and revenue from waterfowl reservation applications and entry permits is steered back into running public hunting programs on those areas. The bill does not change season dates, bag limits or tag rules; those remain with the Fish and Game Commission and department regulations. This is general information, not legal advice.

On his final signing deadline of Sept. 30, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1987, chaptered the same day as Chapter 913 of the Statutes of 2026. The authors are Assemblymembers Heather Hadwick (R) and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D), with coauthors Cortese, Jeff Gonzalez and Soria, according to the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. The Assembly concurred 79-0 on Aug. 26, and the bill was enrolled Sept. 3.

The bill amends Fish and Game Code sections 1745, 1745.1 and 1758 and adds section 1528.5. It authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife to contract with nonprofit conservation organizations to run hunting and public-use programs on lands the department manages, a model supporters say can stretch staffing and keep access programs running.

The measure also creates a dedicated account structure for money generated by waterfowl hunting reservation applications and by entry permits, daily or seasonal, at wildlife areas classified Type A or Type B. Under the bill, those revenues are steered toward operating, maintaining and administering public hunting programs on the areas where they are collected, according to the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

The pairing of a Democratic and a Republican author, and the unanimous concurrence vote, reflected the bipartisan profile the sportsmen's measures carried this session. AB 1987 was the third Hadwick-involved sportsmen's bill signed in 2026, following AB 1912 in August and AB 2207 in late September. It is a non-urgency measure and takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Beyond the bill's leginfo history and the foundation's reporting, mainstream news coverage of the signing was limited, so program details here rest on the chaptered statutes and that single advocacy account.

Sources

  1. Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation: Key Sportsmen's Bills Advance in Final Days of California Legislative Session
  2. California Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov): AB 1987, 2025-2026 Regular Session, bill status and history
  3. bill_text: Signed Sept. 30, 2026 (Ch. 913, Stats. 2026); takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Post-signing coverage limited to one sportsmen's organization plus the official bill record.

Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.