Conservation groups are warning that Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to slash the state's vehicle fleet could have consequences for California wildlife and their habitats.

The Department of Fish and Game is slated to lose 527 vehicles in the fleet-reduction program, according to preliminary data obtained by The Bee. Unlike the take-home or rarely used vehicles primarily targeted by the program, most of the Fish and Game vehicles are special equipment used to conduct research, maintain duck habitat and catch poachers.

According to a spreadsheet identifying the targeted vehicles, state wildlife refuge areas would lose 14 bulldozers, 10 tractors, six graders and three backhoes. These vehicles, though often used only on a seasonal basis, are essential to prepare wetlands for migratory waterfowl, said John Carlson, president of the California Waterfowl Association.

Also slated for elimination are 124 boats statewide that are used for wildlife law enforcement, habitat management, research and oil spill prevention.

Under the program, the vehicles would be auctioned off to generate revenue for the state, which is struggling to balance its budget.

Kevin Hunting, a deputy director at Fish and Game, said the department hopes to keep some of the targeted vehicles.

"The state's going through a difficult time, and we're looking at every piece of equipment. We have to try to be more efficient," Hunting said. "We're petitioning to retain those that, for one reason or another, we feel is a special circumstance."

The fleet-reduction program is overseen by the state Department of General Services. It hired contractor Mercury Associates for $575,000 to help manage the effort, including a survey of departments to assess their fleets.

Eric Lamoureux, a spokesman and acting deputy director at General Services, said the agency is sensitive to special equipment needs. An appeals process allows departments to retain essential vehicles by submitting more information.

"That information may or may not lead to a vehicle being pulled off the list," Lamoureux said. "At the end of the day, we're attempting to make sure state government is operating a fleet that's appropriate. We have over 50,000 vehicles, and it was necessary to take a critical look at each and every one."

The Department of Fish and Game is in the midst of that appeals process. Spokeswoman Jordan Traverso said the department hopes to retain 123 vehicles, though a detailed list was not available.

Nancy Foley, the department's chief of enforcement, said the appeals list is likely to include two aircraft.

One, a 1981 Beech King Air, serves law enforcement missions and is the state's only plane equipped to stock trout in high mountain lakes. Another is a 1974 Cessna 185 equipped with special electronics to track wildlife and detect poachers.

Of the 527 vehicles Fish and Game might lose, 25 are classified as take-home vehicles, according to data. The largest single category is trailers – 178 in total. Some are paired with a particular boat, and some are all-purpose cargo haulers. Others are dedicated to carry special equipment, such as a generator or welder.

"There's a lot of specialized equipment on the chopping block," said Carlson, who was a Fish and Game biologist and manager for two decades before he joined the waterfowl group last year. "A lot of this equipment was purchased with hunting and fish license revenue dollars. For that to be eliminated in some kind of bean-counter exercise is extremely concerning to sportsmen."

Hardest hit will be the department's north and north central regions, which stretch from San Joaquin County to the Oregon border. They stand to lose 106 vehicles that are used on dozens of wildlife areas and research programs.

Carlson said bulldozers, tractors and graders are important to create the right water depth and rate of flow at refuge areas to attract waterfowl and other wildlife such as shorebirds, raptors and amphibians.

Some equipment is also used to plant food crops for wildlife. With 95 percent of wetland habitat lost to development, part of the legal charter at refuge areas is to provide natural feed so birds don't eat crops on surrounding private farms.

Even fiscal conservatives acknowledge a need for exceptions.

Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said fleet reduction is important to eliminate unnecessary state expense. On the other hand, he said, there is a danger in overreaching.

"Sometimes these reductions in spending throw the baby out with the bathwater," he said. "If it is a specialty vehicle specifically designed or modified to perform a specific function, it seems to make sense to maintain that vehicle."

Law enforcement officials at the department are also concerned, said Jerry Karnow, president of the California Fish and Game Wardens Association.

A game warden in Nevada County, Karnow said the department has been trying to find money to station a patrol boat on the north shore of Lake Tahoe to enforce fishing regulations and watch for pollution problems. At present, he said, Fish and Game has no patrol boats at Lake Tahoe, a renowned geographic wonder where water quality is a paramount concern.

"I believe we don't have enough boats," Karnow said. "California is one of those states that just has a lot of water and a monstrous oceanfront. People hunt and fish by boats, and a lot of times the only access for our law enforcement to contact people is by boat."

Fourteen of the 124 boats proposed for elimination would come from the department's Bay Delta Region. The department's Office of Spill Prevention and Response, which is largely boat-dependent to fulfill its mission of policing the oil shipping industry, stands to lose nine vessels.

In the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay, the department's expert waited three hours to board the stricken tanker because his own agency had no boats available. This delayed a vital independent assessment of the spill's size, according to a 2008 review by a U.S. Coast Guard panel.

Foley said a state law taking effect Jan. 1 may require an even larger on-water response capability. The law, AB 1112, requires the Office of Spill Prevention and Response to conduct more monitoring of oil and fuel transfer operations when ships are in port.

"I honestly don't know if they have enough (boats) to do that part of the legislation," Foley said.

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Call The Bee's Matt Weiser, (916) 321-1264. Follow him on Twitter @matt_weiser.

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