Outdoor California

April 7, 2022

Question: A friend showed me a copy of a magazine put out by CDFW. It included some amazing wildlife photography, which I think was part of a contest. Can the public subscribe to that magazine?

Answer: Yes! Outdoor California has been published by CDFW since 1945. It is published six times per year and is available by subscription for $15 annually. Please take the following steps to subscribe: Go to ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales. Sign in as a “Guest,” and then scroll down to find 2022 subscriptions for Outdoor California.

The Wildlife Photograph of the Year Contest is presented in conjunction with California Watchable Wildlife and is sponsored by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Entries are accepted year-round, with winners announced in each magazine beginning in the March/April issue. Rules for the contest can be found on the Watchable Wildlife website, cawatchablewildlife.org(opens in new tab).

Outdoor California and California Watchable Wildlife first sponsored the contest in 2011 as a way to acknowledge photographs that illustrate the diverse wildlife and the viewing experiences found throughout the state’s natural and wild lands. Sierra Nevada Conservancy joined as a contest sponsor after the first year to encourage more representation from a region rich with a diversity of wildlife. The other sponsors, Out of This World Optics and Jay House Vacation Rentals, have presented previous winners with high-end outdoor gear and other gifts.

In its effort to reduce the department’s carbon footprint that started back in 2010, CDFW has transitioned away from publishing outreach materials for the public in favor of electronic and digital delivery formats. Outdoor California is one of the last publications to begin that transition, and CDFW’s executive team is working with the editor to bring the magazine into the digital world by 2024.