California Department Fish and Wildlife has some shiny new tools in the fight against avian influenza and other wild bird diseases. Five new Diamondback airboats were delivered recently to CDFW’s Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area with one additional boat arriving the first week in April.
Two boats will be going to CDFW’s Central Region, one boat to CDFW’s Bay Delta Region, one boat to CDFW’s North Central Region, another boat to CDFW’s Northern Region and the sixth boat to CDFW’s Nutria Eradication Program.
The boats, purchased with state drought funds at a cost of $120,000 each, are being deployed to CDFW wildlife areas around the state to help combat avian influenza, cholera and botulism that are largely transmitted through watery environments, which makes California’s waterfowl and other wetland-dependent bird species particularly susceptible. Removing diseased and dead birds quickly from the environment is key to minimizing impacts and disease spread.
Navigating though the often dense, heavily vegetated and shallow water environments on CDFW wildlife areas is best accomplished in an airboat. The new airboats feature polymer hulls that assist with sliding across just about any surface, including mud and dry ground. They will replace several airboats in CDFW’s fleet that were manufactured in the 1980s and are still in use. The airboats will also be used for habitat management activities and banding waterfowl.
