4 TEHAMA - THE MAGAZINE, October 2014
For the birds
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge —
A haven for nature photographers
By Clare Jones-Carbonell
It's 4 a.m. and the alarm
on my phone is going off.
As I gather my camera
gear, grab a cup of coffee
and start down the I-5
for my 45 minute drive, I
start decompressing from
my week and slip into my
shooting frame of mind.
My destination: The
Sacramento National Wildlife
Refuge. The Refuge Complex
is a more than 70,000 acre
area that provides habitat
for more than 300 species
of birds and numerous other
species of native wildlife.
The Complex consists of a
network of 5 refuges and 3
wildlife management areas
that are interspersed amongst
the agricultural areas of the
Sacramento Valley.
In years past I would be on
my way to meet up with 10
to 20 other photographers
and bird enthusiasts to go
out with Refuge Manager
Steve Emmons to explore
the "forbidden" areas of the
Complex. For years now,
Steve has expertly guided
