Department of Fish and Game has new name for a new era

On Tuesday the California Department of Fish and Game officially becomes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This is thanks to Assembly Bill 2402, which was signed into law by Gov. Edmund G. Brown on Sept. 25, 2012.

DFG director Charlton H. Bonham (on Tuesday he'll become DFW Director Bonham) stated Monday afternoon in a news release:

"The name of the department was changed to better reflect our evolving responsibilities. As our role has grown to meet 21st century expectations, we remain committed to our traditional responsibilities and to honoring our deep roots in California’s natural resources legacy."

This seems to imply that people in the 21st Century would rather not see the term "Game" used in the agency title, because it refers to animals hunted for sport or food. The greener "Wildlife" term is more politically correct in an age where hunting is a reality best kept unpublicized.

But Bonham also implies, in the latter portion of his quote, that hunting and fishing will continue to be regarded as important wildlife management tools and sources of revenue, so in reality only the name has changed.

Whatever the case, people will get used to the change. But it may take time.

Game wardens henceforth will be referred to as wildlife officers. The DFG's website will change from www.dfg.ca.gov to www.wildlife.ca.gov (although the current URL will also work indefinitely).

As for the new shield logo, that was not included with Monday's news release.

But the DFG logo accompanying this post, as of 12:01 Tuesday morning, will become a mere collector's item.