Badges, Bears, and Eagles: The True-Life Adventures of a California Fish and Game Warden

 During his thirty-year career as a wildlife protection officer for the California Department of Fish and game, Steve Callan, conducted some of the most fascinating, complex and highly successful wildlife investigations in California history. He also collected a wealth of action-packed, suspenseful and often humorous true stories.  He and his colleagues outsmarted game hogs, thwarted fish thieves, and foiled outlaws. Callan was even stalked by African lions and mauled by a five-hundred pound Bengal tiger. One of the most important cases of his career began with a slain bald eagle dropped on the doorstep of the Fish and Game office, along with a note threatening the life of a fellow warden. A decade later, Callan and his working partner Dave Szody conducted an investigation which uncovered a statewide criminal conspiracy to kill California black bears for their valuable gall bladders. It’s not all about catching bad guys, it’s also about conservation—in “Saving Lake Mathews,” Steve chronicles how he helped save a beloved wildlife sanctuary from developers.