A subtle message that leads to the Jejune Institute.

In a nondescript building at the corner of California and Kearny, lies the office of the Jejune Institute. Enter their office and watch a short induction video and you will be immediately thrown in to a city-wide alternative reality, scavenger hunt that has participants hunt around the city for clues and objects that build upon a larger, mysterious narrative.

You may have heard of the Jejune Institute already. The city is full of flyers and signs that promote "socio re-engineering" courses and products that the Institute purportedly offers. They encourage you to visit they're offices or call to learn more:

The Institute, which might look like a cult from the outside, is the creation of the hybrid arts and advertising consultancy, Nonchalance. Jeff Hull, the founder and creative director of Nonchalance, spoke a couple weeks ago at the Leonardo Art/Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) on situational design and use of public space. He described the core of Jejune (and Nonchalance) as bringing together three main concepts: narrative, multimedia and space. Together, they create the world of Jejune and are a model for creating excellent experiences in situational design.

While Jejune is a privately funded project, Nonchalance works with corporate clients to creative narrative driven marketing campaign.

Having visited the Jejune Institute, I can say it's one of the funnest and most intriguing experiences I've ever had. The city suddenly takes on a different form, as you begin to look for clues and subtext in everything you see. It has been a delightful experience in situational design that can turn a regular weekend afternoon into something entirely magical. With the exception of having to purchase a few token items along the way (all less than $5), it is completely free.

As to giving you any clues about what you'll experience at Jejune, I'm staying mum. You'll just have to go and visit for yourself.

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"One of my favorites is this one here," says my host, Senior Wildlife Forensic Specialist Jeff Rodzen, "we have a bird who choked to death on the head of a lizard." Hmm. A favorite? Maybe compared to the others lining the wall: jars filled with parasitic worms, a tule elk fetus, a see-through rabbit where you can see every bone.

Add in the bighorn sheep skull among the modern equipment, and the paws sticking up in the back of the evidence and it made for a surreal day of reporting.

Welcome to the autopsy and necropsy room at the California Fish and Game office in Rancho Cordova, about 12 miles east of Sacramento. This is the place where blood and hair and small fibers from wildlife crime scenes are DNA-matched for all the poaching cases in California.

This is a fascinating place, if a little macabre. And it was the starting point for a QUEST radio story that had many more story lines than I could possibly pursue in one feature.

• I learned about a canine program designed to track down poachers, and an offshoot of that program that actually sniffs out invasive species like Quagga mussels.
• I found out how dangerous the job of Game Warden actually is, and the reasons it’s so hard to recruit new officers.
• And I found out how complicated poaching can become, and how endemic it is in California.
• I discovered there’s a subculture of poaching.

Some poachers hit the country backroads late at night, right after the bars close, and Game Warden Todd Tognazzini said those are the easier ones to catch. But the ones who are good at it use sophisticated communications equipment, night-vision sights on their guns, and small, strong flashlights to stun wild pigs or deer into standing still. This is called "spotlighting." Some poachers will black out their brake lights, run on roads without headlights, and use other ingenious ways to keep a low profile while they illegally hunt wild animals.

Game warden is one of the most dangerous law enforcement jobs around– after all, you're going into a remote area, with no backup, to confront people who are carrying guns and knives. Would any urban police officer do that? There is a dearth of game wardens in California, partly due to decades of budget cuts. Last thing I found: The newest high-tech method of tracking down poachers is actually pretty low-tech. Dogs. A new canine program helps game wardens find illegal animal kills. Not surprisingly, poachers hide their contraband, and it's not easy for game wardens to find it. Lieutenant Kristie Wurster is stationed in Alpine County, near Placerville. She’s one of 18 wardens in the canine-training program, and she uses her dog Wrigley to sniff out illegal fishing and hunting. .

Wurster estimates the dog saves about 800 man-hours of work a year. "We are so small in numbers and we just tip the iceberg of how much poaching is going on," she says. "That’s why I’m so excited about the program, to have another set of eyes and ears – and nose – to be able to detect the issues."

Listen to the "Wildlife CSI" Radio report online, and check out our photo set on Flickr which includes: photos of a game warden at work tracking poachers in the foothills of southern Monterey County, as well as deer, boar, abalone and other illegally killed animals.

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