Our California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation just wrapped up the inaugural season of the Bid4Birds program, which incentivizes rice growers to utilize their fields as temporary seasonal wetland habitat for migrating shorebirds and other waterbirds.

This season, the Foundation enrolled six rice growers into Bid4Birds, involving 18 rice fields in the Sacramento Valley, creating about 1,500 acres of vital shoulder season habitat.  During site visits, 45 different species of birds were observed and documented utilizing enrolled fields. 

For more information, please contact the Rice Commission’s Wildlife Programs Manager, Luke Matthews, at lmatthews@calrice.org or (916) 607-8988.