In response to the extreme drought in California’s Central Valley and the expected reduction in critical wetland habitat for Pacific Flyway waterfowl and other waterbirds, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has made $2 million available this winter to private wetlands in the Sacramento Valley to increase the amount of available wintering  habitat for migratory birds. Several organizations including the California Rice Commission, California Waterfowl Association, Ducks Unlimited, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, Point Blue Conservation Science and Audubon California have teamed up to provide drought relief for wetlands and help offset the costs of flooding private wetlands with groundwater in winter 2021-2022.  For more details or to apply for the program please view this flyer. 

For technical questions please contact Caroline Brady from California Waterfowl Association: cbrady@calwaterfowl.org (916) 275-1018 or Craig Garner from Ducks Unlimited at cgarner@ducks.org (916) 851-5307.

Here is a link to the flyer from Ducks Unlimited and California Waterfowl. The deadline to apply is October 11, 2021.