The California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation (Foundation) is soliciting applications for the Bid4Birds Program which pays rice farmers to flood their fields beyond the typical post-harvest winter flooding period for the benefit of waterbirds. For more details and to apply, visit the Foundation’s website: calricewaterbirds.org/bid4birds-overview

Applications will be available on the website once the enrollment period opens on Monday, January 16, 2023 and will close on Monday, January 30, 2023.

Program Details:

1. Hold water for at least 4 weeks between February 18 – April 15, 2023 (later flooding will be ranked higher)
2. Flood to a maximum of 4 inches of water
3. Fields can be flooded prior to contract period
4. Post-harvest straw management required
5. Contracts will be ranked based on habitat quality, location, water availability, and bid cost
6. Allow access to Bid4Birds Program staff or program partners for monitoring

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