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:
- Hold water for at least 4 weeks between February 18 – April 15, 2023 (later flooding will be ranked higher)
- Flood to a maximum of 4 inches of water
- Fields can be flooded prior to contract period
- Post-harvest straw management required
- Contracts will be ranked based on habitat quality, location, water availability, and bid cost
- 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.
