About the Program
BirdReturns – Late Summer Farmlands supports shallow wetland habitat on private agricultural land for migrating shorebirds and other waterbirds when habitat is most needed in late summer and early fall. This program is funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and administered by The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science.
The program can be implemented on a broad suite of rotating/resting cropland or crops typically harvested before the late summer target habitat period, including rice fields. Payment rates for this program vary as it is run as a reverse auction – interested growers submit bids that are informed by their unique costs and individual circumstances and the selection committee then will assess bids according to standardized methods, using the best available science and tools that predict the habitat value of each bid.
Please visit the BirdReturn’s website for more detailed information.
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BirdReturns – Late Summer Farmlands
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