Bid4Birds – Spring and Fall Programs

About the Program

Bid4Birds incentivizes growers to create open and shallowly flooded ricelands during what are typically the rice growing shoulder seasons – after typical drawdown from winter flooding in the spring and before rice is typically harvested in the late summer/early fall. This type and timing of habitat supports declining populations of migratory shorebirds and other waterbirds. This program is funded by a mix of private donors, private foundations, and state and federal agencies, depending on the year, and is administered by the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation.

The program requires shallow flooding and little to no standing vegetation. 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 Bid4Birds website for more detailed information.