This time of year, millions of birds arrive in the Sacramento Valley as part of their annual migration cycle along the Pacific Flyway. Now is your opportunity to experience firsthand the incredible birds that grace this region. We encourage you to visit the Sacramento Valley this winter to view the millions of birds spread out throughout our special region.
These birds have good habitat in the Sacramento Valley this year because of hard work, innovation and collaboration. The recent op-ed in the Sacramento Bee describes how water resources managers, conservation organizations, landowners and state and federal agencies have been working together to roll up their sleeves to develop various habitat strategies for these lands in the face of dry conditions. As a result, the Sacramento Valley in the fall had more than 200,000 acres of habitat in rice fields and managed wetlands to help migrating wildlife. To accomplish this, water resources managers have creatively used and re-scheduled water conserved during the summer irrigation season to stretch winter rice decomposition and refuge water for habitat purposes. Conservation organizations have also worked closely with the California Rice Commission and landowners to proactively prepare post-harvest ricelands to take advantage of natural rainfall and any other available water. Refuge managers have prepared public lands with limited resources to squeeze the best habitat out of wildlife areas. The current rains will only enhance this habitat through the winter.
For more details, see the attached document describing these efforts.
