By Tim Johnson, California Rice Commission, David Guy, Northern California Water Association
Our bypasses and many of our ricelands in Northern California are still inundated with water, which is helping to not only keep Sacramento and our communities safe from flooding, but these landscapes are currently providing critical wintering habitat to fish, birds and hundreds of other wildlife species. In an effort to demonstrate the power of proper floodplain management, the Floodplain Forward Coalition came together with the conservation touring company, EcoFlight, to show media, legislative staff and California Natural Resources Secretary, Wade Crowfoot, how the floodplains are working in the Sacramento Valley and demonstrate how we can provide more benefits to people and wildlife with an increase in investment and permitting from state leaders.
We are particularly pleased to be working closely with our MOU partners CalTrout and Ducks Unlimited “to preserve, sustain, and promote working agricultural landscapes in the Sacramento Valley that support ecosystem function and provide landscape-scale habitat benefits for fish, bird, and wildlife populations. Our collective goal is to bring our natural and working landscapes in this region to life through the careful interaction of water, sun, and land.”
The video below showcases the day and highlights how these vital lands are being used for multiple benefits.
