We are pleased to now offer a free habitat assessment service to our members. This service is designed for growers that are interested in increasing the wildlife value of their properties. The Habitat Assessment Service is outlined below.
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We are very pleased to announce that the CRC and our partners have been selected for a nearly $5.5 million Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Award. This will continue to fuel our storied legacy of working collaboratively with our many valued conservation partners to enhance waterbird habitat on working ricelands.
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Early provisional data from real time receivers reporting to the CalFishTrack system are showing great promise for the survival of our first rice field-reared salmon release this season. As of today, 4.5 percent of our salmon have made it to Benicia. This is the last real-time receiver that hears the pings from our fish as they sprint toward the Golden Gate.
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Our California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation just wrapped up the inaugural season of the Bid4Birds program, which incentivizes rice growers to utilize their fields as temporary seasonal wetland habitat for migrating shorebirds and other waterbirds.
This season, the Foundation enrolled six rice growers into Bid4Birds, involving 18 rice fields in the Sacramento Valley, creating about 1,500 acres of vital shoulder season habitat. During site visits, 45 different species of birds were observed and documented utilizing enrolled fields.
For more information, please contact the Rice Commission’s Wildlife Programs Manager, Luke Matthews, at lmatthews@calrice.org or (916) 607-8988.
We recently reached a milestone with year two of the Rice Commission’s Pilot Salmon Project, when UC Davis researchers took the juvenile salmon that were raised in rice fields and released them into the Sacramento River.
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The California Waterfowl Association (CWA) has a new program that incentivizes the delayed harvest of wheat and triticale for the benefit of nesting waterfowl. Nesting ducks are attracted to these fields, but unfortunately the crops are typically harvested before ducks have finished nesting, which creates a wildlife-agriculture conflict.
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We are pleased to report that we now have 9,000 baby salmon placed into winter-flooded rice fields as part of the second year of the California Rice Salmon Pilot Project. These fish are in eight specially-prepared test plots in a living scientific experiment designed to determine if any unique extra treatments, such as deep channels or vegetative cover, make these fish food-rich rice fields even better habitat for these young salmon. Later this season, they will swim off for their journey towards the Golden Gate, and about 1,000 will be tracked with sophisticated, surgically-implanted tracking devices in a truly cutting-edge scientific study.
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The California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation (Foundation) is extending the enrollment period for its new habitat program. The Foundation will be accepting applications until 5pm on Tuesday January 21. If you are interested in the program but have not been able to enroll yet please check out the details on the website.
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The deadline for applications to the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation’s Bid4Birds program is closing this Wednesday. Current enrollments are for short term flooded habitat starting as early as next month. Applications must be submitted through the Foundation website, unless other arrangements are made.
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The California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation’s Bid4Birds Program is currently open for enrollment. Enrollments will be done entirely through the Foundation website, unless other arrangements are made. The enrollment window closes at 5 pm this January 15. Luke Matthews, CRC’s Wildlife Programs Manager, will be hosting office hours this week to address any program related questions. Office hours will be held in Colusa and Marysville with details outlined in the table below.
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