Support bird-friendly farming in California
California’s Central Valley is an agricultural powerhouse. It’s also a key rest stop along the Pacific Flyway that once supported tens of millions of migrating birds with 4 million acres of wetland habitat. Today, more than 95% of that habitat is gone.
To solve this problem, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California and Point Blue Conservation Science teamed up to create BirdReturns, a program that pays farmers and private wetland owners to flood their fields and create the temporary wetland habitat birds need.
BirdReturns started in partnership with the California Rice Commission and rice farmer community of the Sacramento Valley, and from the start, it has been well-received by farmers and conservation groups alike. Since 2014, BirdReturns has partnered with over 200 growers and wetland managers in the Central Valley, generating over $6 million in direct payments to growers and helping birds thrive. But now, BirdReturns funding is at risk.
Please help us ensure a future for migratory birds and California farmers in the Central Valley. Sign the pledge to support the BirdReturns program today!
Sign the Pledge:
Protect migratory birds and bird-friendly farming in California
I understand we are at a critical moment where funding for programs like BirdReturns and Bids4Birds is at risk. I believe we must act now to protect and restore migratory bird habitat. I support Proposition 4 funding for programs that incentivize habitat-friendly practices on working lands. I agree that every dollar invested in BirdReturns is also an investment in water sustainability, biodiversity, and the resilience of the Central Valley.
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