Bid4Birds Overview
The Sacramento Valley of California is one of the major wintering grounds for migratory waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway.
This same region also supports over 500,000 acres of rice which produces most of the nation's Sushi rice. When managed properly these rice fields provide essential habitat for migratory waterbirds.
Starting in 2016 the Foundation began to allocate a significant amount of its donor contributions to a program call BirdReturns, a program developed by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the California Rice Commission in 2014.
Continuing with that legacy the Foundation is now running its own shoulder season habitat program known as Bid4Birds. This is a program that was modeled after BirdReturns and is implemented in continued partnership with the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership. This program compensates rice farmers to flood their fields after harvest for the benefit of shorebirds, waterfowl and other waterbirds.
Program Details
Spring Program Key Details:
- Application Period: December 18, 2024 to January 13, 2025
- Approximate level of funding: $110,000
- Payment rates vary and are generated by the grower, based on their individual costs of providing the habitat.
Habitat Details:
- Time period: February 15 to April 30, 2025
- Duration: maintain flooding for 4 to 12-week contract period
- Flooding: maximum of 4 inches throughout contract period
- Field preparations required (little to no standing vegetation)
- Contracts are ranked on timing, habitat quality, and price