Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Program
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be accepting applications for a special habitat program through Friday, April 6, 2012.
Counties included in this year’s expanded program will include Sutter, Yuba, Yolo, Butte, Glenn and Colusa.
General Background on the New Conservation Program
In 2011, CRC successfully utilized $2.7 million in NRCS funding to launch a new pilot conservation program that is ideally suited for California ricelands. CRC, working in collaboration with PRBO Conservation Science and Audubon California, worked with NRCS to use the funds to put practices in place to enhance the value of rice fields as wildlife habitat. This subregional pilot program was offered to about 100,000 acres of rice in 2011 and resulted in approximately 70 contracts with rice producers. All of the funding will go directly to growers participating in the program over a three-year period.
Beginning in March 2012, a program very similar to last year’s pilot program will now be expanded to a larger block of rice areas in the Sacramento Valley. Applications to NRCS are due by Friday, April 6, 2012.
ELIGIBLE COUNTIES AND LOCAL NRCS CONTACTS
Counties included in this year’s expanded program will include Sutter, Yuba, Yolo, Butte, Glenn and Colusa. Interested parties in these counties should contact and/or visit your local NRCS Service Center as soon as possible to learn more about the program
| Local NRCS Service Centers | ||
|---|---|---|
| County | Address | Phone |
| Butte | 150 Chuck Yeager Way, Oroville | (530) 534-0112 |
| Colusa | 100 Sunrise Blvd, Ste D, Colusa | (530) 458-5131 |
| Glenn | 132 N. Enright Ave, Willows | (530) 934-4601 |
| Sutter & Yuba | 1511 Butte House Road, Ste B, Yuba City | (530) 671-0850 |
| Yolo | 221 W. Court Street, Ste 1, Woodland | (530) 662-2037 |
and application process.
Contact information for each local NRCS Service Center is as follows:
GENERAL SUMMARY OF PRACTICES
This new conservation program will have a strong focus on several specific practices beneficial to a variety of bird species and other wildlife, including (but not limited to):
- Promote wildlife-friendly straw management practices and returning boards back into the rice boxes after harvest to hold more rainwater.
- Enhancements of nesting habitat by modifying rice check berms and creating nesting islands.
- Enhancing duration and types of fall and early spring habitat created when intentionally flooding fields in the winter season.
- Installing nesting and roost structures for certain non-waterbird species such as songbirds and raptors.
The actual practice list of ALL practices available will be developed by NRCS. Contact your local office or go to www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov for more information.
DETAILS ON CRC CONSERVATION PROGRAM WORKSHOPS
CRC Conservation Program Workshops (Monday, March 12, 2012)
Information regarding the March 12, 2012 conservation program workshops is as follows:
| Morning Session | Afternoon Session |
|---|---|
| Heidrick Ag History Center 1962 Hays Lane Woodland, CA 95776 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
Bonanza Inn Magnuson Event Center 1001 Clark Avenue Yuba City, CA 95991 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
