Our Conservation Effort: Aiding Fish, Birds, and Wildlife
Reclamation District 1500 and its landowners work with conservation organizations and state and federal agencies on enhancing habitat for wildlife. RD1500 works with landowners to drain water off their fields in the winter and early spring that was placed on the landscape to create waterfowl and shorebird habitat. RD1500 also takes part in efforts to drain the fields during specific times to provide much-needed fish food into the Sacramento River.
Supporting Migratory Bird Habitat
Left over rice straw after harvest was once burned, but since the rice industry began flooding fields for decomposition, migratory bird populations have soared once again. By inundating the fields in the winter months with water, thus replicating the historic floodplain, we are now able to provide food (leftover rice grain) and refugia habitat as waterfowl travel along the Pacific Flyway. Located in the heart of the Sacramento Valley, the Sutter Basin has been recognized as a key stopover site for ducks, geese and swans and is also proving to be valuable habitat for shorebirds during the early fall and late winter months.
Fish Food on Flooded Farm Fields
RD1500 members work with scientists and conservationists to prove how rice fields can play a critical role in boosting salmon populations. With so much valuable food on the floodplain available, we believe we can help reconnect the fish with the food.
When rice fields are flooded post-harvest, the remaining rice straw decomposes, that then generates the production of billions of bugs which are the perfect food for fish to bulk up on as they head to the Pacific Ocean. California Trout and UC Davis studies reveal bigger fish have a better chance of surviving in the river and ultimately are more likely to return and spawn as adults.
Floodplain Forward Coalition Member
Reclamation District 1500 is an active participant in the groundbreaking efforts of the Floodplain Forward Coalition - a group of 27 organizations in agriculture, water management, public governance (local, state and federal) and wildlife conservation - which works on projects on the historical floodplain to support people, fish and wildlife.
“Located in the heart of the Sacramento Valley, we play a vital role in the management of water resources to support native fish and wildlife.”
