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Riceland Habitat

Special Shorebird Habitat Designation of Sacramento Valley

The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences designated 620,000 acres of California's Sacramento Valley as a Shorebird Site of International Significance.

The majority of this area is comprised of nearly 550,000 acres of productive California ricelands. The remaining acres are comprised of the other natural and managed wetland habitat in the Sacramento Valley. By including nearly every acre of rice in California, land that provides critical habitat for millions of shorebirds, ducks, geese, and other wildlife, the Manomet Center has created the third largest conservation area within the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) and the second largest site of its kind in North America.

The Sacramento Valley was approved by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Council as a shorebird site of International importance on September 19, 2002 after receiving positive endorsements from scientific reviewers. The site hosts at least 14 species of shorebirds including significant percentages (over 10 percent) of the populations of Dunlin and Long-billed Curlew (listed as a "Highly Imperiled" species by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, 2001). In total, the site is used by over 200,000 shorebirds annually and 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway waterfowl on almost 620,000 acres of managed wetlands and cultivated ricelands. The site is also known to support the highest density of wintering raptors in the world.

Nurturing shorebirds and other wildlife is getting more important in the Sacramento Valley-almost by the day. As many of the sensitive open space areas in California shrink due to urbanization, the public interest in the need for ricelands and wetlands that support wildlife increases. Current scientific estimates of shorebird populations indicate that more than half of the 74 species in the Western Hemisphere are suffering a serious decline as they confront habitat losses and disturbance through their ranges.

The designation as a "Shorebird Site of International Significance" may be the single most important recognition of the contribution rice growers have made to California's wildlife habitat resources. In addition, our mosaic of ricelands is further complemented by a host of other valuable federal, state and privately owned wetlands. This is an important partnership between the California rice industry and wetland conservation organizations that make up this special shorebird area.

We appreciate the assistance of our many conservation partners in helping to establish this important conservation site and helping to make our shorebird dedication event so successful. This list of important contributing organizations includes the Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish & Game, Ducks Unlimited, California Waterfowl Association, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Butte Sink Waterfowlers Association, PRBO Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy and the Conaway Ranch.

Link(s):

• Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN)
• WHSRN Sites Map
• PRBO Conservation Science

Document(s):

• Manomet Statement (pdf)
• WHSRN One-pager (pdf)
• CRC Op-Ed on the Shorebird Event (pdf)