About Us
How we started
BirdReturns launched in 2014 through a partnership with rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley, building on the science and collaboration of the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP)—a coalition of The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science.
The program is guided by the habitat priorities of the Central Valley Joint Venture (CVJV) and supported by key partners including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Rice Commission.
Learn more about the Partnership →
Why this work matters
Birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway depend on California’s Central Valley for habitat throughout their life cycle—from migration and nesting to overwintering.
But with most historic wetlands lost, today’s landscape provides far fewer places for birds to feed, rest, and raise young. As a result, many species now rely on a combination of managed wetlands and working agricultural lands.
BirdReturns helps fill these gaps by supporting habitat across seasons—providing the conditions birds need at critical points throughout the year.
Our vision
BirdReturns has grown from a pilot effort focused on migration stopover habitat into a broader, flexible conservation approach that supports birds across seasons and landscapes.
Looking ahead, our goal is to expand the program to provide habitat at a scale that meets the full range of bird needs—across migration, breeding, and overwintering periods—while continuing to support working lands.
We are working toward a future where a coordinated network of farmers and wetland managers delivers habitat where and when it is needed, supported by strong partnerships, sound science, and flexible program design.
We also aim to strengthen BirdReturns as a rapid-response tool during drought, working alongside other public and private programs.
By 2030, our goals include:
10,000
new acres of riparian vegetation
5,000
new acres of seasonal wetlands
10,000
new acres of semipermanent wetlands
120,000
acres of fall & spring flooded ag land
BirdReturns is about more than birds
Flooded farmlands and wetlands can also: