Central Valley wetlands © LighthawkWetland Programs
BirdReturns- Summer Wetlands 2026
Applications open NOW – February 1
The objective of the BirdReturns Summer Wetland Program is to incentivize private wetland managers to provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl. By flooding-up suitable wetland units in spring and maintaining habitat through the summer, wetland managers can create this much needed habitat for nesting birds. Wetland managers are asked to meet specific conditions in their units to provide high-quality habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, specifically, wetland units that can maintain deep flooding and have the ability to conduct a gradual drawdown.
Program Requirements
APPLICATION PERIOD
January 9th, 2026 – February 1st, 2026 (11:59 pm)
All bids are final once the application period is closed
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
- Wetland properties in the Suisun marsh, Legal Delta, Sacramento Valley, Tulare, and San Joaquin Valley
- Summer wetland units >15 acres throughout the Central Valley; Minimum of 5 acres in Tulare
- Wetland owners with access to ground and/or surface water
- Wetlands that can maintain established low salinity targets (Suisun Marsh only)
- Must notify local mosquito vector control districts if selected to participate
What qualifies as a wetland?
A given area of land managed for wetland functions and where water is intentionally and actively applied annually through a managed process (USFWS 2000). These diked wetland areas are often managed by manipulating water levels specifically to benefit waterfowl and/or shorebirds. Wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: 1) At least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes (plants growing in water or waterlogged soil); 2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and 3) the substrate is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year. (Central Valley Joint Venture)
If you have farmed or fallowed crop fields- please check out our Farmlands Program and our Sandhill Cranes Program.
Ineligible Applicants
- Wetlands enrolled in any annual incentive program (i.e., NRCS EQIP) that provides payment to conduct flooding during the same time window
- Within 5 miles of major airports, including Beale AFB, Sacramento International, Travis AFB, Fresno-Yosemite International and Lemoore Naval Air Station (check map here)
- Wetlands less than 15 acres in the Central Valley and less than 5 acres in Tulare.
- Wetlands with high salinity and/or an inability to receive fresh water (Suisun only)
Practice Specifications
There are 2 summer management options to choose from: Standard Drawdown and Delayed Drawdown.
- For all management options:
- Fully Flooded = minimum depth of 18 inches at the outflow, no exposed mudflat
- Suisun properties must conduct spring leach cycle by draining wetland(s) after waterfowl season and reflooding by April 1st to target depth
- Must allow access to wetland units for compliance and biological monitoring
FLOODING MANAGEMENT OPTIONS:
Semi-Permanent Wetland
| Standard Drawdown | Wetland units must be fully flooded April 1- July 15th. Starting July 15th, drawdown water until reaching ~50% mudflats (50% flooded) on August 1st. |
Permanent Wetland
| Delayed Drawdown | Wetland units must remain fully flooded April 1 – October 1st. |
Payment Rates
BUDGET: $218,000
PAYMENT RATES (Per Acre):
| REGION | $/acre |
|---|---|
| Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley (Excluding Grasslands Water District) | $260 |
| Grasslands Water District, Suisun, and Delta | $83 |
| Tulare | $988 |
Application Ranking and Scoring Process
All bids will be ranked and scored by representatives from the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership. This committee will assess bids according to standardized methods, using the best available science and tools that predict the habitat value of each application according to its location in the landscape, history of bird use in the surrounding area, and timing.
Ranking Strategy:
Primary ranking will be conducted at the regional level with twenty percent of the budget allocated per region (Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Delta, Suisun, and Tulare). Each region will be ranked and funded independently, to ensure each region has an opportunity to contribute toward a portion of the Central Valley-wide habitat objective. Once primary selections are complete, a secondary ranking will then be conducted. The secondary ranking will pool all remaining eligible applications and fund them in order of priority until residual funding is exhausted.
Why the Summer Wetland Program Matters
Nurturing Brood Habitat in California’s Central Valley
Brood habitat plays a critical role in supporting healthy waterfowl populations in California’s Central Valley. These summer wetlands provide nesting areas, refuge during molting, and protection for vulnerable ducklings during key stages of development.
During the driest months of the year, when natural wetland habitat is limited, brood ponds supply essential food resources, protective cover, and stable water conditions that support successful breeding and chick survival. By maintaining flooded, vegetated wetlands through the summer, land managers help strengthen waterfowl reproduction and support a wide range of wetland-dependent species.
© Robert WalshA LIFELINE FOR SHOREBIRDS
Shorebirds are experiencing significant population declines, and the loss of accessible resting and feeding areas during migration further threatens their survival. In today’s highly managed water system, most wetlands remain dry during fall migration unless managers intentionally create the shallow, flooded habitat these birds rely on.
Private wetlands play a critical role in supporting migrating shorebirds, as they make up more than half of the remaining wetland habitat in California’s Central Valley. Maintaining a diverse network of strategically flooded wetlands not only provides essential stopover habitat for shorebirds, but also supports a wide range of other wetland-dependent wildlife.
The BirdReturns Program is managed by the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership (The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science).