The Popular Rice Levee Program is now open for applications

The Rice Levee Program pays rice farmers to provide waterfowl nesting habitat on the levees, in planted rice fields, during the spring and summer. To be eligible for this program farmers must be willing to forgo reconstructing their rice levees in the spring before planting. The construction of levees in the spring eliminates vegetation and provides little to no nesting cover for local breeding pheasants and waterfowl. Previous studies have shown that fields with fall constructed levees provide better nesting cover and produce significantly more birds. Funding for this program is provided by the new Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program, which is run by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and is implemented by California Waterfowl. The objective of this program is to improve conditions for local breeding waterfowl, pheasants, and other upland nesting birds. California Waterfowl has been working with the Department and other organizations to design and establish this program. 

Applications for the 2024 Season will be open from September 25 – October 30, 2023.

Learn more here.