Executive Summary

In the Sacramento Valley – an area that has lost more than 90% of historic wetland habitats – flooded rice fields provide important surrogate habitat for many resident and migratory waterbirds and for threatened wildlife species, such as the Giant Gartersnake. However, drought can reduce water supply and impact the amount and quality of habitat provided by flooded rice.

We interviewed experts and conducted a literature review to provide science-based recommendations to producers, water districts, other habitat managers, and policy makers on how to minimize impacts and maximize benefits to wildlife when rice is fallowed in the Sacramento Valley. These recommendations are intended as guidelines, not regulatory requirements.

Key Findings

• Flooded rice fields provide important habitat in the Sacramento Valley where >90% of historic wetland habitats have been lost.
• When rice needs to be fallowed due to water limitations, habitat is lost for breeding and non-breeding waterbirds, landbirds, and other species.
• To minimize the harm to wildlife from fallowing, rice fields can be managed to provide habitat through managing vegetation and flooding in ways specific to the season, field type, and species group of interest.
• Managed fields should be distributed across the landscape to avoid large, contiguous swaths of bare, unmanaged fields.
• Retaining water and some vegetation in canals and ditches in spring, summer, and fall is also important for wildlife.