SECTION 1.SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares as follows:(a) California’s great Central Valley Valley, encompassing the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and joined by the Bay Delta, was once an expansive complex of permanent and seasonal wetlands. Over 100 years ago, an estimated four million acres of these valuable
habitats lined the Central Valley supporting an estimated 20 to 40 million waterfowl and countless millions of other shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and other wildlife.
(b) By the 1970s, the rich ecological wetlands complex in the Central Valley dwindled to less than 250,000 acres, just 5 percent of historic levels.
(c) Habitat improvement in this Critical Conservation Area can make a significant and beneficial conservation impact on waterbird populations in the Pacific Flyway.
(d) The Central Valley is a critical hub to the Pacific Flyway—a major migratory corridor running from Alaska to South America.
(e) Over the past few decades, winter flooding of California ricelands has created high-quality habitat on approximately 350,000 acres annually. In recent years, the average total number of winter-flooded rice has decreased and many waterbird conservationists are concerned that this trend will continue.
(f) For waterfowl, the consequences of fewer acres of winter-flooded rice is devastating, as the Central Valley Joint Venture has estimated that winter-flooded rice fields provide over 60 percent for of the food required by waterfowl in the Sacramento Valley.
(g)Considering the multiple threats facing the region, California should consider substantial conservation investments designed to help preserve the Pacific Flyway for future generations.
(h)
(g) Recent studies show that winter-flooded rice fields may also prove to be a valuable tool in improving the salmon populations by demonstrating that growth rates of juvenile salmon reared in these habitats are the highest on record.
(h) Considering the multiple threats facing the region, California should consider substantial conservation investments designed to help preserve the Pacific Flyway for future generations.