-
·
Klamath Basin Farming and Wetland Collaborative Regional Conservation Partnership Program
The Klamath Basin’s wetlands historically provided an abundance of important year-round habitat for waterfowl and waterbirds. Those same wetlands—and the water that feeds them—also sustain fisheries and people, from farmers and ranchers to the tribes who have called this place home for time immemorial. Wetlands were and remain a vital part of the ecosystem; a…
-
·
Field Notes: What We Can Learn from Working Dogs
By Elizabeth Friedl, ACEP-ALE Easement Specialist, California Easement Team, USDA-NRCS Elizabeth Friedl, a field-based capacity position supported by the IWJV, plays a unique role in the conservation of farm and ranch lands in California. Her work bridges gaps between the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), land trusts, and private landowners to build connections and streamline…
-
·
Giving the Klamath Basin “A Fighting Chance”
The Klamath Basin was once the crown jewel of the Southern Oregon Northeastern California (SONEC) region, supporting sixty percent of the wetland-dependant birds that breed and migrate in the Pacific Flyway. This area once contained more than 450,000 acres of wetland habitat and supported robust populations of fish and wildlife species throughout the watershed, from…
-
·
Intermountain Insights: Wetland Loss in the Pacific Flyway
A study from the Intermountain West Joint Venture and partners, Functional wetland loss drives emerging risks to waterbird migration networks, identified trends of severe wetland drying in the Southern Oregon Northeastern California (SONEC) region and California’s Central Valley, two of the most significant sites for migratory waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway. The good news? Managers can…
-
·
A Duck Hunter’s Legacy Soars at the Island Ranch
This article was produced in partnership with California USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The closer you get to the Island Ranch, the louder the cacophony of birdsong. When visitors to California’s Sierra Valley start seeing birds gathered in the hundreds, they can safely assume they’ve hit Dean and Sharon Cook’s property line. “Wouldn’t you want…
-
·
California NRCS Easement Keeps the Family Ranch Intact
This article was produced in partnership with California USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Land stewardship is a concept with many meanings for many people. For multi-generation ranchers like Jim and Mary Genasci, stewardship is an ethic passed down from those that worked the land before them. Although many generations of Genascis cared for the family’s…
-
·
Klamath Basin Farming and Wetlands Coalesce in RCPP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it is investing $3.8 million in the Klamath Basin Farming and Wetland Collaborative project in the Klamath Basin through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This investment will bring some much-needed relief to farmers and migratory birds over the next…
-
·
Restoration and Ranching on Witcher Creek Ranch
Article and photos by Glenn Nader, Witcher Creek Ranch, Canby, California Editor’s Note: Water 4 supports partnership-based conservation tailored to the unique opportunities and needs within landscapes, including conservation easements, agricultural flood irrigation infrastructure enhancements, fish and big game habitat improvement, and water management planning timed to habitat needs. This series of projects on a…
-
·
What Are Integrated Population Models?
This article breaks down population dynamics and how this tool informs conservation management action for the Bi-State Sage-grouse. By Amy Sturgill, Bi-State Sage-Grouse Data and Communications Coordinator Bi-State Sage-grouse are a geographically isolated and genetically distinct population of Greater Sage-grouse, found along the California-Nevada border in the southwestern extent of the species’ range. Known as…
-
·
Pacific Flyway Integrated Landscape Conservation
This report details the development of new science to support cross IWJV and Central Valley Joint Venture conservation planning and implementation. Work will identify emerging ecological bottlenecks by examining long term effects of climate change and land use practices influencing patterns of wetland resiliency and waterbird habitat availability supporting populations in the Pacific Flyway. This science project…
