Rocket Netting in California!! CWA's team of biologists band a ton of pintail!
If you're an avid duck hunter, you know one of the greatest thrills is picking up the bird you just dropped and seeing that flash of silver on its leg. A band is a message in a bottle from another place and time. Some hunters go decades, or even a lifetime, without getting one.
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
The California Waterfowl Association has been at the forefront of efforts to protect and restore wetlands, marshes, and other important habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife. One of the most successful conservation programs is the Wetlands Restoration Project, which focuses on rehabilitating and preserving wetlands. These efforts have not only benefited waterfowl and other wildlife but have also helped to improve water quality and reduce erosion. These programs work to protect and restore waterfowl and other wildlife habitats while also educating and engaging the next generation of conservationists. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the CWA and its supporters, California's waterfowl and their habitats are better protected and more sustainable than ever before.
WETLAND RESTORATION
Every year, CWA spends millions of dollars on wetland improvement projects on thousands of acres in California. Our projects reach across the state, from the Klamath Basin in the northeast to the Imperial Valley near the Mexican border. California Waterfowl is eager to work with landowners who wish to convert agricultural land back to wetlands.
WOOD DUCK PROGRAM
Wood ducks are among the most charismatic ducks in our state with their distinctive squeals, colorful plumage, and unusual nesting habits. The Wood Duck Program is ideal for families, a hands-on way to teach children about environmental stewardship, science and the needs of wildlife. You can build your own box from scratch.
CALIFORNIA MALLARD
According to research, California mallards that are harvested, 96% are harvested here and 3% harvested in Oregon. Unfortunately, our breeding population of mallards used to be much stronger, but after plunging during the recent drought, it has failed to rebound. The declining population could have negative impacts on the balance of the local ecosystem.
DELAYED WHEAT harvest
In California, we know our vast rice fields serve as "surrogate wetlands" for waterfowl. But our fields of winter wheat and triticale can play an equally important role as "surrogate uplands" where ducks and other ground-nesting birds can build nests safely hidden from predators. Despite this challenge, farmers in California have found ways to coexist.
rice levee
California Waterfowl’s Rice Levee Program pays rice farmers to provide waterfowl nesting habitat on the levees in their planted rice fields during the spring and summer.
EGG SALVAGE
California Waterfowl established the Dwight L. Merriman Jr. Egg Salvage and Duck Rescue Program in 2014 to do one important thing. It is to promote a coordinated voluntary effort to rescue nests imperiled by normal and necessary farming operations.
BANDING
If you're an avid duck hunter, you know one of the greatest thrills is picking up the bird you just dropped and seeing that flash of silver on its leg. A band is a message in a bottle from another place and time. Some hunters go decades, or even a lifetime, without getting one.
Nesting bird habitat
Now that Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program is funded through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Waterfowl will be assisting the Department with implementation of the program. Applications for the 2023 Season is open from April 3–April 21, 2023.
CWA'S properties
These properties are first and foremost places where we employ wetland management techniques that maximize the properties' value to wildlife, providing areas for feeding, nesting and brood-rearing. CWA also offer hunts to the public through our Hunt Program.
