Central Valley Working Lands

Audubon California’s Working Lands program partners with private landowners, land stewards, communities, agencies, and conservation groups to enhance, create, and protect habitat on working lands – supporting birds when and where they need it most.

The Central Valley isn’t just the agricultural powerhouse of the country, it is also a critical part of the Pacific Flyway – a major migratory path for billions of birds that travel between Alaska to the tip of South America every year.

Long ago, much of the Central Valley was covered by vast wetlands and riverside forests. Today, over 90 percent of those wetlands have been lost. Despite this loss, the Central Valley’s managed wetlands and farmlands continue to provide crucial habitat for millions of birds, with:

• 205,000 acres of managed and private wetlands

• 7 million acres of farmland

Each year, the Central Valley supports:

• 5–7 million ducks and geese

• 350,000 shorebirds

• 60% of the Pacific Flyway’s waterfowl

• 20% of the nation’s waterfowl

• 65 million migratory landbirds in the spring and 48 million in the fall

Our Goals by 2030
With the help of partners, we aim to protect, restore or enhance:

• 10,000 acres of riparian habitat

• 5,000 acres of seasonal wetlands

• 10,000 acres of semi-permanent wetlands

• 120,000 acres of farmland flooded in fall and spring to help birds, recharge groundwater, and limit flood risk

How We Help Birds & People
Explore some of our key Central Valley Working Lands efforts below: