Ducks Unlimited applauds the Bureau of Reclamation’s decision to provide full Level 4 water supplies to the refuges and wildlife areas of Central California in 2017. These lands are critically important to the millions of waterfowl that annually migrate south using the Pacific Flyway and depend on refuges and wildlife areas in the state for food and habitat. By delivering these federally mandated water supplies for only the second time in 25 years, the Bureau is helping ensure California wetland managers can grow wetland plants this summer that will provide important food resources for birds in the fall and winter.

However, several challenges remain for many refuges and wildlife areas, including infrastructure issues that preclude them from receiving their share of water. Ducks Unlimited is committed to working with local, state and federal partners to improve these issues and ensure California’s refuges and wildlife areas can take advantage of future full-water supplies.