Putting out the welcome mat for Sandhill Cranes

Sandi Matsumoto of the Nature Conservancy wrote a letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee about their work with Audubon California on helping Sandhill Cranes in the Central Valley:

Re "Greater sandhill cranes fly in early to Delta roost" (Our Region, Sept. 2): Each fall, thousands of sandhill cranes migrate to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. This year, some of these majestic birds have arrived earlier than normal, reinforcing the need for early flooded habitat along the Pacific Flyway. Fortunately, there are opportunities to create it within Central Valley agricultural lands. In August, the Nature Conservancy and Audubon California began flooding harvested wheat fields on Staten Island under a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Today, these fields are supporting early arriving cranes and other migratory water birds. As more birds arrive, additional fields will be flooded at the Cosumnes River Preserve. We can't bring back all of California's lost wetlands. But we can expand bird-friendly agricultural practices, working with farmers to provide needed habitat for waterfowl. The Conservancy and Audubon are committed to securing critical lands on the Pacific Flyway for future generations. -- Sandi Matsumoto, Nature Conservancy migratory birds initiative director, California chapter, Sacramento

By Daniela Ogden

September 07, 2012