Following about two weeks of doubt, Audubon California has now learned that -- thanks in large part to the Audubon network in California -- language requiring the state to fulfill its promise to provide water for the Central Valley's 19 wildlife refuges has survived in one of the legislatures key water bond bills. Prior to a March 25 hearing before the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, we had heard of an ongoing effort to remove the requirement from Assembly Bill 1331, a move that could have jeopardized water for these vital bird habitats. Activists working through Audubon and other conservation organizations sent thousands of communications to the members of the committee, and offered great testimony at the hearing. And those efforts appear to have paid off.

We'll keep you posted about further developments with legislation that might impact bird habitat. The Central Valley refuges, for the most part, are the last remnants of Central Valley wetland habitat, more than 95 percent of which was lost in the last century as the land was converted to agriculture.

Water going to these refuges represents just a tiny fraction of the water used in the Central Valley, but it’s of critical importance to millions upon millions of Pacific Flyway migratory birds. Recognizing that the Central Valley Project of the 1930s had resulted in massive ecological damage, Congress in 1992 passed legislation to ensure that the refuges would receive enough water to meet the needs of birds and other wildlife.

If AB1331 is stripped of language providing water for refuges, it could have disastrous results for birds and make it even harder for California to comply with its legal obligations under federal and state law.

(photo by Gary Kramer, USFWS)