While Proposition 1 on the November ballot will help birds of all types throughout the state, two types of birds that you might not expect to benefit from a water bond stand to gain a great deal. Shorebirds and seabirds – including endangered or imperiled species – will directly benefit from funding to state agencies that oversee coastal restoration and marine fisheries. Among the birds that stand to gain the most include shorebirds such as the threatened Western Snowy Plover (top image by Len Blumin), rocky intertidal species such as the Black Oystercatcher, and marine birds such as the Brown Pelican (bottom, by Michael McCarthy).

Tell us that you're voting for the birds this Election Day.

There are a number of areas in the bond that benefit shorebirds – more than we can list here. But one that needs to be mentioned is the $100.5 million allocated to the California Coastal Conservancy for watershed restoration in a number of coastal areas such as San Francisco Bay, Santa Ana River, Tijuana River, Central Coast and other key shorebird habitats. While specific projects haven’t been identified, the conservancy in the past has focused its restoration efforts in estuaries of great significance to shorebirds.

Of course, one of the big misunderstandings about shorebirds is that they only hang out by the ocean. Anyone who has seen the large number of shorebirds – and marine birds in general – that frequent the wetlands of the Salton Sea and the Central Valley would know better.

The Salton Sea has been a seemingly intractable conservation problem for years, and the bond makes the area eligible within $475 million allocated to the State Department of Natural Resources to address the numerous habitat and public health issues that arise from this troubled area. The Salton Sea is an Important Bird Area of global significance, and home to least 19 sensitive species including White Pelican, Eared Grebe, White-faces Ibis, Wood Stork, Clapper Rail, Long-billed Curlew, and many others. There have been several major die-offs of birds at the location – 150,000 Eared Grebes in 1992, 9,000 White Pelicans in 1996, and more than 11,000 waterbirds in 1998.

Shorebirds in the Central Valley will get a big boost from the $50 million allocation to the Sacramento‑San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. Shorebirds are among the many thousands of waterbirds that take advantage of some agricultural lands (for instance, rice and alfalfa) as surrogate habitat. This funding will go a long way toward supporting these kinds of partnerships that produce great benefits to migratory birds. In addition to agricultural enhancements that benefit birds, this funding will also go toward wetland restoration. It is important to note that the Delta is one of the largest estuaries on the West Coast and a major stopover point for migratory waterbirds.

Among the mandates of the California Ocean Protection Council are to address issues related to on-land activities that impact the ocean environment and climate-related issues such as sea-level rise. The bond will allocate $30 million to the Ocean Protection Council. Pollution and marine debris, both enter the ocean through the on-land water and wastewater system, and are among the tremendous threats to marine birds. The council also promotes scientific approaches to ocean ecosystem conservation, protection of Marine Protected Areas, and sustainable fisheries management. These are all primary concerns for seabirds and provide for their food resources, which as a group are among our most threatened birds.