Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Delta Conservancy

To apply for the program, submit a bid specifying the acres and duration you are willing to flood, along with the dollar amount per acre that you need to recover your costs for creating the habitat.

The BirdReturns-Delta Farmlands Program provides incentive payments via an open bidding process for farmers to flood their farm fields to enhance habitat for migratory waterbirds during times of year when crops are not being grown. Because the targeted birds&#x2004;require specific habitat conditions, farmers selected for the program will be required to manage shallow water flooding on their fields for a minimum of five weeks, consisting of a one-week flood up, a minimum of two weeks of flooding, and a two-week drawdown period. To qualify, fields must also have little to no vegetation or crop residue, and minimal tillage to ensure waste grain is available for birds. The program will take place December 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022, with a preference for longer enrollments.



The BirdReturns-Delta Farmlands Program provides incentive payments via an open bidding process for farmers to flood their farm fields to enhance habitat for migratory waterbirds during times of year when crops are not being grown. Because the targeted birds require specific habitat conditions, farmers selected for the program will be required to manage shallow water flooding on their fields for a minimum of five weeks, consisting of a one-week flood up, a minimum of two weeks of flooding, and a two-week drawdown period. To qualify, fields must also have little to no vegetation or crop residue, and minimal tillage to ensure waste grain is available for birds. The program will take place December 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022, with a preference for longer enrollments.

Farmland in the project area (See map) is eligible unless
- It's within five miles of major airports
- It has more than 20% cover of standing stubble or other vegetation that is greater than 4 inches tall
- It's smaller than 30 acres

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

Conservation

Water Management

Enrolled land must meet the following habitat requirements
- Flooding: Flood and maintain depths between 2-4 inches throughout flooding period
    - In sloping fields, the shallow end should be maintained at approximately 2 inches; the deep end may be greater than 4 inches; however, if possible, cross-field berms should be installed to maximize shallow depths
    - Fields that are uniformly deeper that 4 inches are ineligible
- Post-harvest stubble management required – a combination of any of the following post-harvest crop stubble treatments and incorporation practices may be used to meet our field condition requirements: burn, chop, roll, bale, single pass disc, single pass chisel, or stomp (see below for examples of suitable and unsuitable conditions)
- Gradual drawdown required: after the required flooding period (one week of flood up, and a minimum of two weeks of flooding), reduce water levels incrementally over two weeks

Read the Solicitation Summary and then apply online and place your bids using this form.

The goals of the 2023 Delta Drought Response Pilot Program (Program) are to reduce drought stress in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) watershed by incentivizing agricultural water users to incorporate practices into their operations that:

1. Conserve water on a net basis during the 2023 water year versus “business as usual”;

2. Protect Delta water quality by providing an added buffer against salinity intrusion; 

3. Promote soil health; and 

4. Mitigate potential drought impacts on fish and migratory birds. 



The goals of the 2023 Delta Drought Response Pilot Program (Program) are to reduce drought stress in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) watershed by incentivizing agricultural water users to incorporate practices into their operations that:
1. Conserve water on a net basis during the 2023 water year versus “business as usual”;
2. Protect Delta water quality by providing an added buffer against salinity intrusion; 
3. Promote soil health; and 
4. Mitigate potential drought impacts on fish and migratory birds. 

Individual agricultural water users with points of diversion located within the Legal Delta are eligible to apply.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

- Solicitation Summary
- FAQs for the Delta Drought Response Pilot Program

Irrigation

Wetland Conservation

Waterway Protection

Water Quality

Landscape

High Tunnel

Air Quality

Certification

Wildlife and Pollinator Habitat

Soil Health

Reduced Tillage

Certified Organic

Certified Grassfed

Cover Crops

Regenerative

Carbon Capture

The grants will be awarded through a reverse auction, see the solicitation summary for more details.

List of Delta Conservancy Funding Opportunities