The Pacific Flyway stretches along the Pacific Coast from Mexico north to Alaska and into Siberia, Russia. Migratory birds use this major migratory route because of its unique biological characteristics and state and federal wildlife agencies have adopted the flyway structure for administering migratory bird resources within the United States. Specifically, The Pacific Flyway Council forges cooperation among public wildlife agencies for the purpose of protecting and conserving migratory birds in western North America.
CDFW is a member of the Pacific Flyway Council and has a small unit within the Wildlife Programs Branch that works cooperatively with others in the Pacific Flyway and within CDFW to conserve and manage the waterfowl resource. Specifically, CDFW’s on-going activities in the Waterfowl Program (population assessments, developing management plans, cooperating with researchers, and developing hunting recommendations) are also providing a foundation to integrate climate change adaptation planning and consideration of climate change related impacts.
In addition to CDFW’s efforts as part of the Pacific Flyway Council, joint ventures serve as the mechanism for implementing objectives on the ground. The Central Valley Joint Venture (CVJV) was one of the first joint ventures to be formed and has been highly successful in generating objectives for wetland restoration, wetland protection, wetland enhancement, and agricultural enhancement, and to identify the water needs to accomplish these goals. The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) is a charter member of CVJV, and in 1990 created the Inland Wetlands Conservation Program. In conjunction with other CVJV partners, this program works to protect, restore and enhance wetlands and waterfowl habitat in the Central Valley of California; an especially important effort in light of predictions regarding changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. The program's legislative authority provides great flexibility for WCB to authorize grants and loans to nonprofit organizations, local governmental agencies and state departments. This kind of program will be useful as the impacts associated with climate change unfold allowing for an adaptive and proactive response to protect and conserve this key migratory pathway. By working collaboratively with partners CDFW is able to pursue landscape-scale initiatives that will contribute to a robust and multifaceted response to the impacts associated with climate change.