Wildlife: California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program.

Existing law establishes the California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program that authorizes the Director of Fish and Wildlife to enter into contracts for an initial term of 3 years with nonpublic entities that are owners of record or with lessees of productive agricultural rice lands that are winter-flooded and that are determined by the director to be important for the conservation of waterfowl. Existing law provides that, under these contracts, the use of the land is restricted for waterfowl conservation and habitat purposes in a manner that allows for the use of the land for rice farming. Existing law requires the lessees of the rice lands to have the owners of record execute the contracts and defines "productive agricultural rice lands that are winter-flooded" for these purposes. Existing law requires each contract to include, among other things, an agreement by the owner and any lessee to restore, enhance, and protect the waterfowl habitat character of the described land. This bill would no longer require the lessees of the rice lands to have the owners of record execute the contracts and would revise the definition of "productive agricultural rice lands that are winter-flooded." The bill would revise that agreement to instead require an agreement by the owner or the lessee to restore, enhance, and protect the waterfowl habitat character of an established number of acres of described land that may be annually rotated provided that the minimum contracted acreage amount is achieved for each of the contracted winter flooding seasons. The bill would also authorize the Department of Fish and Wildlife to enter into agreements with qualified entities that possess demonstrated experience and understanding of California rice farming practices and wildlife-related conservation practices to administer the conservation contracts on behalf of the department.