A century ago, 4 million acres of central valley wetlands supported 20 to 40 million migrating waterfowl along the pacific flyway

By the 1980S, 95% of wetlands had been destroyed, and bird populations plummeted to less than 15% of their historic numbers. Through collaborative efforts, california has made substantial progress in efforts to identify, acquire, restore, and enhance wetlands. The migratory bird treaty act and no net loss policy drives the effort to preserve wetland habitat for migratory waterfowl and resident species within the pacific flyway. California s fish and game commission policy seeks to provide for the protection, preservation, restoration, enhancement and expansion of wetland habitat in california and that the quantity and quality of the waters of this state should be apportioned and maintained respectively so as to produce and sustain maximum numbers of fish and wildlife. The california department of fish and wildlife (cdfw) operates wildlife areas and ecological reserves that support wetland habitat for migratory and resident waterfowl species. Uses of these lands also include recreational hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and photography, educational programs, and interpretive tours. Cdfw also administers several private lands conservation programs designed to assist landowners with the management of wetlands, riparian habitats, native grasslands and wildlife-friendly farmlands. Efforts in providing new wetland habitat and maintaining existing wetland habitat are increasingly hampered by the lack of firm water resources and increased regulatory requirements in the diversion and use of water for wetland habitat. The most recent california drought emergency ending in 2017 has renewed calls for higher water use efficiency for urban and agricultural users. Energetics modeling showed that the water resources needed to sustain seasonal wetland habitat would have been critically depleted under certain drought scenarios. Impacts of the drought and resulting new water regulations has made the cdfw realize its current programs and plans are inadequacies in this post-drought paradigm of water resources management. State water rights law, SB 88, enacted january 2016, changed the reporting requirements to require direct measurement and increase reporting frequency of diversions 10-acre feet or more. The sustainable groundwater management act (sgma), a state groundwater law enacted in january 2015 requires the formation of local groundwater basin agencies to regulate the use of groundwater and through prohibitions and fees. On november 2014, the california proposition 1 water bond authorized $7.12 billion for water storage infrastructure projects, of which several are currently being implemented and are slated to benefit managed wetlands. The 1992 central valley project improvement act (cvpia) requires the central valley project to protect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats in the central valley and trinity river basins, including a mandate to provide firm water supplies of a suitable quality and quantity to maintain and improve wetland habitat for state, federal, and private wetland habitat areas.