66 



owned wetlands. This amounted to 15 percent of all the wetland 

 waterfowl food requirements for waterfowl in the Central Valley. 



Bird use during the summertime irrigation and water use tri- 

 pled. Currently, waterfowl populations on the Pacific Flyway are 

 rebounding slightly. We believe very strongly that CVPIA refuge 

 water supplies are one of the reasons for this increase. 



CVPIA water supplies changed the situation on the ground. With 

 these waters, Grasslands is able to provide 3,000 acres of early mi- 

 grant waterfowl habitat. This is from August to September. 55,000 

 acres of these privately owned wetlands now has a firm, depend- 

 able water supply. We can manage our marshes at a shallower 

 level over longer periods of time which maximizes our wetland 

 habitats. Shorebird use in this one year when we had summer irri- 

 gation increased by 20,000. 



Although we don't know yet to what extent these improvements 

 will increase the Pacific Flyway waterfowl populations, we know 

 for certain that the existing waterfowl population that has access 

 to better and more suitable habitat and increased food supplies will 

 prosper. We know that the birds returning to the breeding grounds 

 are in much better condition. Clearly, natural habitat with its high 

 food values is superior to poor quality substitutes such as sewage 

 treatment plants and agricultural evaporation ponds. 



240 species of birds utilize the Grasslands wetlands. Less than 

 30 of these species is hunted. Typically, the hunting season last 

 year ran 53 days. Typical hunt days in the Grasslands are three 

 days a week, and, therefore, we use our property about six percent 

 of the time for its purchased and maintained use — duck hunting. 

 The other 94 percent of the time it is habitat home, resting and 

 breeding habitat for waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway. 



These wetlands are privately maintained. Expenses are paid by 

 the individual landowners without burdening taxpayers. We need 

 water of adequate supply and good qusdity to be able to support Pa- 

 cific Flyway waterfowl. The Central Valley Project Improvement 

 Act has been a significant and substantial benefit to waterfowl and 

 to sporting interests in the State of California. We do not want to 

 see these refuge provisions weakened because we know they work. 



We have some serious concerns regarding H.R. 1906. We also 

 want to point out that this bill contains improvements in the treat- 

 ment of habitat and refuge. It has improvements over earlier 

 drafts. In particular, the bill maintains guaranteed delivery of at 

 least 75 percent of contracted water for refuges. However, we be- 

 lieve that further changes are necessary. 



It requires the Secretary to reduce water supplies to Central Val- 

 ley refuges and habitat areas up to 25 percent whenever reductions 

 are imposed in agricultural water service contractors. This reduc- 

 tion could be devastating for California wetlands. Under this provi- 

 sion, it would occur when water conditions in the Central Valley 

 are at their very worst. 



With only five percent of California's wetlands remaining, every 

 acre in the Central Valley must be managed intensively to create 

 the benefits of a larger and historic wetland base. In some drought 

 years, a temporary reduction in water supplies could be devastat- 

 ing. Birds migrate from the north. They migrate whether they have 

 water or not. If we don't have the water, the ducks will either die 



