The Merced County Seasonal Wetland Habitat project will expand a successful pilot program by Audubon California to create shorebird habitat in the Grasslands Ecological Area (GEA) of Merced County through the flooding and gradual drawdown of seasonal wetlands during spring shorebird migration. Seasonal wetlands that have been managed exclusively for waterfowl and left dry during the spring will be flooded from April – May to create shallow water habitat during the peak shorebird migration. The project will provide 4,200 acres of crucial habitat.
MAJOR BASIN: California
Minor Basin: Middle San Joaquin
Merced County Seasonal Wetland Habitat
Aerial view of the Merced Grasslands
Shorebirds in migration on the created wetlands.
Project Partner(s): Audubon California