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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014 California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water

Pacific Flyway

The Pacific Flyway is one of four major North American migration routes for birds, especially waterfowl, and extends from Alaska and Canada, through California, to Mexico and South America. Each year, birds follow ancestral patterns as they travel the flyway on their annual north-south migration. Along the way, they need stopover sites such as wetlands with suitable habitat and food supplies. In California, 90 percent of historic wetlands have been lost. Many of these sites are impacted by development and other factors that threaten to affect the viability of the entire flyway. 

Wetlands provide critical wintering habitat for millions of migrating waterfowl, including geese and ducks. The open water and vegetation in wetlands provide food, rearing areas and cover for waterfowl and shorebirds. Major California wetlands along the flyway include the Klamath River Basin, San Francisco Bay, Mono Lake, Suisun Marsh, wildlife refuges in the Central Valley that are sustained by water project deliveries, and the Salton Sea.

The Central Valley is the most important waterfowl wintering area in the Pacific Flyway, supporting about 60 percent of the total population of migratory birds. In the Sacramento Valley, rice fields provide habitat and food for migrating waterfowl and the shorebirds that nest in the fields year-round.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast and the largest remaining wetland area in the state, plays an important role as well. It supports hundreds of species of migrating birds, including millions of traveling ducks and geese on the north-south migration route. Delta wetlands regularly harbor as much as 15 percent of the waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway.

In the Southern California desert, the Salton Sea also provides an important Pacific Flyway stopping point, serving as a jumping off point for millions of birds migrating south.

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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014 California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water
Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

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Publication May 20, 2014 California Water Map

Layperson’s Guide to California Water
Updated 2021

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to California Water provides an excellent overview of the history of water development and use in California. It includes sections on flood management; the state, federal and Colorado River delivery systems; Delta issues; water rights; environmental issues; water quality; and options for stretching the water supply such as water marketing and conjunctive use. New in this 10th edition of the guide is a section on the human need for water. 

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  • Topic: Bay Delta
  • Topic: Central Valley
  • Topic: Ecosystem
  • Topic: Klamath River
  • Topic: Mono Lake
  • Topic: Sacramento Valley
  • Topic: San Francisco Bay
  • Topic: Salton Sea
  • Topic: Suisun Marsh
  • Topic: San Joaquin Valley
  • Topic: Southern California
  • Topic: Wetlands
  • P
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