California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program.

Existing law authorizes the Director of Fish and Wildlife, pursuant to the California Waterfowl Habitat Program, to enter into land use contracts for an initial term of 10 years to conserve waterfowl and waterfowl habitat with nonpublic entities that are owners of record or with lessees of land determined by the director to be important for the conservation of waterfowl, subject to the appropriation of money for that purpose. Under those contracts, the use of the land is restricted for waterfowl conservation and habitat purposes and the Department of Fish and Wildlife makes payments for that restriction. Existing law requires the contract to be recorded by the county recorder, as specified,…