California Waterfowl, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Pheasants Forever have recently completed the "West Pit Project” which restored and enhanced over 100 acres of wetlands in the hunt zone. The project consisted of a series of eroded undercuts that traveled through a rough and bumpy reed canary grass field with one small pond in the unit . The site now has four ponds, a series of connecting swales, and a system of water control structures that will allow Modoc NWR staff to manage their water in a more efficient manner. The project also restored the eroded and undercut river bank adjacent to and parallel with the west pit field. All the levees, riverbanks, and islands were seeded with a mix of upland grasses and the rivers edge had an additional 2,500 live willows planted. Hunters should be advised that although the site is open to hunting this season, there will be bare soil as the upland mix will take a season to turn this site into a park like setting and be a productive unit for spring migrants, breeding ducks, and geese. Thanks to Dominic Bachman, Steve Clay, and the rest of the USFWS staff at Modoc NWR for the opportunity to work with them on this project. A special thanks to Jim Brown of Pheasants Forever who partnered in the cost of the seeding of the upland sites.

Project Map on GoogleMaps
California Waterfowl Design Map