2026 Upland Management Agreement Program

Upland Management Agreements (UMA) are one of the habitat enhancement practices available through the Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program (NBHIP). These UMAs are designed to provide guidance and financial assistance for private landowners that have upland habitats on their properties. Through this program, landowners enroll in 3-year agreements. Each year, enrolled properties will receive an Annual Work Plan (AWP), which provides detailed descriptions of work that must be completed each year. Once all work detailed in the AWP is completed, the landowners will receive an incentive payment. Payments are made in arrears and the incentive rate for this program is $30/acre.  There is $100,000 available for the 2026 solicitation. Enrollment for this program is constrained to the Central Valley and the associated planning regions, as designated by the Central Valley Joint Venture. Eligible applications must have perennial grass habitats on private lands (10acre minimum) and summer water located within 1/2 mile of the upland. If management of wetland units are under the control of the landowner, they must be fully flooded (minimum depth of 12-24 inches at outflow) from April 1 –August 1 (may be flooded longer than this if desired by the landowner). The Landowner must also allow access for nest monitoring on the property.