Wetlands that can support migrating waterfowl.

SUMMER LAKE — Growing up, third-generation rancher Chaylon Shuffield, 39, watched as his neighbor transformed a sandy property pockmarked with sagebrush into a private fly fishing resort with manmade ponds and lush bird habitats.

When Shuffield, who grows alfalfa and raises about 250 mother cows annually, has run cattle on his neighbor’s land, his cattle have performed well because the neighbor’s restoration work has improved the forage and increased carrying capacity.

Shuffield wondered if he could make similar improvements to his land, simultaneously boosting bird habitat and his bottom line. Over the past two years, Shuffield and his wife, Amber, have worked toward that goal with a series of projects.

“For me, it’s very exciting to see all of this coming together,” said Shuffield.

The Shuffields use a variety of irrigation practices — including wheel lines, sprinklers with center pivots and flooding — on different pieces of land.

On a parcel with sprinklers, they installed a new low elevation, low energy pump-and-sprinkler system that has increased alfalfa yields by 20% and decreased the power bill by about 15%.

They have another project called the “Shuffield Ranch Wetland Enhancement Project” on a 160-acre parcel they own near the Summer Lake Wildlife Area. There, the Shuffields are building better levees and installing pipes to replace open ditches. Their goal is to use the new infrastructure to flood-irrigate the property’s historical floodplains without compromising the uplands.

Chaylon Shuffield plans to pipe water into ponds, which he will let overflow during the wet season. The ponds and surrounding wetlands will support migrating birds, and when the water recedes, Shuffield expects the vegetation to be richer, better supporting his cattle’s forage needs as has been the case on his neighbor’s land.

To fund this $200,000 project, Shuffield has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit.

“We weren’t going to shy away from collaboration,” said Shuffield.

Each partner has helped Shuffield cover his equipment costs. Ducks Unlimited has also provided engineering and mapping support.

Shuffield said working with the agencies and the nonprofit has been a positive experience with no strings attached; the partners have not put any burdensome restrictions on his land use.

Chris Colson, a regional biologist for Ducks Unlimited, said Shuffield’s property is well-positioned to support waterfowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway.

Colson said waterfowl need wetlands to rest and feed in along the flyway to replenish their body condition. Limited water access means poorer breeding success and smaller clutches, or the number of eggs laid.

Colson said many birds thrive better in habitats with short grasses, which make it easier for birds to get at the tender shoots, floating seeds and invertebrates that are harder to reach in tall grass. For that reason, farms that graze livestock or cut hay are well-suited to host waterfowl.

“We need to have agriculture on the landscape,” he said.

In recent years, critical bird habitats across the West have been shrinking due to periods of drought, producers leaving land fallow and officials managing water with other priorities in mind, according to Ryan Sabalow, a Ducks Unlimited spokesman.

Colson, the biologist, said the move away from flood irrigation in recent decades has also contributed to a loss of bird habitat.

“Flood irrigation got a bad rap for a while,” said Colson.

He said Ducks Unlimited is trying to educate the public about the value of flood-irrigating and is seeking more farms to partner with.

“There is no project that is too small,” said Shuffield, the rancher.