The rice fields of California’s Sacramento Valley are remarkably versatile. They produce virtually all of America’s sushi rice – and then the flooded rice fields feed millions of migrating birds in the fall and winter. Now those same rice fields could help restore dwindling salmon populations by making sure the fish are well fed before they head out to the Pacific Ocean.

In the early 1990s, California rice growers changed how they farm in order to protect millions of migrating birds, by leaving their fields shallow-flooded for specific periods of time after their crop was harvested. This practice mimicked the wetlands that existed before deep, fast-flowing canals were created, providing a place for birds to rest and feed on their long migration north.