About Us

What is the Central Valley Joint Venture

The Central Valley Joint Venture has its origins in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), an international treaty signed by Canada, the United States and Mexico. The NAWMP was a direct response to declining numbers of North American waterfowl. It established population goals for key waterfowl species, and identified a framework for recovering these populations through habitat enhancement, restoration and protection. Although the goals of the NAWMP were continental in scope, the plan’s success ultimately depended on regional efforts to increase waterfowl habitat. The joint venture concept of merging the efforts of government agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations, tribes, and individuals was ideally suited to the task of meeting waterfowl needs at regional scales. As a result, joint ventures were eventually formed in all of North America’s key waterfowl areas to meet NAWMP goals.

The Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture was formally organized in 1988 and was one of the original six priority joint ventures formed under the NAWMP. Renamed the Central Valley Joint Venture in 2004, the Management Board now enjoys the membership of twenty Federal and State agencies and conservation organizations.

The CVJV is currently administered through a coordination office within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is guided by a Management Board that receives input and recommendations from a variety of working committees.