CDFW Awards $26 Million for Ecosystem and Watershed Restoration

Source: California Department of Fish & Wildlife

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) last month announced the selection of 23 projects to receive funding for projects to restore and protect multi-benefit ecosystem restoration and protection projects under its Proposition 1 grant programs.

The awards, totaling $26 million, were made under CDFW’s 2022 Prop. 1 Watershed Restoration Grant and Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program Proposal Solicitation Notice.

Of the $26 million, approximately $21 million was awarded to 15 projects statewide through the Prop. 1 Watershed Restoration Grant Program. Approximately $5 million was awarded to eight projects through the Prop. 1 Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program to projects that directly benefit the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

“California’s fish, wildlife and their habitats are facing continued impacts from climate change including persistent drought conditions,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “These impacted species need strong conservation and protection efforts now more than ever. The projects that were awarded funding this year represent a collective effort to meet these challenges and push toward our conservation goals under California’s 30×30 Initiative.”

The approved projects complement CDFW’s ongoing initiatives toward species recovery and provide resilience to climate change, representing priorities outlined in the solicitation, as well as the California Water Action Plan, State Wildlife Action Plan, Sacramento Valley Salmon Resiliency Strategy, Delta Plan, California EcoRestore, Safeguarding California Plan, the California Biodiversity Initiative and the fulfillment of CDFW’s mission.

Projects approved for funding through the Prop. 1 Watershed Grant Programs include:

Acquisition Projects:

• 2022 Upper Truckee River Watershed Acquisition ($1,500,000 to California Tahoe Conservancy)
• YMCA Camp Jones Gulch Conservation Easement ($1,002,000 to Sempervirens Fund)

Implementation Projects:

• Lower Stotenburg Creek Coho Habitat Enhancement Implementation Project ($946,848 to Smith River Alliance)
• Wheeler Gorge Campground Fish Passage Project – Implementation ($2,972,220 to Earth Island Institute)
• Phase 1 Finney-Ramer Unit Habitat Restoration Project ($1,816,516 to River Partners)
• Lower Lacey Meadow Restoration ($1,344,890 to Truckee River Watershed Council)
• Rowdy and Dominie Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project ($6,108,032 to Tolowa Dee-ni Nation)
• Fall Creek Fish Ladder Rehabilitation Project: Enhancing Survivability of Central California Coast Steelhead and Coho Salmon in the San Lorenzo River Watershed ($1,116,166 to San Lorenzo Valley Water District)

Planning Projects:

• Kelsey Creek Fish Passage Project ($350,000 to Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians)
• Cedar Creek Habitat Restoration and Passage Improvement Design ($202,291 to Hoopa Tribal Fisheries)
• Soda Creek Restoration and Fisheries Improvement Planning Project ($180,327 to Trout Unlimited)
• Clear Creek ACID Siphon Fish Passage Planning Project ($499,734 to Western Shasta Resource Conservation District)
• Buena Vista Lagoon Enhancement Project Phase II ($1,000,000 to San Diego Association of Governments)
• Robles Diversion and Fish Passage Design Planning Project ($1,557,926 to Ventura County Watershed Protection District)
• Scott Creek Coastal Resiliency Project: Climate Change Technical Studies and Planning ($409,133 to Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County)

Projects approved for funding through the Prop. 1 Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program include:

Scientific Studies:

• Green Sturgeon Population Monitoring and Habitat Analysis ($812,184 to Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz)
• Quantifying Relative Risk of Collapse for Delta Fish Populations ($358,463 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Where, When and How do Wetlands Export Food for Smelt to Open Waters of the Estuary? ($703,883 to San Francisco State University)
• Socio-Ecological Potential for Co-management of Tidal Wetlands for Fish and Fowl ($944,551 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Trade-offs and Co-benefits of Landscape Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta: Phase II Tidal Wetlands and Restoration ($196,114 to Point Blue Conservation Science)
• Quantifying Component Mortality Rates of Juvenile Salmonids ($565,268 to Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz)
• Feasibility of Acoustic Telemetry in Delta Smelt ($1,226,518 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• When the Rubber Meets the River: An Assessment of 6PPD-quinone on Delta Species of Conservation Concern ($547,024 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)

Additional projects are still under consideration. General information about CDFW’s Prop. 1 Restoration Grant Programs, as well as a schedule for upcoming grant solicitations, once available, can be found at wildlife.ca.gov/grants.

Funding for these projects comes from Prop. 1 bond funds, a portion of which are allocated annually through the California State Budget Act. More information about Prop. 1 is on the California Natural Resources Agency website.