CDFW News

Wildlife Conservation Board Awards $59.5 Million in Grants to 25 Habitat Conservation and Restoration Projects

Fri, 23 May 2025 11:29:13 GMT

Grants Will Protect Nearly 23,000 Acres Across California, Including Key Wildlife Corridor in Ventura County

The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) has approved $59.5 million in grants to support 25 habitat protection and restoration projects in 21 counties across California. Awarded at WCB’s May 22 meeting, the projects will safeguard nearly 23,000 acres of the state’s most ecologically important landscapes.

Among the awards is a $14.75 million grant to the Trust for Public Land (TPL) to acquire approximately 6,475 acres near the city of Ventura. Known as Rancho Cañada Larga, the land features coastal sage scrub, native grasslands, oak woodlands, chaparral and riparian habitats that support at least 20 special-status wildlife species and eight rare plant species. The site provides critical habitat for the California red-legged frog and Southern California steelhead, and lies within the year-round range of the California condor.

The acquisition includes 4.25 miles of Cañada Larga Creek — one of five major tributaries to the Ventura River — and protects a vital section of the Sierra Madre-–Castaic Linkage, a wildlife corridor that connects two major watersheds and national forests.

The property also holds cultural significance, and active consultation is underway with the Barbareño-Ventureño Band of Mission Indians to ensure access rights for ceremonial gatherings, native plant collection and other cultural uses.

“This support is a critical milestone in our effort to conserve one of Ventura County’s most iconic open spaces,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, TPL Pacific Region vice president and California state director. “Rancho Cañada Larga is a landscape of extraordinary ecological and cultural value, and this funding will help to ensure it will be protected for generations to come.”

The WCB’s grants advance Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal of conserving 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, an initiative known as 30x30. The initiative seeks to protect biodiversity, expand access to nature for all Californians and adapt to climate change.

Other funded projects include:

A $6.55 million grant to support the return of 1,720 acres of ancestral land to the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County. The land, located along Tularcitos Creek, is part of the historic 12,452-acre Rana Creek Ranch. The acquisition ensures the Esselen people will own and steward the property using nature-based practices informed by tribal ecological knowledge.

“When TWC acquired the Tularcitos parcels with private financing, our vision was always to see this land returned to its original stewards,” said Frazier Haney, executive director of TWC.

Purchased from The Wildlands Conservancy (TWC) with additional funding from the California State Coastal Conservancy, the land includes oak woodlands, vernal pools and riparian habitats, supporting endangered species like the California red-legged frog and California condor. The property also provides access to cultural sites and future wildlife-oriented public use.

This landscape forms a key wildlife corridor between the Sierra de Salinas and Santa Lucia Range, linking to the 1.75-million-acre Los Padres National Forest.

“We are honored to partner with the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County in making that vision a reality,” Haney continued. “This milestone reflects our shared commitment to caring for this remarkable landscape and builds on our ongoing collaboration in co-stewarding Rana Creek Preserve. We are deeply grateful to the WCB and other public agency partners whose support has been essential in protecting these ancestral lands and ensuring they are cared for with the cultural knowledge and reverence they deserve.”

A $1.6 million grant to the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation (Parks Foundation) to develop the Napa River Ecology Center, transforming a former industrial site into an inclusive, ADA-accessible hub for environmental education. Designed with input from the Suscol Intertribal Council and local communities, the project will include indoor/outdoor classrooms, nature play areas and bilingual signage, serving up to 20,000 visitors annually.

“The Napa River Ecology Center will be a dynamic center for education and stewardship that is designed to inspire connection with the Napa River watershed and protection of the diverse wildlife it supports,” said Janelle Sellick, executive director of the Parks Foundation. “Through a unique adaptive reuse of the site, and a strong public-private partnership between the Parks Foundation and the city of American Canyon, the project sets a new standard for collaborative conservation.”

An $8 million grant to Save the Redwoods League (STRL) in partnership with Sonoma County Regional Parks (SCRP) to permanently protect 1,517 acres of redwood forestland in west Sonoma County, expanding the Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. The acquisition connects more than 22,000 contiguous acres of protected land and will provide new multi-use trail access for residents of Monte Rio — Sonoma County’s most disadvantaged unincorporated community.

“(WCB’s) support of this landmark project enables us to significantly expand public access and connect thousands of acres of protected public lands from Monte Rio to the Sonoma Coast,” said Bert Whitaker, director of SCRP. “This effort safeguards vital redwood forests, wildlife habitat and clean water resources for future generations, while also creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation in one of Sonoma County’s most scenic and ecologically important regions.”

STRL Chief Program Officer Paul Ringgold noted the grant will help conserve a vital stretch of redwood forest, adding to a growing network of protected lands in Sonoma County. “By helping to knit together a larger, more resilient landscape, this project reflects the power of partnership in advancing conservation that will benefit both ecosystems and communities,” Ringgold said.

A $5.2 million grant to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in partnership with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to implement the Bombay Beach Wetland Enhancement Project at the Salton Sea. The project will restore just over 560 acres of wetland habitat for migratory birds and endangered species such as the desert pupfish, while also controlling dust near the disadvantaged community of Bombay Beach. Long-term management will be led by the Salton Sea Conservancy, with support from state agencies and conservation groups.

“The project will enhance and stabilize wetlands and remove non-native species on a 564-acre site and is planned to enhance public access with a new hiking trail and interpretive signage,” said Melinda Dorin, lead program manager of the Salton Sea Restoration Office for the DWR. “The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) has been working with Audubon California and the landowners to design and implement the project. The WCB money is an important funding piece that provides the bridge from design to construction.”

IID Chairwoman Gina Dockstader added, “The IID is excited to see another Salton Sea project moving closer to implementation. This is a great example of people working together toward a common goal, and we thank the WCB, Audubon and our agency partners for their roles in reaching this milestone.”

For more information about the WCB, visit wcb.ca.gov. To explore the newly funded projects, visit WCB’s StoryMaps pages.
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Media Contact:
Mark Topping, Wildlife Conservation Board, (916) 539-4673

CDFW Awards $14 Million for Salmon, Steelhead Habitat Restoration Projects

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:04:32 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced the selection of 26 projects that will receive a collective $14 million to protect, restore and enhance the freshwater habitats of salmon and steelhead in northern California.

Trout Unlimited, Inc. was awarded more than $2 million for the Duffy Gulch Fish Passage Improvement Project in Mendocino County. This project will remove a railroad stream crossing along the Mendocino Railway and restore fish access to nearly three miles of high-quality spawning and rearing habitat in Duffy Gulch, a tributary to the Noyo River. The new crossing will be a 45-foot diameter steel arch that will allow fish passage and is capable of handling a 100-year flood event.

All projects were awarded through CDFW’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP). FRGP was first established in 1981 and since 2000, has included funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. The fund was created by Congress to reverse the declines of Pacific salmon and steelhead throughout California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. This award also includes funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to help support the recovery, conservation, and resilience of Pacific salmon and steelhead.

“California’s salmon continue to face the challenges of both past and present, through countless legacy impacts to fish passage and growing climate-driven threats to their seasonal cycles,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “In the face of these grim challenges, we find optimism and hope through projects like these, which will restore access to miles of river habitat and acres of floodplain, greatly improving the productivity and sustainably of fish populations.”

Other Awarded Project Highlights

California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program 2023
(Nearly $700,000 Awarded to California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program in partnership with AmeriCorps)

The California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program in Partnership with AmeriCorps will enlist 44 Corps members throughout coastal California to enhance watersheds that support salmon, steelhead and other types of migrating fish through restoration and protection, community education and recruiting volunteers for hands-on projects.

Lagunitas Creek Coho Habitat Enhancement Plan
(Nearly $600,000 Awarded to the Marin Municipal Water District)

This project will fully fund the design, permitting and environmental review for Phase 2 of the Lagunitas Creek Coho Habitat Enhancement Plan. Phase 2 consists of five enhancement sites located within Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Marin County. This project has also been funded through CDFW Proposition 1 and Proposition 68 grants in collaboration with Marin Water and California State Parks since 2020.

In response to the 2023 Fisheries Habitat Restoration Grant Solicitation, CDFW received 35 proposals requesting more than $23 million in funding. The proposals underwent a thorough technical review involving subject matter experts from CDFW and NOAA.

The complete list of approved projects is available on the Fisheries Restoration Grant Program website.

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CDFW Photo: Fish passage structure to be replaced.

Media Contacts:
Matt Wells, Watershed Restoration Grants Branch, (916) 216-7848
Steve Gonzalez, CDFW Communications, (916) 804-1714

State Agencies Partner to Support Salmon Populations While Supplying Water to Millions of Californians

Mon, 09 May 2022 10:39:26 GMT

California's severe climate-driving drought is having a significant impact on the state's water supply, but it's also putting the state's salmon population at serious risk.

Managing California’s water needs during this water supply crisis means minimizing the impacts of drought and water management on the environment while meeting the health and safety needs of communities and supporting the economy and agriculture. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are actively working to respond to drought and climate change impacts on native species and ecosystems.

Scientists and fish biologists from DWR and CDFW have a long history of working together to protect and support California’s salmon populations. Collaborating through shared projects, funding, and research efforts, DWR and CDFW are identifying critical challenges facing salmon and using the best available science and technology to find ways to promote salmon health and survival.

The state has embarked on dozens of projects to ensure the success of California’s salmon populations. These projects include restoring critical habitat for salmon and other fish species, improving salmon migration corridors to and from the ocean, and increasing monitoring efforts to better track the status of populations and devise new strategies to improve their status.

Among the recent highlights:

In April, DWR and CDFW staff began work to remove vegetation from a key migratory path for adult spring-run Chinook salmon in the Sutter Bypass that runs parallel to the Sacramento River southwest of the Sutter Buttes. Each year, from February through June, salmon migrate through the East Borrow canal of the bypass on their way to spawning grounds near Chico. Waters are warmer in the bypass because of the severe drought and changing climate, and that has resulted in extensive overgrowth of aquatic vegetation that impedes adult salmon migration. DWR and CDFW scientists are working together to clear this migration pathway and ensure improved mobility and water quality for migrating adult spring-run Chinook salmon returning to their spawning grounds. A video of the project is available on the DWR YouTube channel.
Further up the Sacramento River, returning salmon will find a new side channel with gravel suitable for spawning and riverbank vegetation to help reduce water temperatures. The warming climate and dry conditions are leading to increased river temperatures that can have fatal consequences for salmon. The new side channel was designed by DWR engineers and constructed by a tribal contractor near Anderson at a location where DWR and CDFW scientists observed numerous salmon taking advantage of the calmer waters to spawn. The side channel doubles as a place where juveniles can grow and thrive after hatching and emerging from the gravel. Similar activities to improve spawning locations through the application of suitable gravel have occurred in the Feather River, the Sacramento River’s largest tributary, and more are being planned.
Also underway along two tributaries of the Sacramento River in Tehama County is an enhanced research and monitoring project for spring-run juvenile salmon in Mill and Deer creeks by CDFW biologists under funding by DWR. These are two of a handful of streams in the Central Valley that still support the unique yearling-type juvenile salmon, which remain in the waterbody after hatching for nearly a year before beginning downstream migration and are believed to be the only salmon from these two streams that survive drought conditions and eventually return to spawn. Yearling-type juvenile salmon were plentiful in streams across the Central Valley prior to dam construction and were likely a key factor in the resiliency of Central Valley salmon populations.
A major multi-agency effort is underway to assist migration of winter- and spring-run adults and juveniles around dams on the Upper Sacramento River and tributaries so they can access historical spawning and rearing-habitat that has been inaccessible for decades since dam construction. This summer, DWR and CDFW will participate in an effort with multiple agencies, tribes and interested parties to test a system intended to collect juvenile salmon as they make their way downstream – a critical component of the assisted migration process. This and other similar relocation projects are being considered as one of many ways to help ensure Central Valley salmon persist through the extended droughts predicted for California’s future.
State, federal, and university scientists are working to uncover new information and develop new actions to support and protect California’s salmon. For the last two years, scientists observed that many baby salmon are dying before they hatch, or shortly thereafter, and discovered the cause was a thiamine deficiency in their parents resulting from a shift in the ocean food web, a phenomenon recently observed in a number of fish populations around the globe. While a simple thiamine bath has proven effective in alleviating this deficiency in hatchery fish, naturally spawning salmon in the rivers continue to be heavily impacted. Last spring, DWR and CDFW began thiamine treatments on the large number of adult spring-run salmon that pass through the Feather River Fish Hatchery but are released back into the river to spawn in an effort to help this already drought-stricken salmon population weather the period of altered ocean conditions.

These projects are a few examples of many long-term collaborations among federal, state, local, non-governmental, tribal, and academic partners that have joined forces to support salmon survival.

To learn more about collaborative projects protecting salmon populations, check out the DWR website highlighting these efforts and more. Additional projects will be featured throughout the summer.

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Photo of Chinook salmon spawning in the Feather River courtesy of the Department of Water Resources.