California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) Program has awarded seven proposals for the Fiscal Year 2026 Local Assistance Grant (LAG) solicitation. LAG grants provide state funds to assist local public and non-profit entities to implement high-priority tasks for NCCPs throughout California. Totaling $576,000, CDFW fully funded six proposals across the state and partially funded a seventh.
Awarded projects include:
Bay Delta Region (Region 3):
Implementing Landscape-Scale Invasive Predator Management to Recover Western Pond Turtle and Covered Amphibians in the West Hills of Santa Clara Valley, proposed within the[KS1] Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)/NCCP. Awarded to the Santa Clara Habitat Agency.
Metapopulation viability analysis of the Bay checkerspot butterfly, proposed within Santa Clara Valley HCP/NCCP (Partial). Awarded to the Santa Clara Habitat Agency.
South Coast Region (Region 5):
Habitat Enhancement to Benefit MSCP Covered Plant Species at El Capitan County Preserve, proposed within the County of San Diego (South County) MSCP Subarea Plan. Awarded to County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation.
Conservation genomics of orange-throated whiptail lizards across the Orange County NCCP, proposed in the Central and Coastal Orange County NCCP/HCP, awarded to the Natural Communities Coalition.
Dennery Canyon Multi-Species Habitat Enhancement, proposed within the City of San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) Subarea Plan. Awarded to the City of San Diego.
Inland Deserts Region (Region 6):
Migration and Movement Ecology of the Endangered Yuma Ridgway's Rail, proposed in the Coachella Valley CVMSHCP/NCCP.
Leveraging anonymized human mobility data to understand human use impacts on Peninsular bighorn sheep in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains Conservation Area, proposed in the Coachella Valley CVMSHCP/NCCP. Awarded to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission.
About CDFW’s NCCP Program
Since its inception in 1996, CDFW’s Natural Community Conservation Planning Local Assistance Grant Program has awarded more than $20.1 million to support implementation of NCCPs throughout California, funding 260 projects from at least 363 proposals requesting more than $34 million. Now, in its 30th year, the program helps fulfill the legislature’s intent to assist NCCP implementation and supports California’s 30x30 initiative to conserve 30% of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.
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Media Contacts:
Karen Weiss, CDFW Habitat Conservation Planning Branch, (916) 207-1171
Cort Klopping, CDFW Communications, (916) 201-2958