The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has awarded $50 million in grants for 15 projects to support a diverse array of habitat restoration projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, McCloud River, and wetland and meadow projects statewide.
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Several projects will directly support Governor Newsom’s recently released California’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, which outlines six priorities and 71 actions to build healthier, thriving salmon populations in California.
This funding is part of the $200 million that CDFW is distributing for restoration, including $100 million in emergency drought funding for protecting salmon against drought and climate change – projects that will address water and habitat impacted by climate, as well as restoring wetlands and mountain meadows, and creating wildlife corridors.
SUPPORTING WINTER-RUN SALMON ABOVE SHASTA DAM
$3.3 Million for Winnemem Wintu Tribe Participation in McCloud River Salmon Restoration Projects.
$1.6 Million for McCloud River Winter-Run Chinook Salmon Reintroduction Implementation and Monitoring.
This project will assist with monitoring and evaluating of ongoing reintroduction efforts of endangered Sacramento River winter run Chinook salmon to their ancestral waters on the McCloud River upstream of Shasta Reservoir.
This project further supports the drought emergency action enacted in summer of 2022 by CDFW, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.
$6.6 Million for Juvenile Salmonid Collection System.
MORE SALMON IN THE SHASTA & LOS ANGELES RIVERS
$1.3 Million to Support Coho Salmon in the Shasta River. The Montague Water Conservation District (MWCD) was awarded $1.3 million for the MWCD-Main Canal Lining Project, which will include treatment of to prevent water loss through the existing surface of the 1.36-mile canal.
As part of this grant, MWCD will also permanently provide 821 acre feet annually for instream benefit in the Shasta River, supporting critical spawning and rearing reaches used by Coho Salmon.
$2 Million to Bring Southern Steelhead Back to the Los Angeles River. Supporting the effort to restore passage for Southern Steelhead to the upper tributaries of the Los Angeles River, the City of Los Angeles was awarded just over $2 million for the L.A. River Fish Habitat Pilot Project-Reach 8A.
This project will include installation of fish habitat and passage improvement features in the river, as well as efforts to modify flows, velocity, and depth of water to support passage.
NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS & BEAVER RESTORATION
$2 Million for CDFW Beaver Restoration Program. The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center was awarded $2 million for the California Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program, a first ever project supporting beaver coexistence for landowners.
The project will provide financial and technical support to landowners through a new block grant program and California Beaver Help Desk.
MEADOW & WETLAND PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
$9 Million for Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project’s Phase 2 Implementation.
$1.4 Million for Corral Gulch Meadow Restoration. This project will return floodplain connectivity to 1.5 miles of the currently incised and degraded Corral Gulch.
Restored hydrologic connectivity will facilitate the return of native wet meadows and improve floodwater storage to sustain releases of cool groundwater during low flow periods.
$1.3 Million for Sugar Creek Ranch Acquisition. The acquisition of 79.2 acres in the Yuba Dredge Tailings within Scott Valley, in the Klamath Basin, for the benefit of coho salmon.
The property contains 12 acres of cold water ponds that can be connected to the Scott River to provide extensive coho rearing opportunities, as well as .25 miles of Sugar Creek.
$437,000 for Shiloh Ranch Regional Park Riparian Restoration Supplemental Funding. Further supporting the construction, including materials and permit requirements, for the Shiloh Ranch Regional Park Riparian Restoration Project.
DELTA WATER QUALITY & ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
$9 Million for Feather River Sturgeon and Salmon Passage Project. This project will expand habitat connectivity, remove barriers to fish passage, and restore natural riverine habitat and processes.
The existing boulder weir on the Feather River is a significant barrier for adult fish passage, particularly Central Valley fall-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, Southern Distinct Population Segment green sturgeon and Central Valley steelhead.
$750,000 for Delta Islands and Levees. This project will finalize plans to restore 340 acres of intertidal marsh, a critical and greatly reduced habitat type. The grantee will collaborate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who will implement the project.
$825,000 to Putah Creek Bypass for Salmon Passage at Los Rios Check Dam. This project will implement a 1,600-foot-long bypass channel, 1.2 miles upstream of the Toe Drain in the Yolo Bypass, which has long been considered problematic for free passage of salmonids and other native fish species.
$1.2 Million to Broadening our Understanding of Causes, Impacts and Treatments of Thiamine Deficiency in California Salmon. This project supports an objective identified in the Governor’s Salmon Strategy, supporting improved research on improving research on thiamine deficiency in salmon.
$9.7 Million for Knightsen Wetland Restoration Project. The project will restore a 645-acre property to a mosaic of wetland and upland habitats and support state and federally listed species. The East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy will undertake the project with its conservation partner the East Bay Regional Park District. ■