At its Feb. 25, 2021 quarterly meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved approximately $33.97 million in grants to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. Some of the 39 approved projects will benefit fish and wildlife — including some endangered species — while others will provide public access to important natural resources. Several projects will also demonstrate the importance of protecting working landscapes that integrate economic, social and environmental stewardship practices beneficial to the environment, landowners and the local community.
Funding for these projects comes from a combination of sources including the Habitat Conservation Fund and bond measures approved by voters to help preserve and protect California’s natural resources.
Funded projects include:
A $400,000 grant to Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for a cooperative project with the National Park Service and Marin County Parks to enhance historic monarch butterfly overwintering habitat and breeding sites at various sites within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Marin County Parks in Marin County.
A $120,000 grant to the California Waterfowl Association for a cooperative project with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to refurbish a public access kiosk, educational signage and hunter access parking lot; and resurface an Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant trail to a viewing platform located on CDFW’s Los Banos and North Grasslands Wildlife Areas approximately five miles northeast of Los Banos in Merced County.
A $2 million grant to Truckee Donner Land Trust for a cooperative project with the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) to acquire in fee approximately 25 acres of land to preserve riparian and wildlife corridors and habitat linkages, and to provide wildlife-oriented, public-use opportunities in the town of Truckee in Nevada County.
A $4.24 million grant to Mariposa County Resource Conservation District for a cooperative project with the National Parks Service, UC Berkeley, California Office of Emergency Services and Yosemite Conservancy to enhance forest health and reduce hazardous fuels through selective thinning activities on approximately 2,153 acres of mixed conifer forest in Yosemite National Park and the community of Yosemite West approximately five miles west of El Portal in Mariposa County.
A $5 million grant to Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for a cooperative project with Caltrans to develop designs and environmental documentation for a wildlife undercrossing and regional trail overcrossing of Highway 17 six miles south of Los Gatos in Santa Clara County.
An $802,000 grant to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency to restore habitat and alter transportation infrastructure to improve the ability of wildlife to safely cross SR-152 and to improve highway safety for drivers by minimizing vehicle collisions with wildlife near Pacheco Creek eight miles north of Hollister in Santa Clara County.
A $1.64 million grant to the City of Sacramento to acquire in fee approximately 29 acres for the protection of wildlife habitat and to increase public access adjacent to the American River near Sutter’s Landing within the city of Sacramento in Sacramento County.
A $4.75 million grant to Trust for Public Land for a cooperative project with CNRA and the Ventura Land Trust to acquire in fee approximately 29 acres of riparian and floodplain habitat along the Ventura River and to provide the potential for wildlife-oriented, public-use opportunities near Ventura in Ventura County.
For more information about the WCB, visit wcb.ca.gov.
