CDFW Announces $6 Million Donation Toward Cannabis-Related Habitat Projects

The following is courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Cannabis plants at Aster Farms in Lake County, Calif. on June 16, 2022. (CDFW Photo/Travis VanZant)

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced the selection of eight projects to receive funding for water conservation, resource protection, cleanup, remediation and watershed enhancement.

The combined awards, totaling close to $6 million were made under CDFW’s Cannabis Restoration Grant Program (CRGP) through the Environmental Restoration and Protection Account pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code section 34019(f)(2).

“Since the inception of our cannabis grant program, we have continually looked for ways to work with organizations of all types and build on a momentum that increases opportunities for a broad range of projects,” said Amelia Wright, CDFW’s Cannabis Program Director. “We are very excited about this new round of awards and are committed to supporting a variety of conservation, remediation and habitat enhancement projects that improve the ecosystems of our native plants, fish and wildlife.”

Under the Qualified Cultivator Funding Opportunity, CDFW awarded the following projects:

Implementing Drought Resilience Strategies for Cannabis Farms in Humboldt County ($1,003,370 to Cannabis for Conservation)

Provisional to Annual License Transitions for Trinity County Cultivators ($1,495,192 to Cannabis for Conservation)

Reed Mountain Road Sustainable Cultivation ($194,709 to the North Coast Small Business Resource Center via the Humboldt Community Business Development Center)

Under the 2022-2023 Watershed Enhancement Solicitation, CDFW awarded the following projects:

The Marshall Ranch Cannabis Trash Cleanup ($74,430 to the Eel River Watershed Improvement Group)

Redwood Creek Watershed Enhancement ($497,797 to the Salmonid Restoration Federation)

Holland Reservoir Planning and Assessment ($999,264 to the Salmonid Restoration Federation)

Under the 2022-2023 Public Land Clean Up Solicitation, CDFW awarded the following projects:

Headwaters to Confluence: Capacity Building and The Removal of All Illegal Public Land Cultivation Sites within Several CDFW Cannabis Priority Watersheds ($989,400 to the U.S. Forest Service $989,400)

The South Fork of the Trinity River Watershed Cannabis Reclamation on Public Lands ($550,004 to the Watershed Research and Training Center)

For more information on upcoming solicitation notices, please see the CRGP webpage.