Coho Salmon Recovery Part Of CDFW Ecosystem’s Restoration Project Goals

JUVENILE COHO SALMON PHOTO BYV CDFW

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

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced the selection of 28 projects to receive funding for projects to restore and protect multi-benefit ecosystem restoration and protection projects under its Proposition 1 grant programs.

The awards, totaling $39 million, were made under CDFW’s 2021 Proposition 1 Watershed Restoration Grant & Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program Proposal Solicitation Notice.

Of the $39 million, approximately $32 million was awarded to 18 projects statewide through the Proposition 1 Watershed Restoration Grant Program. Approximately $7 million was awarded to 10 projects through the Proposition 1 Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program to projects that directly benefit the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

CDFW is also preparing the release another Prop. 1 solicitation this summer, focusing on coho salmon recovery in North Coast watersheds, under its current “Cutting the Green Tape” initiative.

“We need to do more restoration this year, starting with this suite of awards that bring significant support to ensuring California’s vital biodiversity,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “Through the leadership of this Administration and support of the restoration community, we are focusing on increasing the pace and scale of restoration and protection of our ecosystems, especially as we face wildfires, drought and the resulting challenges to our climate resilience.”

The approved projects complement CDFW’s ongoing initiatives toward species recovery and provide resilience to climate change, representing priorities outlined in the solicitation, as well as the California Water Action Plan, State Wildlife Action Plan, Sacramento Valley Salmon Resiliency Strategy, Delta Plan, California EcoRestore, Safeguarding California Plan, the California Biodiversity Initiative and the fulfillment of CDFW’s mission.

Projects approved for funding through the Proposition 1 Watershed Grant Programs include:

Acquisition Projects:

• Wandern Ranch Phase I Conservation Easement Acquisition ($363,512 to Sierra Foothill Conservancy)
• Shackleford Conservation Easement – Scott River Headwaters Phase 3 ($1,160,350 to Siskiyou Land Trust)
• Banning Ranch Acquisition Project ($8,000,000 to The Trust for Public Land)

Implementation Projects:

• Invasive Species Management of Sacramento Pikeminnow to Support Steelhead Recovery ($142,332 to Morro Bay National Estuary Program)
• Upper Sonoma Creek Restoration Demonstration Project at Morton’s Warm Springs ($873,948 to Sonoma Ecology Center)
• Heron’s Head Park Shoreline Resilience Project ($1,493,000 to Port of San Francisco)
• Bobcat Flat Phase III Part 1 Implementation ($5,151,604 to Tuolumne River Conservancy, Inc.)
• The Bella Vista Siphon Removal Fish Passage Project ($325,894 to Western Shasta Resource Conservation District)
• Santa Margarita River Bridge Replacement and Fish Passage Barrier Removal Project ($7,235,320 to California Trout, Inc.)
• West Fork Carson River – Fuels Reduction, Aspen and Meadow Restoration Project ($934,443 to National Forest Foundation)
• Manzana Creek Roads Aquatic Restoration Project ($458,931 to Earth Island Institute)

Planning Projects:

• Johnson Meadow Upper Truckee River Restoration Planning Phase 2 Environmental Analysis ($1,004,465 to Tahoe Resource Conservation District)
• Calabazas-San Tomas Aquino Creek-March Connection Project ($500,000 to Santa Clara Valley Water District)
• San Geronimo Creek Floodplain Complex and Wildlife Corridor Enhancement Project Designs ($893,121 to Trout Unlimited)
• Eastern Sierra Pace and Scale Accelerator ($3,384,269 to Eastern Sierra Council of Governments)
• Hoyt-Purdon Fuel Reduction and Prescribed Fire Project ($140,074 to American Rivers)
• Stanford-Vina Fish Passage Planning and Design Project ($165,861 to Trout Unlimited)
• Upper Mill Creek Dam Improvement Design Alternatives Project ($189,588 to Resource Conservation District of Tehama County)

Projects approved for funding through the Proposition 1 Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program include:

Scientific Studies:

• Revising the life cycle model for Longfin Smelt in the San Francisco Estuary ($786,584 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Filling gaps in knowledge of zooplankton prey of listed smelt species ($288,682 to San Francisco State University)
• Rapid response to understanding causes, impacts and treatments of thiamine deficiency in California salmon ($996,797 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Development of a response spectrum framework to assess the effects of pesticide residues in Central Valley salmon ($756,573 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Enhancing larval Delta Smelt ?tness to ensure successful supplementation ($551,152 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Will climate change disrupt pelagic food webs via phenological mismatches? Assessing past evidence and future potential in the San Francisco Bay-Delta ($667,050 to Regents of the University of California, Berkeley)
• High-frequency monitoring of Delta island drainage waters to quantify impacts on water quality, carbon budgets and subsidence reversal under changing land use and climate ($1,446,004 to Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz)
• Identifying key swimming criteria for safe and timely passage of juvenile sturgeon ($569,222 to Regents of the University of California, Davis)
• Evaluating success of the spring-run Chinook salmon reintroduction program in the San Joaquin River ($199,734 to Regents of the University of California, Berkeley)
• Impacts of the Regional San WWTP upgrade on nutrient phytoplankton interactions ($444,770 to San Francisco State University)

General information about CDFW’s Prop. 1 Restoration Grant Programs, as well as a schedule for upcoming grant solicitations, once available, can be found at wildlife.ca.gov/Grants.

Funding for these projects comes from Prop. 1 bond funds, a portion of which are allocated annually through the California State Budget Act. More information about Prop. 1 is on the California Natural Resources Agency website(opens in new tab).