At its Jan. 13, 2023 meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved approximately $70.14 million in grants to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. The three approved projects will benefit fish and wildlife through funding mechanisms that support biodiversity, watershed restoration, climate resiliency and 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 the General Fund, Budget Act of 2022 and supports the 30x30 Initiative (the goal to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030) and nature-based solutions.

The funded projects include:

A $26 million grant to Point Blue Conservation Science for a cooperative project with local volunteer educators and students to implement wildlife habitat restoration on working lands in multiple counties across California.

A $24.73 million grant to Point Blue Conservation Science for a cooperative project with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Sierra Meadows Partnership to plan, implement and monitor meadow restoration in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains spanning 23 California counties.

A $19.41 million grant to the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts for a cooperative project with California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Department of Conservation, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and USFWS to expand monarch, pollinator and other wildlife habitat on public and private lands and to assist landowners in the implementation of carbon farm practices that create habitat and sequester carbon in multiple counties across California.

For more information about the WCB, visit wcb.ca.gov.