The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced the award of funding to an initial 15 multi-benefit restoration and protection projects for North Coast coho salmon recovery under its Proposition 1 grant program.
The awards, totaling approximately $13 million, were made under CDFW’s 2021 Proposition 1 North Coast Coho Recovery Proposal Solicitation Notice. This solicitation was part of CDFW’s Cutting the Green Tape initiative to increase the pace and scale of restoration by making the permitting and granting processes more efficient. CDFW’s Watershed Restoration Grants Branch partnered with the North Coast Salmon Project on this solicitation, focusing on coho salmon recovery in North Coast watersheds.
“We have an opportunity to double down on coho recovery on the North Coast this year,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “We’re focusing grant funding in watersheds aligned with our North Coast Salmon Project while moving forward in key areas to improve the overall process under Cutting the Green Tape.”
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, California EcoRestore, Safeguarding California Plan, the California Biodiversity Initiative and the fulfillment of CDFW’s mission.
Projects approved for funding through the Prop. 1 Watershed Grant Program include:
Implementation Projects:
Garcia River Estuary Enhancement Project ($2,838,211 to The Nature Conservancy)
Bull Creek Hamilton Reach Instream and Floodplain Habitat Restoration Project ($2,425,232 to California Trout, Inc.)
Mt. Gilead Water Conservation and Streamflow Improvement Project ($1,406,465 to the North Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council)
The South Fork Eel River Seasonal Fish Weir: Targeting segregation and removal of an invasive predatory fish to benefit recovering salmonids ($542,545 to California Trout, Inc.)
Large Wood Augmentation in High Priority Coho Salmon Habitat in
