The state of California has announced USD 11 million (EUR 9.5 million) in funding for five salmon restoration projects as part of nearly USD 60 million (EUR 52 million) in grants awarded by the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB).
The funding for salmon projects is another investment into Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, a guide introduced in 2024 to coordinate the state’s efforts to support salmon recovery along the West Coast.
“California salmon are vital to our environment, our economy, and our cultural heritage,” California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot said in reporting progress on the strategy last year. “Yet today, these iconic fish are imperiled by climate change and other stressors. We established the Salmon Strategy to chart needed actions to address these challenges and recover salmon fisheries.”
USD 2.9 million (EUR 2.5 million) of the WCB grant funding will go to California Trout to restore part of the East Fork Scott River with the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB), improving the flow for coho salmon.
"Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve incorporates multiple cold-water tributaries in one corridor,” NCRWQCB Senior Environmental Scientist Eli Scott said in a release. “This project is a huge opportunity to build habitat for coho salmon and give them a foothold."
A USD 1.1 million (EUR 940,000) grant was awarded to the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) to stream habitat for coho salmon and steelhead in Lagunitas Creek.
"We are grateful to WCB for their support on this project," MMWD Board of Directors President Jed Smith said in a statement. "Through this collaboration, we are making meaningful progress in enhancing Lagunitas Creek and strengthening our watershed."
Other grants awarded by the WCB include USD 1.9 million (EUR 1.6 million) to Chico State Enterprises to create salmon habitat on lower Battle Creek; USD 1.5 million (EUR 1.3 million) to Sonoma County Regional Parks to restore stream complexity and spawning habitat for coho, Chinook, and steelhead on Mark West Creek; and USD 3.7 million (EUR 3.2 million) to restore habitat on the Tuolumne River.
