The state of California has announced funding for several salmon and steelhead recovery projects as part of a USD 87 million (EUR 75 million) investment in conservation.
“These projects represent how California agencies are working together to restore functional river systems and resilient habitats that support both fish and people,” California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) Executive Director Jennifer Norris said in a release.
The grant funding – which was approved at the WCB’s November meeting – will be spread across 16 projects, several of which directly tie into the California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future – a plan released by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2024 to coordinate the state’s response to declining salmon populations.
“Recovering salmon runs in the Central Valley will take bold, coordinated investment,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham, who also serves as chair of WCB, said in a release. “WCB continues to deliver on-the-ground results, putting resources directly into the places that matter most for salmon recovery.”
The bulk of the funding – roughly USD 71 million (EUR 61 million) – will go directly to projects supporting salmon health and habitat in California’s rivers.
A USD 32 million (EUR 27.7 million) grant was awarded to the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency to restore 1 mile of the Feather River, a project that will reconnect 51 acres of floodplain that can be used for salmon and steelhead habitat.
“We are excited to partner with WCB to implement the project and realize the benefits to the Feather River and the fish it supports,” Michelle Forsha, fisheries restoration and reintroduction supervisor at CDFW, said. “We hope this project is the start of a long partnership toward bringing about restoration in the Central Valley.”
A USD 15 million (EUR 13 million) grant was awarded to River Partners to purchase 1,715 acres along Battle Creak to protect salmon spawning and rearing habitat.
“The acquisition of the historic Battle Creek Ranch represents a transformative step in restoring the health of Battle Creek and reconnecting habitats essential for building back populations of endangered salmon, steelhead, and other wildlife,” River Partners President Julie Rentner said in a release.
Another USD 584,999 (EUR 506,169) will be used to retire water rights in the area, ensuring more water remains in the creek for fish.
A USD 15 million (EUR 13 million) grant was also awarded to Meridian Farms Water Company to replace two unscreened water diversions on the Sacramento River. The Meridian Farms Fish Screen Project will replace that diversion with a single, screened diversion to improve fish passage along the river.
“This project helps to enhance passage and protect all four runs of Chinook salmon and will also enhance drought resilience for the region,” Maridian Farms Water Company General Manager Andy Duffey said in a release. “This brings to a close a more than two-decade effort by Meridian Farms to provide these protections to fish in the Sacramento River.”
Other grants include USD 800,000 (EUR 692,198) to the Nature Conservancy to protect high priority coho salmon habitat in the Scott River watershed, USD 6.2 million (EUR 5.4 million) to CDFW to removes a fish passage barrier at the interface of the Sacramento and Yolo Bypasses, USD 1.2 million (EUR 1 million) to the Solano County Water Agency to ensure year-round passage for fall-run Chinook salmon at Putah Creek, and USD 333,000 (EUR 288,148) to the City of Sacramento to design ten juvenile salmonid rearing habitat sites along the lower American River.
