Have a habitat restoration, protection or enhancement project idea relevant to the Central Coast of California? The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is now accepting Applications for the 2022 Proposition 1 Solicitation. The deadline for applications is March 4, 2022, by 4:00 p.m. PDT. More solicitation information can be found here.
The C3JV is eager to support partners who have project ideas, but have limited time/capacity to flesh them out. In other words, let the JV help you get protection and restoration project goals underway! Contact Connor Jandreau at cjandreau@abcbirds.org to share your thoughts or ideas, however uncooked they may be.
Summary of funding priorities applicable to the Central Coast:
1) Large-Scale Wildfire Recovery Response and Prevention The objective of this priority in response to the increase in frequency and intensity of wildfires and the devastating effects on watersheds, is to fund Planning and Implementation projects in fire-damaged watersheds that will contribute to restoration and recovery of stream and riparian habitats, prevent erosion, protect and improve water quality, and prevent potential future negative ecosystem effects. Example projects include, but are not limited to: 1. Fuel reduction; 2. Native, fire-resistant understory vegetation restoration; 3. Sediment basin construction; 4. Prevention of upslope erosion; 5. Restoration of riparian habitat; 6. Improvement of water quality for aquatic and riparian species; and 7. Post-fire assessments that will inform a future implementation project.
2) Manage Headwaters for Multiple Benefits Watersheds in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and other forested areas of the state : Many of these crucial watersheds are in poor health. Implementing projects to restore, protect, and enhance the condition, function, and resiliency of forests, streams, meadows, and soils can contribute to several objectives, including, but not limited to: 1. Improve and protect the quantity and quality of water available year-round 2. Improve and protect habitat for wildlife, fish, and plant species 3. Reduce the risk and consequences of large, damaging wildfires 4. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stabilize carbon storage 5. Improve and protect air quality 6. Improve local socio-economic conditions and public safety
3) Protect and Restore Anadromous and Other Native Fish Habitat: CDFW is seeking projects that address limiting factors and priority actions specified in state or federal recovery plans, the State Wildlife Action Plan (Chapter 6), and/or other relevant conservation plans, including: 1. Removing high priority fish passage barriers (refer to the 2019 Fish Passage Priorities List) and barriers to green and white sturgeon and Pacific Lamprey 2. Installing screens on priority unscreened diversions and repair/replacement of existing substandard screens (refer to the 2019 Priority Water Diversions for Screening) 3. Restoring or enhancing riparian, instream, floodplain, side channel, or estuarine habitat 4. Restoring instream spawning and rearing habitat 5. Restoring off-channel rearing, streambank, and riparian habitats and migratory conditions 6. Improving instream flow quality and quantity 7. Reducing erosion and instream/downstream sedimentation 8. Improving adult fish passage through the Sacramento River Flood Control Project 9. Protecting important watershed lands and riparian buffers in agricultural landscapes through acquisitions and conservation easements 10. Redesigning or improving road prisms, road surfaces and upgrading drainage structures and stream crossings to reduce the road’s impact on water quality, by reducing hydrologic connectivity and sediment delivery to nearby streams 11. Decommissioning roads in riparian areas Proposition 1 grant funds are also available for water conservation projects
4) Protect and Restore Coastal Wetland Ecosystems: The objective of this priority is to implement multi-benefit projects designed to protect, restore, or enhance coastal wetland ecosystems. These projects will seek to protect and restore diversity, quality, and connectivity across the range of wetland types extending from subtidal areas to upland transition areas, including non-tidal wetlands. Restoring ecological condition and function within coastal wetlands will provide a variety of important benefits, such as improved habitat for fish and wildlife, enhanced flood protection, increased resiliency to sea-level rise and storm events, and improved water quality. The California Water Action Plan calls upon CDFW to implement large-scale habitat projects along the California coast in strategic estuaries to restore ecological health and natural system connectivity and help defend against sea-level rise. As such, project scale, regional importance, and significance and diversity of the benefits will be considered during prioritization of these projects.