California's Wildlife Conservation Board Funds Projects to Restore and Protect Habitats

California's Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) was created in 1947 to administer a capital outlay program for wildlife conservation and related public recreation. The primary responsibilities of WCB are to select, authorize and allocate funds for the purchase of land and waters suitable for recreation purposes and the preservation, protection and restoration of wildlife habitat. WCB approves and funds projects that set aside lands within California for such purposes, through acquisition or other means, to meet these objectives.

At its February 16, 2023 meeting, the WCB approved roughly $52 million in grants to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. Some of the 25 approved projects will benefit fish and wildlife, including some endangered species, while others will provide public access to important natural resources.

A few of the funded projects are:

• An $11 million grant to Save the Redwoods League for a cooperative project with the National Park Service, California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to enhance forest health and reduce hazardous fuels through selective thinning on 1,000 acres of mixed conifer forest and four miles of road removal in Redwood National and State Parks in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
• A $4.9 million grant to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains for a cooperative planning project with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), State Coastal Conservancy, State Parks, and Caltrans to develop the technical studies, environmental review and outreach necessary to restore the Topanga Lagoon located within the third largest watershed that drains into the Santa Monica Bay and maintains a natural hydrologic regime that supports three native fish species and over 20 native amphibians, including a population of endangered tidewater goby and Southern California steelhead in Los Angeles County.
• A $4.3 million grant augmentation to the Ventura County Watershed Protection District for a planning project that will complete final design plans for Matilija Dam removal and for three downstream levee construction and rehabilitation projects, which are essential components to support future restoration of the most productive and resilient spawning and rearing habitat for Southern California steelhead in support of the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project located four miles northwest of the city of Ojai in Ventura County.

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