In a significant move for state watershed health, the California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved nearly $14 million in grant funding dedicated to salmon habitat restoration. The allocation was part of a larger $43 million funding package approved during the Board’s August 27 meeting, supporting 15 total projects aimed at land conservation, habitat enhancement, and tribal land acquisitions.
These investments align with the state’s broader target to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, as well as Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future.
Key projects benefiting from the funding include:
- Scott River Watershed Expansion ($11.5 Million): Awarded to The Wildlands Conservancy to acquire over 14,000 acres in Siskiyou County. The acquisition expands the Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve to more than 20,000 acres, securing and re-wilding vital spawning and rearing habitats for Scott River coho and steelhead.
- Upper Shasta River Improvement ($2.4 Million): Granted to California Trout (CalTrout) in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The funds will support habitat restoration across eight acres at Big Springs Creek and Hole, utilizing gravel placement, native plantings, and beaver dam analogs to slow flows and improve stream quality for coho and Chinook runs.
Restoring degraded headwater habitats and boosting wild population resilience in vital northern watersheds – such as the Klamath, Scott, and Shasta river basins – remains a critical component of long-term recovery efforts for California’s salmon fisheries and the broader seafood industry.