Restoring California coast and San Francisco Bay

The Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy earlier this week awarded over $16.9 million to 13 projects to protect and restore the California coast and San Francisco Bay.

Among these grant awards were over $4.4 million from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program. 

This program awards grants of up to $1 million to states based on a national competition and funds significant coastal wetland restoration projects.

Some of the approved projects are:

• Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $307,170 to the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District to conduct studies and prepare designs, permit applications, and a management plan for restoration of the Williams Creek watershed near Ferndale, Humboldt County, CA;

• Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $979,000 received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $980,000 received from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to the City of Eureka to augment the Conservancy’s prior authorizations of $2,356,000 for implementation of the Elk River Estuary Restoration Project, a tidal wetland restoration project in Humboldt County;

• Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $1,434,400 to the City of Richmond to augment the Conservancy’s November 19, 2020 grant of $3,000,000 for the final design and implementation of the Terminal Four Wharf Removal Project near Point San Pablo, Contra Costa County;

• Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $2,474,600 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete implementation of the Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project in Novato, Marin County, etc.

The next Conservancy meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2021 and will be held via teleconference.