California approves $60 million for biodiversity projects and public access to nature

Investing in the Governor’s salmon strategy 

A $2.9 million grant to California Trout Inc. supports the restoration of the East Fork Scott River at Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve in Siskiyou County. The project, led in part by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB), will add side channels, alcoves, and large wood structures; reconnect floodplains; and improve summer flows for coho salmon. 

“Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve incorporates multiple cold-water tributaries in one corridor,” said Eli Scott, senior environmental scientist for NCRWQCB. “This project is a huge opportunity to build habitat for coho salmon and give them a foothold.” 

A $1.1 million grant will support the Lagunitas Creek Aquatic Habitat Enhancement project to restore stream habitat for coho salmon, steelhead trout, and other native species. Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is working on this project in cooperation with the California Department of Water Resources. 

“We are grateful to WCB for their support on this project,” said Jed Smith, president of the MMWD Board of Directors. “Through this collaboration, we are making meaningful progress in enhancing Lagunitas Creek and strengthening our watershed.” 

A $1.85 million grant to Chico State Enterprises will restore floodplains and habitat on lower Battle Creek in Tehama County for endangered salmon and steelhead, including construction of a side channel, removal of 1,700 linear feet of defunct levee, and placement of large wood and boulders to create salmon habitat. 

A $1.5 million grant to Sonoma County Regional Parks will restore spawning habitat and ecosystems for coho, Chinook, and steelhead trout on Mark West Creek in Sonoma County.