At its Feb. 23 quarterly meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved $17.9 million in grants funding to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. Some of the 13 funded projects will provide benefits to fish and wildlife species, including some endangered species, and others will provide public access opportunities to important natural resources. Several projects will also demonstrate the importance of protecting working landscapes that integrate economic, social and environmental stewardship practices beneficial to the environment, the landowner and the local community. The funds for all of these projects come from recent bond initiatives approved by the voters to help preserve and protect California's natural resources.

Some of the funded projects include:

- A $263,000 grant to Watsonville Wetlands Watch for a cooperative project with the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, the City of Watsonville and the Santa Cruz Resource Conservation District to restore approximately six acres of riparian habitat located along Struve Slough, West Struve Slough and Hanson Slough in Santa Cruz County.

- A $2.4 million grant to the Pit Resource Conservation District for a cooperative project with DFG to restore approximately 1,500 acres, protecting approximately 1,085 intact wetlands from increased head-cutting, and integrating the water delivery system to meet downstream water rights and management of seasonal wetlands on DFG's Ash Creek Wildlife Area in Lassen and Modoc counties.

A $1.2 million grant to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 1,622 acres of diverse native forests and riparian areas which include Port Orford cedar and Douglas fir habitat corridor linkages within the Willow Creek watershed, a salmonid stream and tributary to the Trinity River, in Humboldt County.

A $5.5 million grant to the River Partners for a cooperative project with the California Natural Resources Agency, Department of Water Resources, U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Public Utility Commission and Tuolumne River Preservation Trust to acquire in fee approximately 1,603 acres of valley flood plain and riverine habitat for the protection of habitat for special status species including Chinook salmon, steelhead trout and riparian brush rabbits, and to provide future wildlife-oriented public use and recreational opportunities in Stanislaus County.