At its June 2 meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) earmarked $39.4 million to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California.

The 23 funded projects will provide benefits to fish and wildlife species, including some endangered species, and increase public access to these lands.

Several projects also demonstrate the importance of protecting working landscapes and integrate economic, social and environmental stewardship practices beneficial to the environment and the landowner.

The funding for all of these projects comes from recent bond initiatives approved by the voters to help preserve and protect California’s natural resources.

Some of the funded projects include:

– Sierra Crest Conservation Easement, Phase III, Sierra County. The WCB approved a $2.4 million grant to the Truckee Donner Land Trust for a cooperative project with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the Northern Sierra Partnership to acquire a conservation easement over 2,683 acres of land for the preservation and restoration of productive managed forest lands, wildlife migration corridors and provide access for outdoor recreational opportunities. The site is approximately 16 miles northwest of Truckee, near Webber Lake.

– Eel River Peninsula, Mendocino County. The WCB granted $8.5 million to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for a cooperative project with the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to acquire a conservation easement over 8,544 acres of threatened and endangered species habitat, deer range habitat, oak woodlands and old growth forests, wildlife corridors and riparian areas to provide future wildlife-oriented public use opportunities. The site is east of Willits.

– Baxter Ranch, Sonoma County. The WCB approved a $2.3 million grant for a cooperative project with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to allocate funding and administer federal Forest Legacy Program funds to acquire a conservation easement over 4,046 acres of land. The project will protect of the habitats of protected species and mixed conifer, oak woodland and environmentally important private forest lands located within the Coastal Range, near Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, 10 miles west of Cloverdale.

– Lower Redwood Creek Restoration, Marin County. The WCB granted $1.2 million to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for a cooperative project with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area of the National Park Service, DFG, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore natural creek alignment and function of Lower Redwood Creek just upstream of Muir Beach.

– Carmel River Riparian Restoration, Monterey County. The WCB approved a $2.5 million grant to the Big Sur Land Trust for a cooperative project with California State Parks, State Coastal Conservancy, Department of Transportation, Monterey County Water Resources Agency, Monterey County Public Works, Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore private property that encompasses the lower floodplain of the Carmel River.

– Carmel River, San Clemente Dam Removal, Monterey County. The WCB granted $7 million to the State Coastal Conservancy for a cooperative project with California American Water (CAW), DFG, the California Natural Resources Agency, the Open River Initiative, the Innovative Readiness Training Program, the Coastal Impact Assistance Program and private foundations to remove the San Clemente Dam and reroute a half-mile portion of the Carmel River, located approximately 18 miles from the Pacific Ocean on CAW property.

Details on all of the projects are in the meeting agenda, available on WCB’s Web site at www.wcb.ca.gov.