This is a press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) [recently] announced the selection of three projects to restore wetlands that sequester greenhouse gases (GHGs) and provide other ecological co-benefits.

The awards, totaling $4.2 million, were made under CDFW’s 2017 Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program Proposal Solicitation Notice.

The Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program focuses on projects with measurable objectives that will lead to GHG reductions in wetlands and watersheds while providing co-benefits such as enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, protecting and improving water quality and quantity, and helping California adapt to climate change. Wetlands have high carbon sequestration rates that can store carbon for decades.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to fund wetland restoration projects while directly addressing climate resiliency and furthering the science of carbon sequestration,” CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham said. “Wetlands play a vital role in our state’s water storage and as natural carbon sinks, provide significant other benefits.”

Projects approved for funding are:

Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project ($1,948,803 to the South Yuba River Citizens League). The Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project is a unique opportunity to advance the understanding of multiple benefits that meadow restoration projects provide through a collaborative monitoring and restoration program. The project proposes to restore 485 acres of meadow habitat and conduct monitoring to address specific uncertainties about how meadow restoration benefits meadow hydrology, ecology, biology, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas cycling, and increase our understanding of the vulnerability of meadows to climate change.

($1,948,803 to the South Yuba River Citizens League). The Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project is a unique opportunity to advance the understanding of multiple benefits that meadow restoration projects provide through a collaborative monitoring and restoration program. The project proposes to restore 485 acres of meadow habitat and conduct monitoring to address specific uncertainties about how meadow restoration benefits meadow hydrology, ecology, biology, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas cycling, and increase our understanding of the vulnerability of meadows to climate change. Elkhorn Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration: Hester Phase II ($1,596,779 to Elkhorn Slough Foundation). Elkhorn Slough, one of the largest estuaries in California, contains the state’s largest salt marshes south of San Francisco Bay. The slough provides important habitat for a broad range of resident and migratory birds, invertebrates, fish, marine mammals and other wildlife, and plays a crucial role in the local estuarine and nearshore food web. The project includes restoration of an entire cross section of coastal ecosystem from carbon sequestering native oyster beds, 30 acres of historically diked and drained coastal wetlands, and five acres adjacent vegetated buffer. Building upon the success of Hester Phase I, the project will enhance sophisticated GHG science and monitoring as well as investigating the novel GHG mitigation strategy of converting plant waste to biochar as a soil amendment.

($1,596,779 to Elkhorn Slough Foundation). Elkhorn Slough, one of the largest estuaries in California, contains the state’s largest salt marshes south of San Francisco Bay. The slough provides important habitat for a broad range of resident and migratory birds, invertebrates, fish, marine mammals and other wildlife, and plays a crucial role in the local estuarine and nearshore food web. The project includes restoration of an entire cross section of coastal ecosystem from carbon sequestering native oyster beds, 30 acres of historically diked and drained coastal wetlands, and five acres adjacent vegetated buffer. Building upon the success of Hester Phase I, the project will enhance sophisticated GHG science and monitoring as well as investigating the novel GHG mitigation strategy of converting plant waste to biochar as a soil amendment. Ecosystem and Community Resiliency in the Sierra Nevada: Restoration of the Clover Valley Ranch ($680,974 to The Sierra Fund). The overarching goal of this project is to improve climate resilience at the ecosystem and community level in Red Clover Valley. Ecosystem resiliency is defined as the reestablishment of hydrologic function and mesic vegetation, while community resiliency is defined as long-term engagement and capacity building of residents of the region, including the Mountain Maidu Tribe. This project leverages Natural Resources Conservation Service implementation including construction of grade control structures, beaver dam analogues and revegetation, and proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration for improving climate resilience. The on-the-ground activities will result in GHG sequestration benefits and environmental and economic co-benefits for people and species of the region, while monitoring will ensure that benefits are quantified, contributing to climate-based understanding of Sierra Nevada meadows.

CDFW’s Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. The cap-and-trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling and much more.

More information about the CDFW program can be found at wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/watersheds/greenhouse-gas-reduction.

For more information, please visit the California Climate Investments website at www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.