​The Nature Conservancy led with Stanford’s Natural Capital Project and Water in the West to demonstrate the potential for strategically restoring agricultural land in the San Joaquin Valley. The study highlights how it could be possible to strike a new balance by creating natural areas while reducing water demand and helping to recover a unique community of critically endangered species. The article is available here. For additional reading, you can find a Q&A with lead author, Ben Bryant, and TNC’s Rodd Kelsey here on Stanford's Water in the West website. 
 
You can find a summary brief on the study with recommendations here. It also showed up on Maven's notebook today.

From Abigail Hart, Project Director for the California Water Program

Pre-applications due Monday, April 13, 2020

The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) is inviting grant proposals for climate adaptation and resiliency projects that result in enduring benefits. This 2020 Proposal Solicitation Notice (PSN) allows for the following project types:

₋ Projects that acquire perpetual conservation easements over natural and working lands and contain long-term conservation agreements that provide climate adaptation and resilience benefits through protecting transitional habitats for at least 50 years. At least 60 percent of the funds shall be made available for grants for this purpose.
₋ Projects that develop and implement natural and working lands adaptation and resiliency planning that prioritizes the conservation and management of natural and working lands, and provides technical assistance for natural and working land managers.

This Proposal Solicitation Notice (PSN) for the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program (Program) provides application information specific to the 2020 grant cycle. Up to $8 million may be awarded in grants selected through this PSN, with $6 million set aside for acquisition of conservation easements, and the remaining $2 million for planning and technical assistance projects. While this PSN does not operate under strict funding limits by project type, the most competitive request amounts usually run between $100,000 and $300,000 for planning and technical assistance projects, and between $300,000 and $1,000,000 for conservation easement projects. Applicants should thoroughly review the WCB Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program Guidelines (Guidelines). Additional planning resources include:
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• 2019 WCB Strategic Plan Update
• State Wildlife Action Plan
• Areas of Conservation Emphasis Viewer

Questions related to this PSN may also be directed to WCB via e-mail (climatewcb@wildlife.ca.gov). 

More information can be found HERE.

SACRAMENTO — State agencies today released a draft water resilience portfolio with a suite of recommended actions to help California cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, aging infrastructure and other challenges.

The California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Food and Agriculture developed the draft to fulfill Governor Gavin Newsom’s April 29 executive order calling for a portfolio of actions to ensure the state’s long-term water resilience and ecosystem health.

Shaped by months of public input, the draft portfolio outlines more than 100 integrated actionable recommendations in four broad areas to help regions build water resilience as resources become available, while at the same time providing state leadership to improve infrastructure and protect natural ecosystems.

You can read the Water Resilience Portfolio draft in full HERE.

Comments are due by Feb 7th!

Please read regional/inter-regional climate resilience $1B in funding on pgs 120-122 of
Gov Newsom's 2020-2021 Budget Summary. 

From the Nov 5th EPA News Release:

11/05/2019
Contact Information: 
Denise Adamic (adamic.denise@epa.gov)
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415-972-3061"SAN FRANCISCO – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced five $30,000 grants to organizations working to address environmental justice issues in California. The recipients are among other groups in 27 states and Puerto Rico receiving competitive Environmental Justice Small Grants.

“Rural and disadvantaged communities are often disproportionately affected by environmental health risks, and at EPA we are working to reverse this trend,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These grants support the President’s initiatives to invest in and revitalize distressed communities. By supporting often overlooked, local organizations that understand the unique challenges that their communities face, we’re better able to put in place long-term solutions to improve the environment and health of underserved areas of the country.” 

“We are pleased to support projects that educate residents about environmental health, collect data about local environmental conditions, and collaboratively address environmental justice challenges in local communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker.
2019 Environmental Justice Small Grants recipients in California include:

Community Services Employment Training (Allensworth) will collaborate with the Allensworth Progressive Association to engage rural youth in testing treatment technology for arsenic in drinking water. The groups will work with UC Berkeley’s Gadgil Lab, the Tulare Basin Watershed Partnership, and the Allensworth Corporation to bring together approximately 20 high school students to learn about safe drinking water, conduct hands-on testing of arsenic treatment, and present findings to the community and decision makers.

"Our youth become successful community leaders when we invest in them, and this EPA Environmental Justice grant creates such an opportunity to train future environmental stewards,” said Allensworth Progressive Association President Denise Kadara."

Please read article in full HERE.