Outdoors Act Earmarks Billions for Public Lands and Conservation Projects
Efforts to protect recreational and environmentally important lands and waters have gotten a major funding boost. On August 4, 2020, President Donald Trump signed House Resolution 1957, which creates the Great American Outdoors Act (GACA), authorizing up to $1.9 billion annually for five federal agencies to preserve lands for public use. The resolution authorizes and funds the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund to “help preserve, develop, and ensure access to outdoor recreation resources.”
Under HR-1957, GACA provides a permanent funding source for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which environmental groups and national, state, and local land trusts have used to pay for their resource protection projects. President Lyndon B. Johnson created the LWCF on September 3, 1964.
“The Land and Water Conservation Fund is often called America’s most effective land conservation program,” said the Sacramento-based Planning and Conservation League (PCL), which lobbied for the funding. “The impact of the Great American Outdoors Act will be felt across California communities for years to come.” Added the PCL: “Some of the most widely known and iconic natural areas in California that benefited from the protection provided by the LWCF include the Muir Woods National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Tahoe, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Santa Monica Mountains, the California deserts, the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.”
Although a federal program, the LWCF works in close partnership with states and makes grants to local agencies and nonprofits to protect lands and waters. The nonprofits have included large organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land, as well as community and regional land trusts. The land trusts purchase resource lands to keep them from being developed and then usually sell the land to participating federal agencies, such as the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management.
In the past, funds for the LWCF program were not guaranteed, so the land trusts had to make pilgrimages to Washington, D.C., to lobby for appropriations, which greatly depended on uncertain revenue from offshore oil and gas drilling, which is used to fund the LWCF program. As of 2015, offshore drilling generated about $2.5 million a day for the program. In 2019, California received $14.5 million and Nevada received $2.29 million under the program. Among resources of importance to anglers, the LWCF has funded projects along the North Fork of the American River, the San Joaquin, Smith, South Fork of the Eel, and upper Sacramento Rivers, and on other waters elsewhere in the state.
For more information, see www.lwcfcoalition.org.
Removal of Klamath River Dams Gets a Boost
An agreement to remove fish-blocking dams on the Klamath River by transferring them from the utility PacifiCorp, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy, to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation hit a snag in July, when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) refused to grant a clean transfer of ownership. Instead, it issued a partial transfer that kept PacifiCorp as a licensee with liability for the dams, jeopardizing their removal. In November 2020, the States of Oregon and California agreed to become equal partners in dam ownership during the removal process, with the Klamath River Renewal Corporation and the states managing the removal and with Oregon and California sharing financial responsibility with PacifiCorp.
Calling it the “big breakthrough,” Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) praised the agreement to remove the dams and Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO, Warren Buffett, saying, “Warren Buffett himself has committed spending for the dam removal. I am grateful for the incredible dedication by the State of California and relentless advocacy from Yurok and Karuk tribes, California Trout, commercial fishermen, and many others. We are a big step closer to actually getting these obsolete, destructive dams out and reviving the Klamath River and its fisheries.”
According to press reports, the agreement puts the removal of the dams on track for 2023. “This dam removal is more than just a concrete project coming down,” said Yurok tribal chairman Joseph James. “It’s a new day, and it’s a new era for California tribes. To me, this is who we are. To have a free-flowing river just as those who have come before us and here now and for those generations to come.”
CDFW Awards $10.7 Million for Fisheries Habitat Projects
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the selection of 27 projects that will receive funding for the restoration, enhancement, and protection of anadromous salmonid habitat in California watersheds. The grants, which total $10.7 million, were awarded through the CDFW’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP). Established in 1981, the FRGP has included funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund since 2000.
In response to the 2020 Fisheries Habitat Restoration Grant Solicitation, the CDFW received 80 proposals requesting more than $40.6 million in funding. Among the projects that were awarded funding, here are some that are of interest to anglers, listed by project name, description, applicant, county, and amount.
The Santa Margarita River Bridge Replacement and Fish Passage Barrier Removal Project to improve 12 miles of habitat for steelhead, awarded to California Trout, San Diego County, $2,378,922.
The North Fork Elk River Salmonid Habitat Enhancement Project Designs, awarded for habitat enhancement on 1.5 miles of the river to Trout Unlimited, Humboldt County, $252,827.
The Bull Creek Hamilton Reach Instream and Floodplain Habitat Restoration Project to restore substream habitat, awarded to California Trout, Humboldt County, $475,248.
The Hare Creek Main Stem Instream Habitat Enhancement Project to improve 2.9 miles of coho salmon habitat, awarded to Trout Unlimited, Mendocino County, $283,321.
The East Fork Mill Creek Floodplain Restoration Design Project to remove a road and bridge to improve salmon habitat, awarded to the Smith River Alliance, Del Norte County, $428,168.
The Elk Valley Road Fish Passage Design Project to remove three barriers to improve salmon habitat, awarded to the Smith River Alliance, Del Norte County, $186,314.
For a complete list of projects approved for funding, go to https://nrm. dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=184754&inline. For a list of those approved for contingency funding, if and when funds become available, go to https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler. ashx?DocumentID=184755&inline.
Emergency Closures Could Be Ahead for CDFW Lands
Those who fish and hunt should be checking whether California Department of Fish and Wildlife lands and facilities will be closed in 2021. The CDFW closed some of its wildlife areas in mid-December in response to the COVID-19 virus. These closures occurred when hospital intensive care units dropped to 15 percent bed capacity. Camping was also suspended for a time. The CDFW says to check its closure website to see if that is extended. The closures can vary by CDFW region; for the latest information, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/closures.
