CALIFORNIA— On Feb. 2 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) announced they are seeking grant applications to help fund projects that will enhance or restore habitat for wildlife.
The grants come from the multi-agency Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF), whose selection committee includes representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and OSPR. The panel may select multiple projects. Previous EEF awards have typically ranged from $100,000 to $300,000.
“Since 2011 we’ve awarded over $3 million to 22 projects and eight are currently in progress,” said OSPR Environmental Scientist Daniel Orr in the news release. “EEF projects include enhancement of bird nesting habitat on nearshore islands, protection and restoration of springs in the Mojave Desert, increasing summer flows in mountain streams in Inyo County and reintroduction of tidal flow to wetlands.”
Qualification for the grants means an environmental enhancement project must acquire habitat for preservation or improve habitat quality and ecosystem function, the project can be multi-year. In addition, it must meet all the following requirements:
- Be located within or immediately adjacent to waters of the state.
- Have measurable outcomes within a pre-determined timeframe.
- Be designed to acquire, restore, or improve habitat, ecosystem function, or benefit fish and wildlife.
Funding will come from OSPR’s EEF, funded by oil spill violations, per California’s Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (PDF)(opens in new tab). Disbursement of the grants is contingent on the availability of funds in the EEF. All eligible agencies and projects are encouraged to apply.
Grant applications must be received by 5 p.m. on March 30. The projects selected will be notified in summer 2022. For more information, please go to wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/Science/Environmental-Enhancement-Fund/About or contact Daniel Orr at [email protected] or (916) 599-1381 or Steve Gonzalez at (916) 715-9072.
