Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding $3 million to support three projects in California under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. Coastal wetlands are vitally important in protecting us from floods, filtering our water, supporting recreation and local economies, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife. Despite their importance, there has been a steady loss of coastal wetlands, and California is no exception.
Nationwide, the Service is awarding $25.7 million to support 28 projects in 11 coastal states, which will restore or enhance over 10,000 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent upland habitats and more than eight miles of streams and shoreline. State, local and Tribal governments, private landowners, conservation groups and other partners will contribute $16.8 million in additional funds to support these projects nationwide.
“Conserving coastal wetlands is essential for supporting ecosystems that protect wildlife and our communities from climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change impacts,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “Wetlands provide critical habitat for countless species of wildlife and birds while also increasing our resilience to floods and storms. Through these grants, we prioritize the conservation of these important areas and help create a healthier environment for future generations, ensuring that nature and local communities can thrive together.”
The 2025 grants will benefit people and wildlife with nature-based solutions. Projects will support recovery of threatened and endangered species, enhance flood protection and water quality, stabilize shorelines, provide economic benefits to coastal communities and increase outdoor recreational opportunities.
States receiving funds this year are California, Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
California projects funded by the 2025 grant program, include:
Lower Eel River Wetlands Restoration
The California State Coastal Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Fortuna and the Wiyot Tribe, is awarded $1,000,000 to protect 237 acres of wetlands and uplands through the purchase of a property in the Lower Eel River Wetlands. The City of Fortuna will own and manage the 7.2 acres of uplands and transfer the remaining 229.6 acres of wetlands to the Wiyot Tribe for ceremonial purposes, restoration and public access.
San Francisco Bay Coastal Wetlands Revegetation Project Phase 3
The California State Coastal Conservancy is awarded $1,000,000 for continued support on the San Francisco Bay Coastal Wetlands Revegetation Project to enhance biodiversity and climate resilience of degraded tidal marshes in the San Francisco Estuary.
Watsonville Slough Wetlands Conservation
The California State Coastal Conservancy, in partnership with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, is awarded $1,000,000 to acquire a 62-acre parcel known as Mini Ranch to protect 40 acres of nationally decreasing wetlands within the Middle Watsonville Slough wetland complex in Santa Cruz County, California.
The Service annually awards grants of up to $1 million to states based on a national competition, which enables states to identify and address their highest conservation priorities in coastal areas. Since 1992, the Service has awarded more than $530 million in grants contributing to the long-term protection and restoration of 600,000 acres under this program.
Wetlands in coastal watersheds, including on national wildlife refuges, are part of a diverse and complex set of ecosystems that are vital to the nation’s economy and an important part of our natural heritage.
Coastal wetlands in the United States include both salt marshes in estuaries and freshwater wetlands that extend inland within the coastal watersheds. They provide crucial habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife at various life stages.
More information is available online at: https://www.fws.gov/service/national-coastal-wetlands-conservation-grants.
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program is co-administered by two programs under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: the Office of Conservation Investment and the Coastal Program. The program is funded in part by taxes or import duties collected from the sale of recreational fishing equipment, boats, electric motors and motorboat and small engine fuels under the authority of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. The billions of dollars generated through recreational angling, boating, waterfowl hunting and birdwatching benefit communities in the vicinity of wetlands restoration projects.
