The nature conservancy will be awarded $8.3M to restore high-priority habitat on three rivers in coastal mendocino county

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will receive $8.3 million under a Cooperative Agreement award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore high-priority habitat along three rivers in coastal Mendocino County, California. Funded through NOAA's Habitat Conservation grant program (CFDA 11.463), TNC will implement on-the-ground restoration at three sites focusing on floodplain and stream habitat improvement. The work will benefit endangered Central California coast coho salmon and threatened California coastal Chinook salmon. Specifically, TNC will design and carry out priority actions identified in species recovery plans to restore floodplain function and increase instream complexity. Improved floodplain water storage is also expected to help buffer downstream communities from climate change and extreme weather impacts while providing local employment and tribal engagement opportunities. The three-year award ending December 2026 supports NOAA's mission of coastal and marine habitat restoration and protection under the Habitat Conservation grant program.

The work will benefit endangered central california coast coho salmon (a NOAA species in the spotlight) and threatened california coastal chinook. The effort will include on-the-ground implementation at three sites, restoring floodplain and stream habitat. The project will design and implement high priority actions identified in recovery plans prioritized under collaborative processes. These landscape-scale actions will benefit listed salmon through the restoration of floodplain habitat and function by increasing instream complexity across several sites. Improved floodplain water storage capacity will help buffer downstream communities from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. Employment opportunities for local underserved communities and engagement with local tribes are also a focus for the project.