In California, the Amended Budget Act of 2022 provided the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy with a general fund allocation of $36,000,000 for projects that support Nature Based Solutions: Wetland Restoration (NBS: WR).
The goals of the Nature Based Solutions: Wetland Restoration funding are to support restoration, conservation, and climate resilience for wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The Delta region includes over 150,000 acres of highly organic peat soils that are significantly subsided to depths of 20 to 30 feet below sea level. This subsidence threatens the State and Federal water projects, Delta communities and the region’s rich agricultural production.
Subsidence is the result of oxidation of the peat soils and results in over 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. Re-wetting the peat soils stops subsidence and resulting carbon emissions.
Example projects include, but are not limited to:
- Managed and tidal wetland restoration;
- Crop conversion to rice cultivation;
- Technical assistance to access the Voluntary Carbon Market;
- Planning to prepare for and support eligible projects (e.g., scoping, design, environmental compliance, science); and
- Land acquisition or easement.
Interested applicants should review the Delta Conservancy’s General Grant Guidelines and contact Conservancy staff at contact@deltaconservancy.ca.gov for more information.
The application process includes submission of a concept proposal. Delta Conservancy staff will then review the concept proposal and if the project meets the applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, may invite the applicant to submit a full proposal package.
Photo courtesy of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy/ZoArt Photography.