State Invests $10 Million in Salmon Restoration Projects Across Northern California

California is doubling down on salmon recovery, approving millions in new funding aimed at restoring rivers and rebuilding fish habitat across the state.

The California Wildlife Conservation Board recently approved nearly $60 million in grants for 27 conservation projects in 18 counties. Five of those efforts directly support the state’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, focusing on restoring floodplains, improving stream habitat, and strengthening spawning and rearing conditions for coho and Chinook salmon, along with steelhead.

In Siskiyou County, $2.9 million will help restore portions of the East Fork Scott River, adding side channels and reconnecting historic floodplain habitat. Farther south in Tehama County, $1.85 million will go toward improving lower Battle Creek by removing old levees and installing large wood structures to create better salmon habitat.

Sonoma County will see $1.5 million invested in Mark West Creek to enhance spawning grounds, while nearly $3.7 million will help restore sections of the Tuolumne River near La Grange, reconnecting the river to its natural floodplain for fall-run Chinook and steelhead.

Additional funding will support habitat work on Lagunitas Creek in Marin County.

State leaders say the investments are part of a broader push to protect biodiversity and adapt to climate change, while working toward the 30×30 goal of conserving 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.

For salmon that rely on cold, connected rivers to survive, these projects could help tip the balance in a warming, more unpredictable future.