Land Acknowledgement

SYRCL works throughout the Yuba River watershed on the Ancestral and Traditional homelands of the Nisenan Tribe, and includes shared boundaries with the Mountain Maidu, Konkow, and Washoe peoples. These tribes have lived here for millennia and live here still. We acknowledge and mourn the painful history of genocide and the devastation of lands and waters irreversibly altered.  We are grateful for opportunities to partner with the tribes to create a shared vision and rebalance our relationship to this place.

YFN Updates and News

The Yuba Forest Network will have our first quarterly meeting of 2025 on Friday, February 7 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. This meeting will be hybrid. If you are interesting in presenting at a future quarterly meeting please email Anne Marie at annemarie@yubariver.org or Kat Perlman at kat@yubariver.org to be added to the agenda. The recaps of previous quarterly meetings and discussions held are in the the meeting notes saved in the YFN Google Drive. If you are interested in joining a committee please email the meeting organizer and they will add you to the list.

If you would like to sign up for the YFN bimonthly newsletter on forest health/resiliency related topics you can register here for the listserv.

If you have any shapefiles for me to add to the Stakeholder Mapping Tool please zip them up and send them on over.

Stakeholder Mapping Tool Committee

This committee has identified several areas of focus: data clean up effort, taxonomy of shapefiles, and data sharing and organization.

Meeting Organizer: Anne Marie Holt

Next Stakeholder Mapping Tool Committee Meeting: TBD

Landscape Prioritization Committee

The aim of this committee is to look at the landscape as a whole to identify gaps and partnership opportunities. Taking the larger view to bring people together, prioritize areas of future work, and assess potential synergies between projects. This committee wants to make sure projects are
identifying priority needs, investigate different tools that are out there, and identify
what other tools other collaboratives are using.

Meeting Organizer: Alecia Weisman

Next Landscape Prioritization Committee Meeting: January 31 at 10:00 am in person at the SYRCL Office.

Strategy & Outreach Committee

Previously this committee was the Strategy Subgroup (authored the Resilience Strategy). Now this committee aims to keep connection and identify future opportunities as part of the overall vision. The Short-term vision of this committee is to create a formal structure for YFN and communication, build out a resource library, continue to lead, facilitate, and brainstorm topics for the YFN Quarterly meetings. This committee also wants to move YFN to its own website with the mapping tool. In the long term this committee wants to integrate with the public/private lands in the ROI, as well as the potential for creating a shared NEPA.
Outreach: How can we move forward to increase this communication and include those not already represented at these meetings?

Next Steering & Outreach Committee Meeting: January 17th at 1:00 pm on Teams

News and Upcoming Events

Office of Emergency Services’ Alex Keeble-Toll Named Nevada County’s Employee of the Year

Alex Keeble-Toll, who helped bring in more than $75 million in grants for the Office of Emergency Services, was named Nevada County’s Employee of the Year Tuesday. Keeble-Toll, a Senior Administrative Analyst, has a 95 percent success rate in writing grants to help the County reduce its wildfire risks. She secured 18 of the 19 grants she applied for.

Nevada County OES Releases Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)

NewsFlashCWPP that reads Nevada County OES Releases Draft CWPP

The Nevada County Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is available for public feedback through Jan. 13, 2025. The community is encouraged to review the draft plan and provide their feedback online at ReadyNevadaCounty.org/CWPP. Physical copies of the draft plan are also available at the OES Office in the Government Center, 950 Maidu Ave in Nevada City.

Prescribed Burn 101 Workshop

On January 11 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Nevada County RCD will host an introduction to prescribed fire for residents and private landowners. Learn about what prescribed burning is and the role of fire historically vs now in shaping our forest and landscape vegetation and wildland fire. Gain knowledge of the use of prescribed fire as a tool to benefit fire safety, native plants and animal habitat, and forest health. Learn about the basics of planning and conducting a prescribed burn safely and responsibly, including writing a basic burn plan, permitting and smoke management. Hands-on activities to write burn objectives for your property, deciding what pre-burn preparations need to be done, and identification of native plant adaptations to fire. If the weather is good, part of the course will be outside looking at an area that could be burned and how you would go about it.
Location: CTC Classroom, Madeline Helling Library

Register Here

Prepare to Burn Workshop

On January 18 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Nevada County RCD will host a hands-on workshop at a landowner’s property, where they plan on burning. Learn about the steps to prepare for a prescribed burn including planning, preparing the site, and the permitting process. See and try out different tools used on burns. Learn about and practice locating a burn site, building control lines, what tools to use and when, and how to prepare a site for safe burning using techniques like selective pruning and ladder fuel removal.
Location: TBD in western Nevada County

Register Here

Rx Fire 101 Workshop

Saturday, January 18 from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm at the Health and Human Services Building on 11434 B Ave, Auburn CA 95603. In 2019, Placer RCD received funding from CAL FIRE to identify barriers and solutions to prescribed burning and develop a mechanism that increases the pace and scale of prescribed fire in the region. In response, the RCD developed the Placer Prescribed Burn Association (Placer PBA) and associated education and training program. Placer PBA is dedicated to equipping landowners with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to implement low-complexity prescribed burns. This workshop is free and will cover topics including permitting, liability, fire effects on native plants, heat management, landowner resources, and others. A panel of experienced instructors teach the course

Register Here

Force For Nature Reception and Awards: Please join 30×30 for their second annual Force For Nature Reception and Awards on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM at Prelude Kitchen and Bar, Sacramento. This special evening will honor state administration and legislative 30×30 champions in recognition of their outstanding work advancing the state’s 30×30 goals and leadership on the Climate Bond. We hope you’ll join us for an evening of reflection, inspiration, and a chance to connect over refreshments as we look ahead to the work still to come.

RSVP by filling out the form HERE.

2025 Conservation Connect Fellowship Program

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) invites graduate students (pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree) to apply to the 2025 Conservation Connect Fellowship Program. The fellowship includes a summer 2025 and/or academic year 2025-26 practicum associated with a National Forest Foundation program of work. Location and opportunity to work remotely varies by practicum project.

Conservation Connect fellowships aim to build experience, knowledge, and skills within the next generation of collaborative and conservation leaders to support each other and advance the field. We are striving to build a cohort of emerging leaders, connecting graduate students who will go on to do important work with communities and public lands in the future!

Due February 2

SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival Unveils 2025 Official Selections Tickets Now On Sale – Buy Before Jan.12 and be entered to win a 2-day whitewater rafting trip!

All types of 2025 Wild & Scenic Film Festival passes as well as individual session tickets are now on sale. Get yours today before they are all gone! Current SYRCL and WSFF members receive $10 off their tickets. Keep an eye out for a separate email from SYRCL with your discount code.

The festival will feature many mainstay elements of the past, including activist workshops, an art exhibition featuring Nevada County artists, youth programs like a stop motion filmmaking workshop, the EnviroFair (on Pine St. this year!), filmmaker Q&A sessions, two Dinner and a Movie nights at The Stone House, as well as opportunities to interact with filmmakers and special guests. Wild & Scenic will continue to bring together top filmmakers, activists, and social innovators to inspire environmental awareness and action. We’re looking forward to seeing you in February!

SYRCL has unveiled the full lineup for its 2025 Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Taking place February 13-17, 2025, in Grass Valley and Nevada City, CA, the 23rd annual film festival will feature over 100 environmental and adventure films.

OPC 2026–2030 Strategic Plan – OPC is seeking public feedback to inform their forthcoming 2026–2030 Strategic Plan. Share your priorities using this form by Monday, February 17, 2025. In-person listening sessions will also be held across the state in January and February 2025. Please register here to attend a listening session.

Mark your Calendars for Power in Nature’s 2025 Advocacy Day! Wednesday, March 19th, Sacramento.

California Forest Science Symposium: The California Society of American Foresters and California Fire Science Consortium are partnering to host the first annual California Forest Science Symposium on March 24-25, 2025. This symposium is bringing together researchers, land managers, and practitioners to share new knowledge on forests and their management.

Join them in Sacramento, CA to learn from your peers, grow your network and develop as a forestry professional. This two-day conference will feature presentations and panel sessions across disciplines of forest health, wildlife, fire and fuel management, silviculture, reforestation, and more.

Call for Presenters is currently open. Submit your research and lessons from the field to advance the development of science-informed management across state, private, and federal forests. Submit your presentation, poster, or panel by January 20, 2025 at 11:59 pm.

March 31 – April 2, 2025, CCLT’s 2025 Land & Water Conservation Conference: Early Bird Registration and call for speakers for California Council of Land Trusts’ 2025 Land & Water Conservation Conference happening at Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite.

Salazar Center for North American Conservation: 2025 Symposium on Conservation Impact

Realizing a Nature-Positive Future in North America: No more business as usual: The Salazar Center’s 6th International Symposium on Conservation Impact explores how we can track our progress toward our collective biodiversity goals and how we might evolve the structures and dynamics of our social and economic systems to ensure long-term natural security and socioeconomic stability. We will invite speakers to tackle the difficult questions we must grapple with to build a future that’s fair for everyone on a finite planet. The event is on May 5-7. Registration Deadline is May 2.

Register Agenda

Call for Abstracts for SERCAL 2025 in Denver, Colorado from 30 September – 4 October 2025

Fish & Fire 2025: Where There Are Fish, There is Fire

42nd Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference from April 29 – May 2: 2024 brought another major fire season to California, and more reminders of the interconnectedness across fire, water, and fish. This workshop will continue the Fish & Fire conversation started over the last two years of SRF conferences, highlighting recent examples like the Park Fire and digging further into the ecology of fish and fire, the impacts of fire exclusion and fire suppression on aquatic habitats, and the potential for restoration practitioners to more meaningfully bring fire into the way they envision and implement their work. The first part of the workshop will focus on relevant research and management examples, and part two will be more hands-on, including dialogue and training on the use of beneficial fire. By the end of the day, participants will have a better understanding of the many connections between fish and fire, more contacts and networks to bridge the two disciplines, and new skills and inspiration that they can bring to their restoration work.

Fuel Management Activity Survey

Penn State and UC Cooperative Extension is conducting a survey on fuel management activities by private landowners, including prescribed burning. Participating in this survey will help support more Rx fire grant opportunities and cultivate a culture of Good Fire in California.

You can learn more about their project here: https://sites.psu.edu/firesurvey/about/

Jeff Odefey and Vance Russell from the Forest Business Alliance published this book on Conservation Finance that highlights some of the work being done in the region.

Recurring Meetings and Events

Nevada County OES: The next Quarterly Wildfire Stakeholder Meeting will be on March 7 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The meeting will be at the Eric Rood Center BOS Chambers 950 Maidu Ave, Nevada City.

Sierra Nevada 30×30 Meeting: Contact Lis Olearts at liesbet@sierranevadaalliance.org for more information. Meetings occur monthly on the second Wednesday from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, with the next meeting on January 8 on Zoom.

Sierra County Fire Safe Council: The Fire Safe Sierra County Board of Directors meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 10:00 am at either the Sierraville Ranger Station, Sierraville School, or the Sierra City Community Hall. Meetings are open to the public.

Forest Business Alliance: The FBA provides technical assistance, workshops, and a peer-learning network to increase local and regional capacity for applicants to CAL FIRE’s Business and Workforce Development Program.

CA Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force: Marin County March 27-28, Sacramento June 6, Regional Meeting: location TBD September 4-5, Sacramento December 12.

Yuba Forest Network Quarterly Meeting: Email Anne Marie Holt at annemarie@yubariver.org for more details. The next Quarterly Meeting will be February 7 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm hybrid.

Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities Meeting: Contact Jeff Peach at jeff@nccoalitionfwc.com for more information. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday in February, May, August, and November at at 5:30 pm.

Yuba Watershed Protection and Fire Safe Council Meeting: The next council meeting will be held on January 8 from 9:30 am – 11:30 am. Meetings are held via Zoom and In-Person at the Alcouffe Center. Contact Sandie Huckins for more information at programs@yubafiresafe.org.

California Biodiversity Network Roundtable Discussions: Stewardship: January 15, 10:00 – 11:30 am. Sentinel Site Network: February 6, 2:00 – 3:30 pm. Virtual Town Hall: January 22 1:00 – 2:00 pm.

Webinars

The watershed Research and Training Center

The Watershed Research and Training Center and Kelley Nonprofit Consulting are hosting a four-part series to help communities better understand key requirements for successfully managing federal funding. Register here!

January 9: Introduction to Managing Federal Funding Awards
January 23: Financial Management & Compliance
February 6: Subgranting & Procurement
February 20: Risk Mitigation & Continuous Improvement

Missoula Fire Lab Seminar Series

Missoula Fire Lab Seminar Series: Their series of manager focused seminars begins in January, 2025:

California Fire Science Consortium

Society of Ecological Restoration

Restoration can further equality: integrating environmental justice, the human hierarchy of needs, and the breath of life into restoration 15 January 2025 8:00 am

SCIENCEx Fire: Fuels, Smoke and Post-Fire in the West – 2025 Panel Discussion Series:

January 16: SCIENCEx Fire: Fuels Management in Dry, Frequent Fire Conifer Forests
January 23: SCIENCEx Fire: Smoke, Smoke and More Smoke
January 20: SCIENCEx Fire: Maintenance of Fuels Treatments – Planning for the Long Term
February 6: SCIENCEx Fire: Prescribed Fire – New Science and Tools
February 13: SCIENCEx Fire: Treating Fuels in Riparian Areas
February 20: SCIENCEx Fire: Fuel Break Effectiveness – What have we learned so far?
February 27: SCIENCEx Fire: Fuels Management in Mature and Old Growth Forests
April 3: SCIENCEx Fire: Fuels Treatments in Non-Forested Systems – Rangelands, Grasslands, Shrublands and More
April 10: SCIENCEx Fire: Science to Support Post-Fire Restoration
April 24: SCIENCEx Fire: Chaparal Fuels Treatments – Including California and Southwest Ecosystems

National Forest Foundation 2025 Conservation Connect Fellowships

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) invites graduate students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree to apply to the 2025 Conservation Connect Fellowship Program. They are striving to build a cohort of emerging leaders, connecting graduate students who will go on to do important work with communities and public lands in the future! Learn more and apply.

Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices Training

The Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices training is designed to increase the skills of the professional mitigation practitioner and individuals who run mitigation programs. Applications are considered on a rolling basis! Learn more and apply.

UCANR Forest Stewardship Workshop

During weekly online sessions, participants will learn how to protect their forests by developing a Forest Management Plan. Topics include forest management objectives and planning, basic silviculture, forest and fire ecology, fuels reduction and more. There is also an optional in-person field day in Sonoma on Feb. 22. Participants who complete the workshop will be eligible for a free site visit with a California Registered Professional Forester. Registration information. Begins January 21.

Please join the 30×30 Partnership on January 14 from 10:00 – 11:30 am for their first 30×30 Partnership webinar of the new year, Reflecting Back and Focusing Forward: Advancing 30×30 in 2025 and Beyond. This coming year they will reach the halfway mark to achieving 30×30 since the Executive Order was signed in 2020. The January webinar will be an opportunity to learn about what is to come in 2025, as well as a platform to provide feedback on opportunities to focus our shared efforts towards achieving the 30×30 goal in the coming years.

30×30 be continuing their Cutting Green Tape Webinar Series on January 22 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. This webinar will highlight key California Environmental Quality Act regulatory efficiencies for environmental restoration projects, including the Statutory Exemption for Restoration Projects and the Statewide Restoration General Order and accompanying Program Environmental Impact Report.

Integrating climate change into invasive plant policy and management: February 11, 9:00 am. Invasive species and climate change are two of the most prominent drivers of ecological impacts on natural areas. Ongoing invasive species threats are likely to interact with climate change to the further detriment of ecosystems. However, ‘climate-smart’ invasive species policy and management that anticipates a changing invasion landscape could ameliorate future ecological impacts. This presentation will discuss recommendations based on what works and doesn’t work in the US. Key changes to adapt invasive species management to climate change include increasing information sharing across borders, supporting horizon scanning and proactive regulation of high-risk species, and incentivizing individual actions that reduce ecological harm.

Research – Best Practices – Methodology: Nature benefits when practitioners have access to science and experience-based information that supports land stewardship. New Content to be publicly available every Friday at 11 am ET. Visit the NAA Programs & Events Calendar to learn more.

Grants

The WCB application portal is now open!

The Council of Western State Foresters Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Grant Program: funds fuel reduction, education, and planning projects that mitigate risk from wildland fire within the WUI.

Rolling applications

Indian Land Tenure Foundation Cultural Awareness Grants: fund projects that maintain strong cultural and spiritual ties to the land in order to preserve traditional practices and Native American religious beliefs for future generations.

Rolling applications

Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP): established by Water Code section 7048 which declared that urban creek protection, restoration, and enhancement are best undertaken by local agencies and organizations with assistance from the State. The USRP funds projects and provides technical assistance to restore streams impacted by urban development to a more natural state.

Rolling applications

The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous People: Land, Water, and Climate Grant Program: supports the traditional land and water stewardship and life systems practices of federally recognized tribal nations and Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations.

Rolling applications

Vadon Foundation Grants support innovative community-based initiatives that sustain healthy, thriving, Indigenous nations in perpetuity, including language revitalization, food insecurity, community leadership, etc.

Rolling applications

Trek Bicycle Corporation: The Trek Foundation Public Trail Development and Land Protection Initiative protects land, develops trail systems for public use, and provides more riders access to great places to ride.

Rolling applications

US FWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program: provides free technical and financial assistance to plan, design, supervise, and monitor customized habitat-restoration projects

Rolling applications

The Headwaters Economics Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) Program is a technical-assistance program that provides support for communities to reduce wildfire risks through improved land-use planning, compelling communication, and applied research.

Rolling applications

The William G. Pomeroy Foundation: National Register Signage Grant Program: provides funds to government entities and nonprofit organizations to defray the costs of plaques or signs for public properties and historic districts that are placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Rolling applications

The CA WCB 30×30 Grant Program: Land Acquisition supports high-priority land acquisition projects associated with the implementation of a natural community conservation plan (NCCP) and/or habitat conservation plan (HCP).

Rolling applications

The CA Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program funds projects that provide climate adaptation and resilience on California’s natural and working lands.

Rolling applications

The CDFW Beaver Conflict Resolution Grant Opportunities: Nature Based Solutions: Beaver Restoration Program: supports the implementation and promotion of human-beaver coexistence strategies through funding for technical assistance and implementation of non-lethal beaver damage deterrence.

Rolling applications

The CDFW Restoration Grant Opportunities: Nature-Based Solutions (Part A): Wetlands and Mountain Meadows Restoration: expands nature-based solutions across California that will advance an approach to restoration that works with and enhances nature to help address societal challenges. Up to $2 million of this will be available for non-lethal beaver damage management. More information can be found in the Beaver Conflict Resolution Grant Opportunities Call for Projects.

Rolling applications

The Headwater Economics Community Planning and Assistance for Wildfires (CPAW) Program provides interdisciplinary teams that collaborate with communities to develop site-specific planning recommendations regarding wildfire risks.

Rolling applications

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Sacramento District California In-Lieu Fee Program provides funding for on-the-ground implementation of aquatic-resource restoration, establishment, enhancement, and/or preservation projects in specific Sierra Nevada watersheds. Contact Chris Gurney for the most recent Notice of Funding Availability.

Rolling applications

The USDA Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program provides technical and financial assistance to plan and implement authorized watershed project plans for the purposes of flood prevention, watershed protection, public recreation, etc.

Rolling applications

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Landowner Support: Supporting Underserved and Small-Acreage Forest Landowner Participation in Emerging Private Markets Grant Program – Track B: supports the participation of underserved and/or small-acreage landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience. Track B is for projects with budgets up to $2 million.

Rolling applications

The Hind Foundation Standard Grants Program: supports community-based projects proposed by nonprofit organizations in several areas, including plant and wildlife protection, historic landmark restoration, and ecosystem conservation.

Rolling applications

The US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Conservation Grant: Grants for states and territories, offered through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, fund participation in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, as well as candidate species and at-risk species.

Due January 8

The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (Community Forest Program): The Forest Service releases an annual request for applications for the Community Forest Program (CFP). The Request for Applications for Fiscal Year 2025 is now available on Grants.gov (Opportunity Number: USDA-FS-2025-CFP). Applications are encouraged from across the country. If you are interested in applying, contact your CFP Regional Contact. For complete information on the program and application process, see the Final Rule.

Due January 13

CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program: facilitates applications to the United States Forest Service (USFS) for the Community Forest Program on an annual basis. The full request for applications along with resources such as application guidance and scoring guidance are available on Grants.gov (Opportunity Number: USDA-FS-2025-CFP). Additional resources and information about the program are available on the USFS Community Forest Program website and the CAL FIRE Forest Legacy website.

Due January 13

CAL FIRE Forest Health Grants – CAL FIRE provides funding for active restoration and reforestation activities to promote resilient forests. These grant funds help ensure the future of California’s forests while also mitigating climate change, protecting communities from fire risk, strengthening rural economies, and improving California’s water and air.

Due January 15

The Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation Sustainable Forests and Community Initiative: supports the development of environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable communities in forested regions of the United States.

Due January 15

NFWF Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program 2025: his program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support. Approximately $2.5 million in grant funding is available. Learn more

Due January 30

SALC Agricultural Conservation Acquisition Grants: The Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) provides funding to leverage the protection of strategically located, highly productive, and critically threatened agricultural land via the purchase of permanent agricultural conservation easements and fee title purchases. Pre-proposals are required.

Due January 31

USFWS: 2025 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance (Nontraditional Section 6): Support the development of new, or the renewal or amendment of existing, Habitat Conservation Plans and Conservation Benefit Agreements (formerly referred to as Safe Harbor Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances).

Due January 31

Trails Capacity Grant Program: This program is targeted for projects on all federal public lands, as well as state, local, and private lands accessible to the public. Project applicants may include nonprofit organizations, businesses, or agencies at the state or local level. American Trails is administering this grant program, and is soliciting proposals for funding, with awards between $2K and $10K per project.

Due January 31

The Water for Wildlife Foundation: WFWF helps bridge the gaps between agencies and other partners to implement projects. They provide grants each year for the construction of water/habitat developments for wildlife. Water projects are ranked and prioritized for funding based on benefits to area wildlife, distances to perennial water sources, cost share funding and partners identified, cost effectiveness, public benefit, and completeness of application submitted. Funding levels vary from project to project, but typically range from $1,000 – $10,000. The Foundation is encouraging your agency or conservation organization to partner with us to support our efforts of making water/habitat as accessible to wildlife as possible.

Due January 31

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company Resilience Hub Grant Program: funds feasibility studies and design/build projects for Resilience Hubs that further community resilience to climate-driven extreme weather events, as well as wildfires and public safety power shutoffs.

Due January 31

The Sierra Meadows Partnership Grant Program: restores mountain meadows within the Sierra Meadows strategy area by restoring meadow habitat or advancing the practice of meadow restoration and management through strategic monitoring, research, coordination, and/or communications.

Due February 5

The Sierra Meadows Partnership Grant Program: Indigenous-Led Projects: supports Indigenous-led projects that have a nexus with meadows and address the priorities and goals of Indigenous groups as they relate to meadow restoration, meadow restoration training, cultural practices, and outreach and education.

Due February 5

National Forest Foundation 2025 Matching Awards Program: NFF is soliciting proposals to provide funds for projects that directly benefit America’s National Forests and Grasslands. MAP pairs federal funds provided through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Forest Service with non-federal dollars raised by award recipients, multiplying the resources available to benefit the National Forest System. The program  focuses primarily on in-person community engagement, and completion of appropriate stewardship activities. Program goals are to create lasting change that will allow all communities, especially underserved communities, opportunities to benefit from activities on National Forest System lands or adjacent public lands.  

Due February 7

The NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage Through Barrier Removal Grants: Up to $75 million in funding is available for fish passage projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will support projects that reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish around the country.

Due February 10

The NFWF Western Big Game Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund Grants: The Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund aims to conserve critical winter range and migration corridors to maintain healthy populations of pronghorn, elk and mule deer, and the phenomenon of big game migration.

Due February 13

The BLM California Wildlife Program: helps maintain or restore habitats for upland game, waterfowl, big game, pollinators, sensitive species, and watchable wildlife species; conserve priority wildlife habitat or reduce threats to habitat or species; and monitor or inventory wildlife populations and habitats that depend on BLM-managed public lands.

Due February 14

Funding to Accelerate Biodiversity Conservation : NASA Earth Science Division seeks proposals for projects that apply Earth observations to improve or develop decision-making activities in ecological conservation and management. Any area of ecological conservation is welcome. NASA is hosting an informational webinar on Monday, January 13 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. If you are unable to attend the webinar, the recording will be posted to catalyst4conservation.org.

Due February 14

NASA Catalyzing Biodiversity Conservation: NASA has a New Solicitation: “A.60 Earth Action: Ecological Conservation” to help accelerate biodiversity conservation, fueled with NASA information about the Earth as a system. Many types of organizations are eligible to apply — for example, Tribal governments, State and local governments, the private sector, nonprofits, foundations, federal agencies, academia, and more.

Due February 14

The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment: California Wildlands Grassroots Fund: supports conservationists advocating for the protection, restoration, and stewardship of intact wildlands on both public and private lands to help preserve California’s wilderness and native biological diversity.

Due February 17

CDFA 2025 WMA Grant Program (WMAGP): The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) 2025 Weed Management Area Grant Program (WMAGP) will award grants to eligible applicants within the State of California to establish, develop and maintain Weed Management Areas (WMAs) and implement the WMAs integrated weed management plan. This award is noncompetitive and available to all WMAs who submit a completed application.

Due February 28

The USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant for Indian Tribes : helps tribes plan for and reduce wildfire risks through development and revising of community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) and the implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than 10 years old. This program provides large funding amounts, though some match is required.

Due February 28

The BLM California Threatened and Endangered Species Program supports projects that are statewide or regional in scope and facilitate implementation of tangible, on-the-ground actions that will improve species populations or reduce population-level threats.

Due February 28

The NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects through the assistance of recreation planning professionals who have a broad range of services and skills.

Due March 1

The Access Fund Climbing Conservation Grant Program: supports projects that preserve or enhance climbing access and opportunities and conserve the climbing environment.

Due March 1

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance Grants: support the development of new, or the renewal or amendment of existing, habitat conservation plans (HCPs) and conservation benefit agreements (CBAs).

Due March 14

The USDA Inflation Reduction Act Forest Legacy Program: protects environmentally important forest areas that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses, with a focus on large landscape projects, state-tribal partnership projects, and strategic small-tract projects.

Due March 14

The US BOR Water SMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program: supports the study, design, and construction of aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that are collaboratively developed; have widespread regional benefits; and are for the purpose of improving the health of fisheries, wildlife, and aquatic habitat through restoration and improved fish passage.

Due April 15

Creating Opportunities for Relevant Experience (CORE) Wildland Fire Training Crews: To engage with women, veterans, and youth to begin development of the next generation of the wildland firefighters, managers and scientists contributing to the mission of the National Park Service wildland fire program by offering relevant work experience. Learn more

Due May 24

30×30 Funding Resources: link to an excel Google Document for 30×30 related funding opportunities.

Literature and Resources

UC ANR: Forest Stewardship Mapping Forest Features

Sierra Nevada Regional Group: Sierra Nevada Alliance (SNA) and Pacific Crest Trail hiker/filmmaker Riordan Cicciu are proud to announce the completion of a 30-minute short film about Cicciu’s “Project PCT”. This project was created to share information about the importance of preserving the Sierra Nevada and help raise funding for the Alliance’s conservation programs.

The Race to Restore Nature: Cutting the Green Tape for California’s Environment – In the past, environmental restoration projects have been slowed by permitting requirements designed for very different kinds of development. However, in recent years, state leaders have championed improvements to reduce bureaucracy and delays to complete restoration under the banner of “Cutting Green Tape.” Listen in on the conversation from December 4, 2024, about where we stand in this ambitious effort.

New Global Biodiversity Standard raises bar for biodiversity-positive restoration

Voces del Fuego (Voices of Fire)

The Importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Climate-Smart Solutions

Collaborative Conservation Tools & Resources

Western Collaborative Conservation Network (WCCN) and the Center for Collaborative Conservation (CCC) have put together a collaborative, live document: “Collaborative Conservation Tools and Resources”.

Free and Open-Source Geospatial Tools

A self-published book by Vance Russell (owner of VR Conservation Collective) provides resources and examples of open-source geospatial software and solutions. The book is intended for beginners with some knowledge of desktop tools such as ArcGIS Pro or QGIS and a limited understanding of coding using Javascript or Python.

Stewardship Workforce Training Database

There is now an online database of stewardship workforce development programs across California, designed to support individuals and organizations interested in obtaining training, hiring stewards, and funding environmental workforce education. Share and explore opportunities to take stewardship action!