We are thrilled to be partnering with the California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to design and implement habitat restoration strategies across the state. Through two grants representing $50 million in funding over four years (starting in March 2023), Point Blue will support critical headwaters Sierra Meadow restoration projects and community-based restoration on working landscapes across California. Point Blue is administering these funds with significant amounts redirected to partner organizations in addition to direct implementation by our own teams. WCB is a primary implementing agency for Governor Newsom’s bold goal of conserving and restoring 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, an initiative known as 30×30. We are deeply grateful to WCB for their trust in us, as well as the many partners and supporters who will be instrumental in achieving the grants’ outcomes.
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Emily Mecke

Roots Program Coordinator

Email: rootsprogram@pointblue.org

 

Roots Program

The Roots Program delivers wildlife-friendly community-based and community-centered restoration projects on farms, ranches, and other working landscapes across California. Supported through a $26 million block grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Roots Program leverages the experience of our STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) and Working Lands Partner Biologists to support applicants to develop restoration projects that support wildlife and climate resilience. Over the grant period, the Roots Program will prioritize outreach and support for projects that are otherwise hard to reach through existing conservation funding streams, with a focus on supporting underserved applicants, beginning farmers and ranchers, and tribal partners. 

Current Projects

Our current projects include: riparian restoration, hedgerow plantings, beaver dam analogs, removing hazardous fencing and replacing it with wildlife-friendly fencing, monarch & pollinator plantings, bird/bat boxes & raptor perches, cover crops, upland habitat restorations, oak plantings, invasive species removal and more.

Our current project locations include landscapes managed by indigenous communities, privately-held working farms and ranches, school and community gardens, and publicly managed parks and open spaces with agricultural operations on-site. Current projects are located in 28 counties from San Diego to Modoc.

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Learn more about funded practices

Funding Opportunities

The application period for the current Roots funding round (Round 2) is now closed. The Roots Program staff are in the process of reviewing all applications received. Applicants will be notified if the project has been approved for funding over the next few weeks. We currently are not accepting applications for the current funding round; however, if you are interested in applying for Roots funding in a future funding round, you can complete the Roots Program Project Request Form. Please note, we are unable to respond to all project request forms submitted; however, we will contact applicants as resources allow.

Roots Program Project Request Form

Partnerships and Community Engagement

Partnerships and community engagement are core to Point Blue and the Roots Program. Many projects funded by the Roots Program involve volunteer engagement, community outreach, and education. We have a goal of engaging with 8,000 volunteers through the life of the grant; however, we are already anticipating that we will exceed this goal.

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Ryan Burnett

Email: rburnett@pointblue.org

Sierra Nevada Group Director

Sierra Meadows Partnership Block Grant

Point Blue is leading the Sierra Meadows Partnership (SMP) to leverage an existing foundation of collaboration as well as our extensive expertise in restoration, science, implementation and management, to restore 6,000 acres of meadow habitat, complete planning for an additional 4,000 acres, and identify the next 2,500 acres of priorities to begin planning. We will advance the practice of meadow restoration and management through strategic monitoring, research, coordination, and communications.

Why meadows? Current estimates indicate that there are at least 280,000 acres of meadow within the greater Sierra Nevada ecosystem. Although this area makes up a relatively small fraction of the region, meadows’ unique hydrologic and ecological functions are recognized as being vital to watershed health and are valued for the ecosystem goods and services they provide.

Project Funding

To date the SMP block grant has awarded over $10.5 million dollars to 21 restoration, planning, and research projects throughout the Sierra Nevada. These projects will ensure that over 3,500 acres of critical Sierra meadow habitat will be restored and that an additional 1,800 acres will be ready for restoration in the near future. Please see the proposal solicitation notice and grant guidelines to learn more about the SMP grant program and how to apply for funding.

Proposal Solicitation Notice and Grant Guidelines

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Climate-Smart Meadows

Point Blue is at the forefront of the movement for innovative, climate-smart meadow restoration projects in the Sierra Nevada region. By planning and implementing projects using data-driven strategies, Point Blue is enhancing the ecological health and biodiversity of the Sierra Nevada meadows and increasing the overall resilience of the region's ecosystems in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

Restoring Sierra Meadows

Childs Meadow: A Climate-Smart Case Study

Educational Poster

Building Partnerships

Since 2016, the Sierra Meadows Partnership has fostered collaboration among partners engaged in meadow conservation to increase the pace, scale, and efficacy of meadow restoration and protection. The SMP block grant will strengthen the existing SMP network and support new partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including indigenous groups and disadvantaged communities, to increase capacity for meadow restoration across the Sierra Nevada region.

Sierra Meadows Partnership

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