(a) Of the amount made available pursuant to Section 80130, eighteen million dollars ($18,000,000) shall be available to the Wildlife Conservation Board for direct expenditures pursuant to the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947 (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1300) of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code) and for grants for any of the following:

(1) Projects for the acquisition, development, rehabilitation, restoration, protection, and expansion of wildlife corridors and open space, including projects to improve connectivity and reduce barriers between habitat areas. In awarding grants pursuant to this paragraph, the Wildlife Conservation Board shall give priority to projects that protect wildlife corridors, including wildlife corridors threatened by urban development.

(2) Projects for the acquisition, development, rehabilitation, restoration, protection, and expansion of habitat that promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species.

(3) Projects to improve climate adaptation and resilience of natural systems.

(4) Projects to protect and improve existing open-space corridors and trail linkages related to utility, transportation, or water infrastructure that provide habitat connectivity and public access or trails.

(5) Projects for wildlife rehabilitation facilities after consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

(6) Projects to control invasive plants or insects that degrade wildlife corridors or habitat linkages, inhibit the recovery of threatened or endangered species, or reduce the climate resilience of a natural system.

(7) Projects to enhance wildlife habitat, recognizing the highly variable habitat needs required by fish and wildlife. Eligible projects include acquisition of water or water rights from willing sellers, acquisition of land that includes water rights or contractual rights to water, short- or long-term water transfers and leases, projects that provide water for fish and wildlife, projects that improve aquatic or riparian habitat conditions, or projects to benefit salmon and steelhead.

(8) Implementation of conservation actions and habitat enhancement actions that measurably advance the conservation objectives of regional conservation investment strategies approved pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 1850) of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code.

(9) Provision of hunting and other wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities to the public through voluntary agreement with private landowners, including opportunities pursuant to Section 1572 of the Fish and Game Code.

(b) In implementing this section, the Wildlife Conservation Board may provide matching grants for incentives to landowners for conservation actions on private lands or use of voluntary habitat credit exchange mechanisms. A matching grant shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the incentive program.

(c) Of the amount made available pursuant to Section 80130, thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) shall be available for the acquisition, development, rehabilitation, restoration, protection, and expansion of wildlife corridors and open space to improve connectivity and reduce barriers between habitat areas and to protect and restore habitat associated with the Pacific Flyway. In awarding grants pursuant to this subdivision, priority may be given to projects that protect wildlife corridors. Of the amount described in this subdivision, ten million dollars ($10,000,000) shall be available for the California Waterfowl Habitat Program.

(d) Of the amount made available pursuant to Section 80130, not less than twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for projects to restore rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including, but not limited to, reconnection of rivers with their flood plains, riparian and side-channel habitat restoration activities described in subdivision (b) of Section 79737 of the Water Code, and restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems that are important for fish and wildlife resources. Subdivision (f) of Section 79738 of the Water Code applies to this subdivision. Of the amount available pursuant to this subdivision, at least five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be available for restoration projects in the Klamath-Trinity watershed for the benefit of salmon and steelhead. Priority shall be given to projects supported by multistakeholder public or private partnerships, or both, using a science-based approach and measurable objectives to guide identification, design, and implementation of regional actions to benefit salmon and steelhead.

(e) (1) Of the amount made available pursuant to Section 80130, not less than sixty million dollars ($60,000,000) shall be available to the Wildlife Conservation Board for construction, repair, modification, or removal of transportation or water resources infrastructure to improve wildlife or fish passage.

(2) Of the amount subject to paragraph (1), at least thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for restoration of Southern California Steelhead habitat consistent with the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan and the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan. Projects that remove significant barriers to steelhead migration and include other habitat restoration and associated infrastructure improvements shall be the highest priority.

(f) Of the amount made available pursuant to Section 80130, not less than sixty million dollars ($60,000,000) shall be available to the Wildlife Conservation Board for the protection, restoration, and improvement of upper watershed lands in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, including forest lands, meadows, wetlands, chaparral, and riparian habitat, in order to protect and improve water supply and water quality, improve forest health, reduce wildfire danger, mitigate the effects of wildfires on water quality and supply, increase flood protection, or to protect or restore riparian or aquatic resources.

(g) Of the amount made available pursuant to Section 80130, at least thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Fish and Wildlife to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries. Eligible projects include acquisition of water from willing sellers, acquisition of land that includes water rights or contractual rights to water, short- or long-term water transfers or leases, provision of water for fish and wildlife, or improvement of aquatic or riparian habitat conditions. In implementing this section, the Department of Fish and Wildlife may provide grants under the Fisheries Restoration Grant Program with priority given to coastal waters.

(h) The Wildlife Conservation Board shall update its strategic master plan that identifies priorities and specific criteria for selecting projects pursuant to subdivision (a).

(i) Activities funded pursuant to this section shall be consistent with the state’s climate adaptation strategy, as provided in Section 71153, and the statewide objectives provided in Section 71154.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 852, Sec. 3. Approved in Proposition 68 at the June 5, 2018, election.)