The money will fund wildfire recovery and forest health through the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state-run agency that focuses on forest and watershed conservation. It鈥檚 adding nearly 2 million acres of land to its service area including important watersheds, like Shasta and Trinity Lakes.
鈥淭he reason this expansion happened, where the boundary was drawn, is because it is the source water for the state water project and the Central Valley Project,鈥� says Andy Fristensky with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, referring to the lakes. 鈥淪o the two major water delivery systems for the state of California.鈥�
Grants will be available to improve watershed health, forest resilience and promote tourism. Nonprofit organizations, local governments, tribes and conservation districts will all be eligible for grant money.
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy's service area currently covers 25 million acres of land in eastern California, between Bakersfield and Redding, east to the Nevada border.
Correction: a previous version of this story described the Sierra Nevada Conservancy managing 25 million acres. It is their service area.
