Natural Community Conservation Planning Local Assistance Grant (NCCP LAG) Program

Grants to California nonprofit organizations, local jurisdictions, public agencies, and tribes to implement conservation plans. Funding is intended to support projects that include, but are not limited to, restoration and enhancement, monitoring, management activities, acquisition, reserve management plans, mapping, and targeted studies for adaptive management.

The Natural Community Conservation Planning Local Assistance Grant (NCCP LAG) Program was created to assist local public and non-profit entities in the implementation of Natural Community Conservation Plans (NCCPs) throughout California, as authorized under Fish and Game Code (FGC) Section 2800 et seq. Additional legal authority for the NCCP LAG Program is provided by FGC Section 1501.5, which allows the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to grant funds for fish and wildlife habitat preservation, restoration, and enhancement. Proposals must address the highest priority tasks associated with the implementation of approved NCCPs s or NCCPs that are likely to be approved by June 2022. 

Examples of Eligible Project Types: 

• Management Activities: Immediate management actions on newly acquired NCCP reserve lands
  
• Restoration/Enhancement: Restoration or enhancement of habitats or species populations on NCCP reserve lands
• Monitoring: Design and implementation of biological monitoring programs identified in an NCCP, including the establishment of sampling methods, monitoring plots, data collection, management, and analysis
• Acquisition: Acquisition of land by fee title or conservation easement that is an essential part of an NCCP reserve system and acceptable to CDFW
• Reserve Management Plans: Development and implementation of individual reserve management plans
• Mapping: New or updated mapping in support of NCCP management or monitoring activities, such as vegetation community mapping
• Targeted Studies for Adaptive Management: Studies to evaluate management actions for covered habitats or species, and whether such actions are meeting stated goals or require adjustments through adaptive management
• Other: Other priority tasks, identified by the NCCP LAG Applicant and NCCP implementation partners, that are needed to ensure effective implementation of the NCCP

Additional funding is available this year through the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) from Proposition 68 funds for restoration projects. Restoration project applications can only be funded through WCB’s Proposition 68 program and not through NCCP LAG grant funds. Public Resources Code § 80111 authorized Proposition 68 funds for restoration of habitat that furthers the implementation of NCCPs. Funds available pursuant to WCB’s Proposition 68 program will be prioritized for restoration and will not be used to pay for costs related to management, monitoring, acquisition, management plans, mapping, management studies, or other priority tasks not related to restoration.

For Eligible Costs, see https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=6367&inline#page=27