A new cannabis industry-led program has launched to control sediment and restore watersheds across Northern California, according to a nonprofit.
The Arcata-based Cannabis for Conservation organization is dedicated to conserving wildlife and restoring habitats in cannabis-impacted areas. The nonprofit released a statement announcing that it received a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement the Sediment Reduction on Cannabis Farms in Priority Northern Watersheds program starting this month.
According to CFC, over the next three years, the program will support 557 projects across 41 priority watersheds that feed into the Eel, Mad, Trinity and Mattole rivers.
The goal of the program is to reduce harmful sediment production and restore degraded watersheds, CFC said. All the areas to be served through the project have been impacted by cannabis cultivation and rural development.
“Contrary to popular belief, sedimentation from rural roads, eroding slopes, and bare unvegetated soils is one of the leading causes of aquatic habitat degradation and water quality in the state,” said Jackee Riccio, executive director and co-founder of CFC. “By stabilizing roads, restoring streambanks, and replanting native vegetation, we are helping rivers run cleaner and colder, which is critical for salmonids and amphibians already on the brink.”
Paid for by cannabis taxes
The CFC grant was awarded through the CDFW’s Cannabis Restoration Grant Program, which is funded through cannabis tax revenue. The grant program funds projects across the state that promote ecosystem restoration.
Cannabis cultivators and environmental groups, contractors and regulators work collaboratively across 105 cannabis sites in 41 watersheds, including in Mendocino County.
Projects include upgrading stream culverts to allow for improved streambed functions and species migration; fish-bearing stream bed and bank restorations; decommissioning onstream ponds that impede flow and contribute to sediment; and revegetating soils with native plants.
The land that will be impacted by the project is privately owned, said Vanessa Salamon, project manager for Cannabis for Conservation. “Restoration on private lands, including those historically used for cannabis, is one of the most cost-effective and impactful strategies for watershed health,” she said. “We’re working directly with landowners to turn past impacts into future solutions.”
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