Last week, the California Department of Conservation awarded over $40 million in grants through its new Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) to help rural communities reduce groundwater reliance and create conservation and economic benefits. In the face of increasing water scarcity and worsening droughts, communities across California are changing how they approach water and land management. With MLRP funding, regional organizations will be able to implement nature-based solutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change and shape a more resilient future.
We are excited to join our partners at EDF and Self-Help Enterprise as the Statewide Support Entity for the MLRP. In this role, our team will coordinate technical assistance, learning, and outreach among regional grantees and for the program. EI will draw from our decade of work on habitat, water, and agriculture issues in the Central Valley, as well as our experience leading collaboration, learning, and adaptive management processes with USAID, to increase the effectiveness of the MLRP.
We are also thrilled to see that several of our partners on the Kaweah Subbasin Regional Conservation Strategy (RCIS), including the East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency and Sequoia Riverlands Trust, were awarded one of the MLRP’s four regional block grants. This $10 million investment in the region will significantly advance the conservation goals in the Kaweah Subbasin RCIS.
Click here to learn more about the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program and all the funded grantees.
