REDDING, Calif.— Volunteers are welcome to help the Bureau of Land Management and River Partners plant more than 30,000 trees along Battle Creek south of Anderson, kicking off a project to restore 150 acres of habitat critical for fish and other wildlife. The project is set for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, at 3770 Gover Road, Anderson.

Anyone interested in helping should meet at the Gover Road site.  They should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, bring lunches and water, and bring hand trowels, if possible.

Work will take place in an area known as Rancho Breisgau, where a walnut orchard has been removed, setting the stage for restoration of streamside habitat that will benefit four runs of Chinook salmon and steelhead, reduce habitat fragmentation, and support the recovery of critically endangered wildlife species.

“We only have around five percent of riparian habitat left in the Sacramento Valley. Many species of plants and animals rely on this habitat to survive,” said Brooke Thompson, an ecologist with the Bureau of Land Management Redding Field Office. “In a time when the climate is becoming hotter and drier, it’s important to have connectivity corridors where wildlife can move through the valley and have refugia, places where they can survive during unfavorable conditions.”

The 306-acre Rancho Breisgau Unit is part of the BLM’s Sacramento River Bend Area of Critical Environmental Concern, managed by the Redding Field Office.  It is one of the last remaining parcels where restoration is needed to connect a major wildlife corridor of continuous riparian habitat stretching from the Sacramento River up to the headwaters of Battle Creek in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Details on the project and its importance are available from River Partners.  The organization website also has a directional map to the project site.

Participants should complete a liability waiver form and bring it with them to the project site. Forms will also be available onsite.

The Rancho Breisgau project is supported and funded by the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Western Shasta Resource Conservation District, Tehama County, and California State University, Chico.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Bureau of Land Management announced a $41 million investment through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for ecosystem restoration. This funding will support 74 projects in 16 states, building on proven programs and partnerships to protect cherished wildlife and natural resources while creating good-paying jobs to strengthen communities.  

This is the third investment of ecosystem restoration funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was passed by Congress in November 2021. The first two BLM investments from this program totaled about $61.5 million and were announced in 2022 and 2023.   

The funding announcement also bolsters the Department of the Interior’s announcement today of the Sagebrush Keystone Initiative that directs restoration funding to defend and grow core landscapes in sagebrush ecosystems. Nearly $6 million of today’s announced funding will be directed by BLM to prioritized sagebrush landscapes across four states.   

“Resilient landscapes are our best natural defenses against climate change,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “As we continue to see unprecedented wildfire, plants blooming uncharacteristically at different times of the year, warmer waters in our streams, and more, these investments are critical to providing clean water, reliable habitat, and resilience to wildfire for future generations.” 

About half of the funds ($20.5 million) are slated for 26 projects in eight states under Good Neighbor Authority, which allows the BLM to collaborate with Tribal Nations and State governments to do restoration work on lands across multiple jurisdictions.  

Other funded initiatives include:  

• About $9.4 million for 15 projects in seven states that will restore abandoned mine lands. This funding is aimed at restoring wildlife habitat, removing abandoned equipment, and improving water quality.    

• About $6.3 million for 15 projects in eight states and BLM’s Headquarters office to continue to implement the BLM’s National Seed Strategy, especially important for restoring lands damaged by rangeland fires, invasive species, severe storms, and drought.   

• About $1.8 million will be distributed to eight projects in six states that will improve recreation sites or public access. Some of these projects will expand campsites and day-use sites, construct trails, and improve accessibility for visitors.  

• About $862,000 will be sent to three projects in three states for eradicating and controlling invasive weeds. Invasive weeds crowd out native plants, often creating conditions that favor catastrophic wildfires or that take water away from native plants.  

• Half of all funding ($22 million) will be spent in BLM’s Restoration Landscapes, continuing the Bureau’s efforts to invest in these places and address threats to wildlife, recreation visitors, and communities.   

State Funding Distribution (estimates):  

Alabama	$60,000	1 project (BLM Eastern States Office)
Alaska	$10.65 million	10 projects
Arizona	$2.95 million	5 projects
California	$3.76 million	7 projects
Colorado	$2.89 million	6 projects
Florida	$300,000	1 project (BLM Eastern States Office)
Idaho	$2.74 million	7 projects
Maryland	$795,000	1 project (BLM Eastern States Office)
Montana	$4.35 million	6 projects
Nevada	$350,000	1 project
New Mexico	$2.36 million	8 projects
Oregon	$5.0 million	9 projects
South Dakota	$500,000	1 project (BLM Montana/Dakotas State Office)
Utah	$300,000	1 project
Washington	$220,000	1 project (BLM Oregon/Washington State Office)
Wyoming	$1.35 million	2 projects
Multi-Unit Projects	$395,000	4 Projects
Headquarters	$2.10 Million	4 Projects
TOTAL	$40.57 Million	74 Projects