Amended in Assembly April 22, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 875

Introduced by Assembly Member Chesbro

February 22, 2013

An act to amend begin delete Section end delete begin insert Sections end insert 4629.6 begin insert and 6217.1 end insert of, and to add Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 4564) to Chapter 8 of Part 2 of Division 4 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to resource protection and management.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 875, as amended, Chesbro. Forest management.

The Z’Berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations, as defined, unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to, and is approved by, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Existing law establishes the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund in the State Treasury, and requires that all revenues received from a specified assessment imposed on the retail sale of lumber products, as defined, and engineered wood products, as defined, less amounts deducted for refunds and reimbursements, be deposited into the fund. Existing law requires that moneys deposited into the fund be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes, including to fund existing restoration grant programs.

This bill would begin delete include the funding of projects end delete begin insert provide that priority be given to funding restoration grant programs end insert relating to salmon and anadromous trout species begin delete to this list of purposes end delete .

begin delete

This bill would require the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and the department, with the guidance of other entities, including harvest plan review agencies, to conduct pilot projects, to be completed by January 1, 2017, to determine and implement processes that would result in long-term efficiencies and cost savings while ensuring environmental performance that would protect and restore vital soil, water, wildlife, timber, and forest values and resources. The bill would require these pilot projects to focus on certain things, including reforming and standardizing requirements for vital information on a CalWater planning watershed basis. The bill would require funding and personnel for the development and implementation of the pilot projects to be from existing department and responsible agencies’ budgets and personnel. The bill would require all documents that form the basis for the pilot projects to be posted on the department’s Internet Web site and the findings and recommendations of the pilot projects to be presented at one or more public meetings.

end delete begin delete

The bill would require the board to develop recommendations and pass regulations for providing electronic public access to all relevant documents that assist the department in administering timber harvest regulations, in ensuring the protection and recovery of forest and watershed health and productivity, and in monitoring.

end delete begin insert

Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Game to grant funds from the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account in the Resources Trust Fund in a specified manner, including for projects implementing instream, riparian, water quality, water quantity, and watershed prescriptions that are designed to restore the structure and function of fish habitat.

end insert begin insert

This bill would require these projects to also protect the structure and function of fish habitat.

end insert begin insert

Existing law requires that not less than 65% of the moneys in the account be used for salmon habitat protection and restoration projects.

end insert begin insert

This bill would include training and education as uses for these moneys, as provided.

end insert begin insert

Existing law requires up to 35% of the moneys in the account to be used for specified purposes.

end insert begin insert

This bill would include county salmonid conservation programs as one of these purposes.

end insert begin insert

The bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and the Secretary for Environmental Protection, by July 1, 2014, in consultation with various entities, to select a pilot project assessment team, as specified, to undertake pilot projects with the primary goal being to improve the state’s collection, organization, management, use, and distribution of vital forestry-related information. The bill would require the pilot projects to accomplish certain things, including enabling restoration measures to be identified for listed anadromous salmonids, other wildlife, watersheds, and forest health issues. The bill would require the pilot projects to conclude on January 1, 2017. The bill would require the pilot project assessment team to create a report of its findings, conclusions, and recommendations and hold a public meeting to discuss the report.

end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

This act shall be known and may be cited as the
AB 1492 Implementation Act for Forest Restoration, Ecological
Performance, and Program Efficiencies.

SEC. 2.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) There are numerous water bodies in California that have
been declared by the State Water Resources Control Board to be
impaired due to excessive sedimentation, high water temperatures,
and pollutants.

(b) Sequestration of carbon in forest lands is a vital component
of California’s climate change strategy as articulated by the Climate
Action Team and the State Air Resources Board.

(c) The regions of California that have state or federally listed
anadromous salmonid species are often predominately forest lands
that are subject to the Z’berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973,
pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 4511) of Part 2
of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, for purposes of review
and approval of timber harvest plans. These plans include, but are
not limited to, timber harvest plans (THPs), nonindustrial timber
management plans (NTMPs), sustained yield plans (SYPs), and
program timberland environmental impact reports (PTEIRs).

(d) Important gains have been made in forest land resource
protection and conservation since the Z’berg-Nejedly Forest
Practice Act of 1973, including the application of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and various state and federal
water quality and fish and game statutes and regulations.

(e) There are still opportunities for improvement by the
development of a comprehensive cumulative effects review process
that is conducted in cooperation with landowners and other
stakeholders. An effective cumulative effects review process can
provide the information necessary to restore and recover fish and
wildlife populations, to improve the quality and quantity of timber,
to take actions to reduce fire hazards, to sequester carbon, to
produce energy, and to create jobs.

(f) In 2012 the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed,
Assembly Bill 1492 (Chapter 289 of the Statutes of 2012). This
law, among other things, provided for the financing of the review
and approval process for the plans described in subdivision (c).
Key intent language in that law called for reform of that process
to ensure that efficiencies for that process were determined and
implemented, and that environmental performance was ensured.

(g) In addition and related to the key role of an improved
cumulative effects evaluation and response, cited above, there is
a need to determine effective and useful information organization
and accessibility, to enable recovery of the referenced forest and
watershed resources and to provide sets of adequate monitoring
protocols that meet the dual need for efficiencies and environmental
performance.

(h) Given the complexities, the involvement of multiple
stakeholders, and the need to make positive progress in the needed
reforms, it is necessary to undertake pilot projects that will enable
formalization of measures that will accomplish the efficiencies
referred to in subdivisions (f) and (g) and ensure environmental
performance consistent with the responsibilities and needs of each
of the stakeholders. The pilot projects conducted for purposes of
this act will have the following attributes:

(1) A multidisciplinary approach.

(2) Qualified representatives of the range of stakeholders.

(3) Rigorous procedures.

(4) Transparency.

(5) Appropriate and varied locales.

(6) Well-documented and thought-out goals, processes, and
findings.

SEC. 3.  

Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 4564) is added
to Chapter 8 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code,
to read:

 

Article 5.5.  Watershed Pilot Projects

 

4564.  

(a) The board and the department, guided by the Natural
Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection
Agency, in partnership with harvest plan review agencies, the
range of public stakeholders, and the scientific community, shall
conduct pilot projects to determine and implement processes that
result in long-term efficiencies and cost savings while ensuring
environmental performance that will protect and restore vital soil,
water, wildlife, timber, and forest values and resources.

(b) The pilot projects shall initially focus on:

(1) Reforming and standardizing requirements for vital
information on a CalWater planning watershed basis by
establishing basic templates for mapping and other information.
The templates shall provide basic and electronically accessible
information deemed necessary by the agencies, plan submitters,
and the public to understand and fulfill their legal responsibilities.

(2) Making the evaluation of and response to cumulative impacts
credible and effective.

(3) Enabling restoration measures to be identified for listed
anadromous salmonids and other wildlife, watersheds, and the
forest itself.

(4) Determining appropriate and effective monitoring procedures
and standards.

(c) The industry, agencies, and the public shall have the
opportunity to participate in the development and implementation
of the pilot projects in a transparent process.

(d) Initial pilot project results shall include the development of
guidelines for conducting a cumulative effects evaluation on a
planning watershed scale, and shall address the potential
project-specific planning watershed cumulative effects of timber
harvesting activities.

(e) All pilot projects shall:

(1) Take place at the appropriate spatial scale.

(2) Use reproducible, preferably quantitative, methods of
evaluation as the primary means of determining baseline, or
existing physical, chemical, or biological parameters, or both.

(3) Document the findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

(4) Be conducted by persons and entities with relevant training
and experience.

(5) Have consultation with, and seek comment from, appropriate
scientific experts and the public, including, but not limited to,
qualified fisheries and wildlife biologists, in order to develop
evaluation and implementation guidelines that are feasible,
enforceable, and protective of the public trust.

(6) Use information from the State of Washington’s Watershed
Analysis Manual, the Methods Manual developed by the State of
California’s North Coast Watershed Assessment Program, the
Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries’ recovery plans
for California evolutionarily significant units, the State Wildlife
Action Plan, and from other pertinent reports, programs, and
guidance documents.

(7) Include significant primary goals such as to effectively
protect, maintain, and contribute to the restoration of properly
functioning habitats for recovery of listed species, restoration of
quality timberlands, or other goals deemed appropriate under
Section 4564. Some of these goals may include reducing the risk
of wildfire with special consideration for human communities,
reducing sedimentation and soil loss, achieving long-term carbon
sequestration in on-site tree growth and other on-site forest carbon
pools, and protecting and restoring unique attributes of a given
planning watershed.

(f) Pilot projects shall be consistent with state and federal
mandates governing coho salmon recovery and restoration of
impaired water bodies. Pilot projects shall also reflect the
established joint policies between the board, the department, the
Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Fish and Game
Commission.

(g) Funding and personnel for the development and
implementation of pilot projects shall be provided from the
department’s existing budget and personnel. Harvest plan review
agencies participating in the pilot project shall first utilize funds
from any appropriation made pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section
4629.6. Additional funding shall be sought from private and public
sources, statewide and nationally, with an emphasis on receiving
support from educational institutions.

(h) All documents that form the basis for the pilot projects that
are developed pursuant to this section shall be posted on the
department’s Internet Web site.

(i) Notwithstanding subdivision (h), findings, recommendations,
and actions resulting from pilot projects shall be publicly accessible
on the board’s Internet Web site, along with copies or links to
public documents that provide additional relevant information,
including the scientific basis for analytical tools, supporting
science, and data that is relied upon in the guidelines.

4565.  

The board, with the assistance of a multidisciplinary
technical advisory committee, and in consultation with the Natural
Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection
Agency, and other entities, as determined by the board, shall
develop recommendations and adopt regulations, if necessary, for
providing electronic public access to all relevant documents that
assist the department in administering timber harvest regulations,
in ensuring the protection and recovery of forest and watershed
health and productivity, and in monitoring. Watershed-specific
information shall be organized by the CalWater planning
watersheds, which may then be conglomerated into larger
aggregations, as appropriate.

4566.  

(a) The pilot projects required by this article shall be
completed by January 1, 2017.

(b) The findings and recommendations of pilot projects shall
focus on the collection, organization, distribution, and use of
information that will more efficiently and effectively assist
cumulative effect analyses, post harvest monitoring, and forest
restoration activities. The goal of these recommendations shall be
to meet (1) the needs of each of the agencies and the public and
private stakeholders and (2) the criteria of creating efficiencies
and ensuring environmental performance.

(c) The findings and recommendations shall be presented at one
or more public hearings, depending on the scope and spacial extent
of those findings and recommendations. The initial hearing shall
be before the board, with all pilot project-involved agencies
required to be present.

(d) Upon making a finding that the recommendations satisfy
the goals specified in subdivision (b), the board shall implement
the recommendations. If the board determines that regulations are
necessary to implement those recommendations, the board, in
consultation with the department, the Department of Fish and
Wildlife, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the
Department of Conservation, shall adopt the regulations by January
1, 2018.

end delete

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 4564) is
added to Chapter 8 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the end insert begin insert Public Resources
Code end insert begin insert , to read: end insert

 

begin insert

Article begin insert 5.5. end insert   begin insert Watershed Pilot Projects end insert

end insert

 

begin insert

begin insert 4564. end insert   

(a) By July 1, 2014, the Secretary of the Natural
Resources Agency and the Secretary for Environmental Protection,
in consultation with the state’s timber harvest plan review agencies,
relevant federal agencies, and qualified stakeholders from the
timber industry and environmental and science communities, shall
select a pilot project assessment team to undertake the pilot
projects described in Section 4565.

(b) Before selecting the pilot project assessment team, the
Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and the Secretary for
Environmental Protection shall hold at least one public meeting
to discuss the assessment team selection process and the general
manner in which the team will approach the projects. This meeting
shall occur at a special session hearing of the Board of Forestry
and Fire Protection.

(c) (1) The pilot project assessment team shall include all of
the following:

(A) Two representatives from each state agency that is regularly
involved in the timber harvest review process. If feasible, each
agency shall have representatives who, collectively, have expertise
in the sciences and art of cumulative impacts and the collection
and organization of data.

(B) If available, qualified representatives from federal agencies
involved in forestry issues.

(C) Two qualified representatives from the environmental
community.

(D) Two qualified representatives from the timber industry.

(E) Two registered professional foresters, one of whom shall
have experience with preparing harvest plans for landowners who
are not primarily engaged in the manufacture of forest products.

(F) Two scientists, including, but not limited to, qualified
fisheries and wildlife biologists.

(G) Two individuals from the watershed restoration practitioners
community.

(2) For each group of representatives, there shall be one person
who has experience with forestry issues in the Coast Forest District
and one person who has experience with forestry issues in the
Northern Forest District.

(d) (1) As approved by the Board of Forestry and Fire
Protection, members of the pilot project assessment team may be
reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in
the performance of official business related to the pilot projects.

(2) Members of the pilot project assessment team shall not
receive more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) in any fiscal year.

(3) This subdivision shall not apply to a public employee whose
participation is consistent with his or her job description.

end insert begin insert

begin insert 4565. end insert   

(a) By July 1, 2015, the pilot project assessment team
shall undertake two pilot projects, one in a Coast Forest District
watershed containing Central California Coast Coho Salmon and
one in a Northern Forest District watershed in the Sierra Nevada,
with the primary goal of improving the state’s collection,
organization, management, use, and distribution of vital
forestry-related information. The pilot project shall accomplish
all of the following:

(1) Make the evaluation and response to cumulative impacts
credible and effective.

(2) Enable restoration measures to be identified for listed
anadromous salmonids, other wildlife, watersheds, and forest
health issues.

(3) Determine appropriate and effective post-harvest monitoring
procedures and standards.

(b) The pilot projects shall have a focus on (1) developing
efficiencies and cost savings for state agencies and landowners
and (2) improving the evaluation of ecological performance. The
pilot project assessment team may use the State of Washington’s
Watershed Analysis Manual, the Methods Manual developed by
the State of California’s North Coast Watershed Assessment
Program, the Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries’
recovery plans for California evolutionarily significant units, the
State Wildlife Action Plan, and other pertinent reports, programs,
and documents as guidance to the extent that they do not conflict
with this article.

(c) The pilot projects shall take place on a CalWater Planning
Watershed level. The pilot project assessment team shall select
watersheds that (1) are representative of both private and public
trust values and (2) will produce analyses that are transferable to
other watersheds.

(d) The pilot projects shall establish, to the extent feasible,
templates, consistent symbology, uniform mapping requirements,
and other requirements to bring information together (1) in a
publically accessible electronic database and (2) in a manner that
meets the basic needs of all stakeholders to make decisions on
environmental conditions and impacts.

(e) By January 1, 2015, the pilot project assessment team shall
develop a draft plan explaining the scope and process of the pilot
projects and hold at least one public hearing to discuss the draft
plan and take public comment.

(f) The pilot projects shall conclude on July 1, 2017.

end insert begin insert

begin insert 4566. end insert   

(a) By January 1, 2018, the pilot project assessment
team shall complete a draft report of its findings, conclusions, and
recommendations and hold at least one public meeting to discuss
the draft report and take public comment. This public meeting
shall occur at a special session hearing of the Board of Forestry
and Fire Protection.

(b) The pilot project assessment team’s recommendations shall
include all of the following:

(1) Measures to develop a centralized database system that will
meet the goals described in subdivision (a) of Section 4565 and
contain the focus described in subdivision (b) of Section 4565.

(2) Guidance on how to incorporate the centralized database
system into processes that will meet the goals described in
paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 4565
and contain the focus described in subdivision (b) of Section 4565.

(3) Identification of any impediments to implementing
paragraphs (1) and (2).

(c) By July 1, 2018, the pilot project assessment team shall have
completed the final report of its findings, conclusions, and
recommendations and hold a public meeting, no later than
September 1, 2018, to discuss the final report.

(d) Prior to a public meeting held pursuant to subdivision (c),
the pilot project assessment team shall, at a minimum, make its
report and any supporting documents available to the public
through the department’s Internet Web site.

(e) (1) No later than August 1, 2018, the pilot project
assessment team shall deliver copies of the final report to the
Legislature.

(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed pursuant
to paragraph (1) is inoperative on July 1, 2022, pursuant to Section
10231.5 of the Government Code.

(3) A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

end insert

begin delete SEC. 4. end delete
begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

Section 4629.6 of the Public Resources Code is
amended to read:

4629.6.  

Moneys deposited in the fund shall, upon appropriation
by the Legislature, only be expended for the following purposes:

(a) To reimburse the State Board of Equalization for its
administrative costs associated with the administration, collection,
audit, and issuance of refunds related to the lumber products and
engineered wood assessment established pursuant to Section
4629.5.

(b) To pay refunds issued pursuant to Part 30 (commencing
with Section 55001) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation
Code.

(c) To support the activities and costs of the department, the
Department of Conservation, the Department of Fish and Wildlife,
the State Water Resources Control Board, and regional water
quality control boards associated with the review of projects or
permits necessary to conduct timber operations. On or after July
1, 2013, except for fees applicable for fire prevention or protection
within state responsibility area classified lands or timber yield
assessments, no currently authorized or required fees shall be
charged by the agencies listed in this subdivision for activities or
costs associated with the review of a project, inspection and
oversight of projects, and permits necessary to conduct timber
operations of those departments and boards.

(d) For transfer to the department’s Forest Improvement
Program, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for forest resources
improvement grants and projects administered by the department
pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 4790) and
Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 4799.06) of Part 2 of Division
4.

(e) To fund existing restoration grant programs, begin delete including
programs end delete begin insert with priority given to those programs end insert described in
subdivision (b) of Section 6217.1 relating to salmon and
anadromous trout species.

(f) To the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature,
for fuel treatment grants and projects pursuant to authorities under
the Wildland Fire Protection and Resources Management Act of
1978 (Article 1 (commencing with Section 4461) of Chapter 7 of
Part 2 of Division 4).

(g) To the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature,
to provide grants to local agencies responsible for fire protection,
qualified nonprofits, recognized tribes, local and state governments,
and resources conservation districts, undertaken on a state
responsibility area (SRA) or on wildlands not in an SRA that pose
a threat to the SRA, to reduce the costs of wildland fire suppression,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote adaptation of forested
landscapes to changing climate, improve forest health, and protect
homes and communities.

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 6217.1 of the end insert begin insert Public Resources Code end insert begin insert is
amended to read: end insert

6217.1.  

(a) This section and the process described in this
section governs the expenditure of any funds received by the State
of California from the federal government for the purposes of
salmon and steelhead trout conservation and restoration, the
expenditure of funds authorized for the Coastal Watershed Salmon
Habitat Program pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section
79104.200) of Chapter 6 of Division 26 of the Water Code, and
the expenditure of funds appropriated to the Department of Fish
and Game for salmon and steelhead trout conservation and
restoration from the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe
Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Fund pursuant to
Article 5 (commencing with Section 5096.650) of Chapter 1.696
of Division 5 of the Public Resources Code.

(b) For purposes of this section, “project” means an activity that
improves fish habitat in coastal waters utilized by salmon and
anadromous trout species.

(c) (1) The Department of Fish and Game shall grant funds
from the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account in the
Resources Trust Fund, as follows:

(A) At least 87.5 percent of the funds shall be allocated as
project grants through the existing grant program operated by the
fisheries management program of the Department of Fish and
Game.

(B) Not more than 12.5 percent of the funds may also be used
for project contract administration activities and biological support
staff.

(2) (A) A project shall require the consent of a willing
landowner, and emphasize the development of coordinated
watershed improvement activities.

(B) Projects that restore habitat for salmon and anadromous
trout species that are eligible for protection as listed or candidate
species under state or federal endangered species acts shall be
given top funding priority.

(C) Projects shall be cost-effective and treat causes and not
symptoms of fish habitat degradation. Projects may implement
instream, riparian, water quality, water quantity, and watershed
prescriptions and shall be designed to begin insert protect and end insert restore the
structure and function of fish habitat.

(3) Any grant funds allocated to a project that exceed the actual
cost of completing the project shall be returned to the Salmon and
Steelhead Trout Restoration Account.

(d) (1) A citizen’s advisory committee shall be appointed by
the Director of Fish and Game to give advice on the grant program.

(2) The advisory committee shall consist of seven representatives
recommended by the California Advisory Committee on Salmon
and Steelhead Trout, one representative from the agriculture
industry, one representative from the timber industry, one
representative of public water agency interests, one academic or
research scientist with expertise in anadromous fisheries
restoration, and three county supervisors from coastal counties in
which anadromous trout exist. The county supervisor members
shall be recommended by the California State Association of
Counties.

(3) The advisory committee shall provide oversight of, and
recommend priorities for, grant funding under this section. In
making funding decisions, the Department of Fish and Game shall
consider the project selection priorities established by the advisory
committee.

(4) Members of any advisory committee established for these
purposes shall be reimbursed for travel and incidental expenses
related to the performance of their duties under this section.
Reimbursement for the advisory committee created pursuant to
this section shall be made from the funds designated in
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c).
Reimbursement for other Department of Fish and Game salmon
and steelhead trout advisory committees shall be funded by
appropriate sources.

(5) If a member of the advisory committee, or a member of his
or her immediate family, is employed by a grant applicant, the
employer of a grant applicant, or a consultant or independent
contractor employed by a grant applicant, the advisory committee
member shall make that disclosure to the other members of the
committee, and shall not participate in reviewing or making
recommendations on the grant application of that applicant.

(e) Except as provided in subdivision (f), the money in the
Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account shall be allocated
as follows:

(1) Not less than 65 percent of the money shall be used for
salmon habitat protection and restoration projects begin insert and training to
increase fisheries protection end insert . Of that amount, at least 75 percent
shall be used for watershed (upslope) and riparian area protection
and restoration activities. These activities may include, but are not
limited to, grants to acquire and install fish screens to protect
juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead trout from entrapment in
water diversions, and grants to remove substandard culverts, stream
crossings, and bridges that constitute barriers to spawning of
salmon and steelhead trout and passage of fish. These funds may
also be used for the acquisition, from willing sellers, of
conservation easements for riparian buffer strips along coastal
rivers and streams to protect salmon and steelhead trout habitat or
for projects that protect and improve water quality and quantity.

(2) Up to 35 percent of the money shall be allocated for any of
the uses listed in this paragraph.

(A) Watershed evaluation, assessment, and planning necessary
to develop a site-specific and clearly prioritized plan to implement
watershed improvements.

(B) Multiyear grants for watershed planning and project
monitoring and evaluations.

(C) Watershed organization support and assistance.

(D) Project maintenance and monitoring after the project
implementations are complete.

(E) Public school watershed and fishery conservation education
projects.

(F) Private sector technical training and education project grants,
including teaching private landowners about practical means of
improving land and water management practices that, if
implemented, will contribute to the protection and restoration of
salmon stream habitat; scholarship funding for workshops and
conferences that teach restoration techniques; operation of nonprofit
restoration technical schools; and production of restoration training
and education workshops and conferences.

(G) Fish and wildlife habitat improvements, as defined by
Section 4793, and authorized under the California Forestry
Incentive Program (CFIP).

(H) The salmon restoration project of the California
Conservation Corps.

(I) The state’s share of the federal Watershed Stewards Program.

begin insert

(J) County salmonid conservation programs.

end insert begin delete

(J)

end delete

begin insert (K) end insert  Monitoring projects that utilize protocols approved by the
Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) to provide baseline or trend data, or both, for
anadromous fish populations or the physical and biological factors
known to be limiting recovery.

begin delete

(K)

end delete

begin insert (L) end insert  Artificial propagation programs designed to restore depleted
stocks of salmonids that comply with the directives of the joint
Department of Fish and Game and NMFS Hatchery Operations
Review Committee.

(f) The advisory committee, in any fiscal year, may make a
recommendation to the Department of Fish and Game to allocate
money from the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account
for the purposes stated in subdivision (e), but in different
percentage requirements than the 65/35 split stated in paragraphs
(1) and (2) of that subdivision. Following that recommendation,
the Director of Fish and Game may suspend the percentage
requirements stated in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e)
for that fiscal year only.