Conservation Programs - Northern California Conservation Center / Butte County

Conservation for Northern California Landowners

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Conservation Programs

Regardless of whether you live in the city, on the coast, or in the country, there may be a conservation assistance program that is right for you. We'll also help connect you to the professionals nearby that can assist in achieving your conservation goals.

The federal land conservation funding and technical assistance programs are national in scope and the majority are offered by the Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service. Many of the state programs are offered by the California Wildlife Conservation Board the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Department of Conservation.

Both the federal government and the state of California have a number of land conservation assistance programs designed to help you with either financial or technical assistance. Take a look through the programs to see if one fits your conservation goals. The following federal and state assistance programs are designed to promote habitat protection or restoration as well as other conservation activities on your land through grants, cost-share, technical assistance, or tax incentives.

Programs

Conservation Districts

UC Cooperative Extensions

Project Updates / News

Learn about Conservation Programs available in Butte County

State Funding & Technical Resources

California Noxious Weed Program
California Landowner Incentive Program
CALIFORNIA FOREST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
California Forest Legacy Program
California Waterfowl Habitat Program
Inland Wetland Conservation Program
Bay-Delta Ecosystem Restoration Program
Fisheries Restoration Grant Program
Private Lands Wildlife Habitat Enhancement and Management Program (PLM)
Fire Safe California
Forest Stewardship Program (FSP)
Vegetation Management Program (VMP)
The Environmental Enhancement And Mitigation Program
California Farmland Conservancy Program
California Forest Conservation Program
California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program
Ecosystem Restoration on Agricultural Lands
Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Program (General)
Land Acquisition Program
Oak Woodlands Conservation Program
California Public Access Program
California Rangeland, Grazing Land and Grassland Protection Program
The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program
Audubon California Landowner Stewardship Program

Grant Programs

Organic Farming Research Foundation
The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Funding & Technical Resources

Partners For Fish And Wildlife Program - National
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program
Private Stewardship Grants Program
Fish Passage Program
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in California

FSA Programs

State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement
Biomass Crop Assistance Program
Livestock Forage Disaster Program
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

USDA Programs

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI)
Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP)
Forest Legacy Program

NRCS Funding Resources

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
California Conservation Stewardship Program
Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP)
California Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Conservation of Private Grazing Land (CPGL)
Wetlands Reserve Program
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
Grassland Reserve Program

Federal Incentives

Federal Reforestation Tax Credit and Amortization
Federal Conservation Tax Incentives

Water Conservation

Agri Drain
Acequia
WestWater Research, LLC
Upstate Rain Gutters & Sheet Metal
Scott River Water Trust
California Agricultural Water Stewardship Online Resource Center
Water Insight

State Tax Programs

Open Space Conservation - Income Tax Benefits
Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit Act
California Land Conservation Act

Property Tax Incentives

Conservation Easements - Property Tax Benefits
Wildlife Habitat and Native Pasture Conservation - Property Tax Benefits
Wildlife Habitat Contract or Open Space Easement - Property Tax Benefits
Public Parks and Preservation - Property Tax Benefits
California Land Conservation Act

Resource Conservation Districts

California Resource Conservation District

Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs), once known as Soil Conservation Districts, are "special districts" of the state of California, set up under California law to be locally governed agencies with their own locally appointed, independent boards of directors. Although RCDs are established locally by the rules of a county's Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO), and they often have close ties to county government, they are not county government entities.

There are numerous types of special districts throughout the state set up to administer needs of local people for pest control, fire fighting, water distribution, and a host of other services. Some special districts are "enterprise" districts and deliver services or products, such as water, to local customers on a fee basis. Other districts, "non-enterprise" districts, deliver services, such as fire or police protection, to all local residents. These are usually supported on a taxation basis. RCDs have characteristics of both enterprise and non-enterprise districts.

Under Division 9 of the California Public Resources Code, RCDs are permitted to function to a certain degree as enterprise districts because they are empowered to charge reasonable fees for services rendered to individuals. At the same time, certain rules permit RCDs to draw on local taxes for revenues, though the passage of Proposition 13 in 1977 has made it much more difficult for RCDs to function in this way.

Though not governed directly by the state, special districts, among them RCDs, are subject to state law concerning elections, responsibilities, legal meetings, and much more. RCDs, however, are given their primary authority to implement local conservation measures by Division 9.

Local Resource Conservation Districts

Butte County Resource Conservation District - Oroville, CA

California Resource Conservation District in the Region

California Resource Conservation District in the State

Show All Conservation Districts and Commissions on a Map

UC Cooperative Extension

University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), ANR’s outreach arm, has farm, 4-H, and nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisors based in more than 50 county offices. In addition, Cooperative Extension specialists are headquartered at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Riverside, where they conduct research. These specialists provide statewide leadership to teams of advisors and AES faculty, and carry out outreach programs statewide and at the local level. As a land-grant institution, the Cooperative Extension mandate is tied to the welfare, development, and protection of California agriculture, natural resources, and people.

County farm advisors’ work is aimed at enhancing California agricultural productivity and competitiveness. Together with farmers, pest control advisors, and industry representatives, they identify current and emerging agricultural opportunities and problems. The advisors collaborate with campus-based Cooperative Extension specialists and AES scientists to research, adapt, and field-test agricultural improvements or solutions and promote the use of research findings.

The 4-H youth development program, with staff in each county office, provides meaningful, learn-by-doing educational activities to children in 4-H clubs and to children participating in school enrichment and after-school programs. The 4-H program includes traditional offerings – such as cooking, animal husbandry, and sewing – and an array of exciting new programs for today’s youth – including rocketry, computer science, and leadership.

The nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisors focus on nutrition, food safety, food preparation, food preservation, and finance management. Collaborative partnerships with government and private agencies extend the reach of UC advisors. Workshops, public meetings, newsletters, the mass media, and other communications tools bring information to the community.

Three regional offices administer UC Cooperative Extension: the North Coast and Mountain Region, the Central Valley Region, and the Central Coast and South Region. See the county office page for regional office and UCCE county locations and contact information.

Local Cooperative Extentions

Butte County - Oroville , CA

California Cooperative Extentions in the Region

California Cooperative Extentions in the State

Show All Cooperative Extensions on a Map

Related Information

California state budget cuts have suspended a land conservation program that has been hailed as a key to preventing sprawl and easing economic pressure on farmers and ranchers.

The 44-year-old Williamson Act provides tax breaks to agricultural landowners who sign 10-year contracts (renewed annually) not to develop their property.

New budget includes continued suspension of state funds for counties that participate in the California Land Conservation Act—known as the Williamson Act

By: California Farm Bureau Federation and Kate Campbell
Governor's plan opens negotiations on new state budget Issue Date: January 13, 2010 By Kate Campbell Assistant Editor Faced with more fiscal sinkholes, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his state budget proposal last week and called for emergency legislative action to deal with a projected $6.6 billion shortfall for the current fiscal year.

Counties hold key to Williamson Act's future

By: California Farm Bureau Federation
The loss of Williamson Act protection could mean that some of the land that gets farmed in California "won't be worth farming any longer."

North Bay counties back sustaining Williamson Act

By Jeff Quackenbush, North Bay Business Journal Staff Reporter

In Yolo County, Williamson Act funding hangs by a thread

Yolo County is trying to find a way to salvage the landmark act and preserve its agriculture By ERIN TRACY / Daily Democrat

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