Voluntary Landowner Incentive Programs

In this section you will find information on financial, technical, and advisory assistance to landowners. The financial assistance progams, which also offer technical assistance and advice, can be roughly divided into those focused on restoration and management and those focused on long-term or permanent protection. Some include elements of both approaches; these are described under one category with a cross-reference in the other. At the end of the chapter is a list of technical assistance sources available to all wetland landowners. The management-oriented programs typically offer cost-share and technical assistance in exchange for a contribution of money or in-kind services from the landowner and a long-term commitment to maintain funded improvements or agreed-upon management practices. The programs concerned with permanently protecting wetland and associated habitats can involve a wide range of tax benefits and direct payments in exchange for land or binding restrictions on land use.

The following descriptions are intended to alert the reader to the programs' existence, give some indication of what might be expected from each, and provide enough information to help landowners decide whether to find out more.

Management Agreements

Agricultural Conservation Program
Water Bank Program
Wetland Reserve Program
Partners for Wildlife
California Waterfowl Habitat Program
Permanent Wetland Easement Program
Inland Wetland Conservation Program
Forest Stewardship Program/Stewardship Incentive Program
California Forest Improvement Program
State Coastal Conservancy Resource Enhancement and Agricultural Programs

Long-Term or Permanent Protection

Conservation Reserve Program
Wetland Reserve Program
Acquisition Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife Conservation Board Program
Inland Wetland Conservation Program
Permanent Wetland Easement Program
Debt Restructuring Program
Williamson Act (Land Conservation Act of 1965)
State Coastal Conservancy Resource Enhancement and Agriculture Programs
Tahoe Conservancy Programs
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Programs
San Joaquin River Conservancy Programs
Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy Programs
Land Trusts
Open Space Districts

This page is an exerpt from Options for Wetland Conservation: A Guide for California Landowners, a publication of the California State Coastal Conservancy. To obtain a copy, contact:

Headquarters
California State Coastal Conservancy
1330 Broadway Street, Suite 1100
Oakland, CA 94612
(510)286-1015
Fax (510)286-0470

North Coast Office
California State Coastal Conservancy
619 Second Street
Eureka, CA 95501
(707)441-5884
Fax (707)441-5884

Webmaster: wetlands@resources.ca.gov