CHAPTER 7.5. Sierra Nevada-Cascade Conservation Grant Program [5819. - 5819.8.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 7.5.
in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819. Section 5819.

Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions govern this chapter: (a) “Acquisition” means obtaining fee title or a lesser interest in real property, including an easement, development right, or water right. (b) “Development” includes, but is not limited to, improvement, rehabilitation, restoration, enhancement, preservation, protection, and interpretation. (c) “Interpretation” includes, but is not limited to, visitor serving amenities that communicate the significance and value of natural, historical, and cultural resources in a manner that increases understanding of those resources. (d) “Nonprofit organization” means a private, nonprofit organization that qualifies for exempt status under paragraph (3) of subsection (c) Section 501 of Title 26 of the United States Code. (e) “Program” means the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Conservation Grant Program established pursuant to this chapter. (f) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Resources Agency. (g) “Sierra Nevada-Cascade Mountain Region” or “region” has the meaning set forth in subdivision (e) of Section 5096.347.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.1. Section 5819.1.

(a) This chapter establishes the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Conservation Grant Program in the Resources Agency. (b) The secretary shall administer the program. (c) The program applies only in the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Mountain Region.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.2. Section 5819.2.

(a) The secretary shall administer the program consistent with authorized funding, and collaborate and cooperate with local governments and interested parties. (b) The purposes of the program include all of the following: (1) Providing increased opportunities for tourism and recreation in the region. (2) Protecting water quality in the region from degradation. (3) Reducing the risk of natural disasters, such as fire, in the region. (4) Protecting, conserving, and restoring the region’s physical, cultural, archaeological, and historical resources. (5) Assisting the region’s economy, including providing increased economic opportunities. (6) Identifying the highest priority projects and initiatives in the region for which funding is needed. (7) Enhancing public use and enjoyment of land in the region that is owned by the state or a local government. (8) Supporting efforts that advance, in a complementary manner, environmental preservation of the region and the economic well-being of the region’s residents. (9) Helping to preserve working landscapes in the region. (10) Supporting local government efforts to develop and implement open space and habitat protection plans, including natural community conservation plans, in the region.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.3. Section 5819.3.

(a) The secretary may undertake projects and activities to further the purposes identified in Section 5819.2. Those projects and activities may include providing grants and loans to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for acquisition, restoration, development, and other activities and projects, that are necessary to meet the purposes identified in Section 5819.2. The projects and activities undertaken by the secretary, including the providing of grants and loans, shall be consistent with any restrictions related to the source of moneys that are used to fund those activities and projects. (b) In administering this chapter, the secretary shall collaborate and cooperate with the city or county in which a grant is proposed to be used or an interest in land is proposed to be acquired.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.4. Section 5819.4.

To implement Section 79544 of the Water Code, the secretary may provide grants to local public agencies, local water districts, and nonprofit organizations, for acquisition in the region pursuant to this chapter and consistent with Section 79544 of the Water Code, only for the following purposes: (a) Acquiring agricultural, forest, or grazing land, or other working landscapes, to prevent conversion of that land to uses that could decrease water quality in the region and degrade habitat values, or to convert that land to uses that could improve water quality in the region and habitat. (b) Acquiring land adjacent to or affecting rivers, streams, lakes, or wetlands, that, if not protected, could lead to a decrease in water quality in the region. (c) Purchasing water rights that will protect both water quality and in stream flow, in the region, for resource protection. (d) Acquiring land that mitigates or prevents current or anticipated management practices that contribute to water quality degradation in the region.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.5. Section 5819.5.

The secretary shall require an applicant for a grant for land or water resource acquisition to include in the grant application a proposal for the long-term management of the resource that the applicant proposes to acquire. The applicant shall identify the entity that will hold title to the resource, including any state or federal agency to which title may be transferred after acquisition, and the entity that will be responsible for managing and protecting the water quality value of the resource.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.7. Section 5819.7.

All regulations, criteria, and procedural guides that the secretary adopts to implement this chapter are exempt from Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 5819.8. Section 5819.8.

It is the intent of the Legislature to provide in any legislation that establishes a Sierra Nevada Conservancy an appropriate transition from the program established by this chapter within the Resources Agency to the new conservancy.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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