Baldwin Hills Conservancy: Proposition 1 Solicitation Grant Program

The Baldwin Hills Conservancy, established in 2000, focuses on acquiring and managing open space within California's Baldwin Hills area. Its mission includes enhancing public enjoyment of these lands while protecting wildlife habitats. The Proposition 1 grant program aims to support watershed protection, restoration projects, and urban greening initiatives. The Conservancy prioritizes projects that yield multiple benefits, including improving ecosystem health, increasing climate resilience, and collaborating with local agencies to implement effective water management strategies.

The Baldwin Hills Conservancy is an independent State agency within the Natural Resources Agency of the State of California. State law established the Baldwin Hills Conservancy in 2000 (division 22.7 of the Public Resources Code commencing with section 32550). Its jurisdiction includes the land currently located in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area (KHSRA); the Baldwin Hills Community; the surrounding property bordered to the south by Slauson Avenue and to the east by La Brea Avenue, including the spur of land extending from Stocker Street to an area between La Brea Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard; Ballona Creek and adjacent property within a quarter mile of Ballona Creek on either side; and from the Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10) to the Marina Freeway (Interstate 90). The Baldwin Hills Conservancy mission is to:
Acquire open space and manage public lands;Provide recreation, restoration and protection of wildlife habitat; andEnhance the public’s enjoyment and educational experience on public lands in the territory in a manner consistent with the protection of lands and resources in the area.
Purpose of Proposition 1
Protect and increase the economic benefits arising from healthy watersheds, fishery resources and in-stream flow.Implement watershed adaptation projects in order to reduce the impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems.Restore river parkways throughout the state, including but not limited to projects pursuant to the California River Parkways Act of 2004 and urban river greenways.Protect and restore aquatic, wetland and migratory bird ecosystems including fish and wildlife corridors and the acquisition of water rights for in-stream flow.Fulfill the obligations of the state of California in complying with the terms of multiparty settlement agreements related to water resources.Remove barriers to fish passage.Collaborate with federal agencies in the protection of fish native to California and wetlands in the central valley of California.Implement fuel treatment projects to reduce wildfire risks, protect watersheds tributary to water storage facilities and promote watershed health.Protect and restore rural and urban watershed health to improve watershed storage capacity, forest health, protection of life and property, storm water resource management, and greenhouse gas reduction.Protect and restore coastal watersheds including but not limited to, bays, marine estuaries, and near shore ecosystemsReduce pollution or contamination of rivers, lakes, streams, or coastal waters, prevent and remediate mercury contamination from legacy mines, and protect or restore natural system functions that contribute to water supply, water quality, or flood management.Assist in the recovery of endangered, threatened, or migratory species by improving watershed health, instream flows, fish passage, coastal or inland wetland restoration, or other means, such as natural community conservation plan and habitat conservation plan implementation.Assist in water-related agricultural sustainability projects.
Strategic Plan Priorities
The Strategic Plan calls for the prioritization of watershed protection and recreation
projects that feature multiple benefits which is consistent with the language objectives of
the bond. Most state agencies have a statewide jurisdiction with broad geographic
boundaries. The Baldwin Hills Conservancy has a focused jurisdiction in the most compact
and heavily populated geographic district in the State. The Conservancy possesses a broad
mission, including providing recreation, protection of natural resources, interpretation and
restoration of habitat. This structure positions the Conservancy well to implement multiple
benefit projects that benefit the Ballona Creek Watershed.
The Conservancy will seek to align its funding and project priorities with other local agencies
and their Integrated Water Management Plans in order to help implement priorities in the
Governor’s California Water Action Plan 2016. The
Conservancy will continue to support preliminary project planning, working with grantees to
design and develop shovel-ready projects that can compete for grant funding from the
Conservancy and other local, state and federal agencies.
Based on the priority issues within our jurisdiction, reviewing existing state plans, and screening
for projects that achieve multiple benefits, serve disadvantaged communities, and result in
quantifiable outcomes, the Conservancy identified three priorities for Proposition 1
expenditures. The three priorities are:
Resource Protection: Advance the optimal management of resources in the watershed in order to achieve conservation benefits, improve ecosystem health, and increase climate resiliency Habitat Restoration: Restore native habitat to improve ecosystem function and provide multi-benefit wildlife corridors, species biodiversity and other ecosystem benefits.Urban Greening: Build urban greening projects that increase groundwater recharge, reduce runoff, improve
water quality and improve urban watershed health while creating public green-space and
expanding urban forests.