A stretch of farmland along the Laguna de Santa Rosa floodplain could become a new home for steelhead, coho salmon and wading birds as part of a major wetland restoration effort now backed by more than $1 million in state funding. The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation was awarded a $1.05 million grant in late February from the California Wildlife Conservation Board to begin planning restoring 175 acres of farmland between Sebastopol and Forestville back into riparian and wetland habitats. The grant marks a major turning point for the foundation, which will now be able to take on its largest singular project in the foundation’s 37-year history.

Other wetland news:

• SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.): Once-a-year wetlands walk slated for March 28 in Tulare County