Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing Program
A Department of Conservation Grant program, funding projects and processes for land repurposing to reduce groundwater use and restore wildlife habitat.
Over the next three years of the Department of Conservation-funded grant term, the multi-benefit land repurposing program (MLRP) will seek to increase regional capacity to repurpose ag land to reduce reliance on groundwater while providing community health, economic well being, water supply, habitat, renewable energy, and climate benefits. Using three local plans and one core plan, a collection of GSAs and conservation stakeholder groups will work together to identify plans and projects that will benefit the entire Tule subbasin.
The Department of Conservation MLRP grant works to distribute funds through block grants—Pixley Irrigation District GSA is one such main grantee. The Tule Trust is a subawardee of Pixley and was awarded $1.7 million of the $10 million total award. The Tule Trust will help develop and implement land repurposing projects. The grant is also capacity-building, helping support the full-time project director of the Tule Trust.
With SGMA requirements forthcoming, the MLRP seeks to bolster the local GSPs of the GSAs including Tri-County, Eastern Tule and Pixley. Working together with conservation groups including Audubon California and The Nature Conservancy, they’ll put together one core plan that brings multiple Tule subbasin groups together.
The Tule Trust website and monthly newsletter will function as local landowner outreach, helping define and identify the multiple ways land is able to be repurposed. The Tule subbasin can protect its agricultural heritage by creating sustainable water solutions through proactive and selective land fallowing and habitat development.
