(a) The Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Rescue Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board.

(b) The purpose of the program is to recover and sustain populations of monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

(c) To achieve the purposes of the program, the Wildlife Conservation Board may do all of the following:

(1) Provide grants for the restoration or enhancement of California prairie and other appropriate breeding habitat for monarch butterflies and pollinators on private and public lands.

(2) Provide grants for the restoration or enhancement of overwintering monarch butterfly habitat on private and public lands.

(3) Provide technical assistance to grant recipients, including farmers and ranchers, regarding restoration and enhancement of breeding, overwintering, and other appropriate monarch butterfly habitat.

(4) Award grants pursuant to this chapter.

(5) Provide grants for seasonal or temporary habitat improvements.

(6) Provide block grants in which suballocations are made by the grant recipient, with the approval of the Wildlife Conservation Board.

(d) Eligible recipients for grants under the program include private landowners, nonprofit organizations, resource conservation districts, or public agencies.

(e) (1) Before disbursing a grant pursuant to this article, the Wildlife Conservation Board shall develop and adopt project selection and evaluation guidelines. The guidelines shall include monitoring and reporting requirements to help assess grant outcomes.

(2) The Wildlife Conservation Board shall coordinate with the Department of Food and Agriculture in developing program guidelines.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 760, Sec. 2. (AB 2421) Effective January 1, 2019.)