FORT BRAGG, CA., 11/5/26 – Bull kelp forests along the Mendocino Coast are getting a boost from the PG&E Corporation Foundation, which awarded Noyo Center for Marine Science $100,000 to expand its recovery work.
The Noyo Center is one of five groups in Northern and Central California to receive a grant through PG&E’s Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant Program. This year, PG&E awarded a total of $500,000 to five organizations for environmental stewardship projects focused on land, air quality and water.
The money will support Noyo Center’s Kelp Forest Ecosystem Recovery Project, which builds on existing efforts to restore bull kelp forest. The project involves removing overabundant purple sea urchins that can damage kelp forests and planting new bull kelp in restoration areas.
Part of the grant will support research on kelp recovery and a red abalone breeding program. The goal is a healthier and more resilient coastal ecosystem.
The project also includes bilingual environmental education for more than 1,000 K-12 students each year. A partnership with Mendocino College will support workforce training that gives students hands-on learning experiences.
“Northern California’s kelp forests have declined over time,” Noyo Center Executive Director Sheila Semans said in a statement on PG&E’s website. “That change has had a major impact on our coast. Recovery will require work across many parts of the ecosystem. Support from the PG&E Corporation Foundation allows Noyo Center to expand our work…It helps us share this science with students, families and our coastal communities.”
Since the Better Together program’s inception in 2022, it has funded 25 organizations across PG&E’s service area. The 2026 grantees mark the program’s final year, completing a five-year, $2.5 million investment in stewardship and community-led innovation.