(a) The agency shall update all of the state’s existing wetlands inventory resources in order to prepare a study to accomplish the following goals:
(1) To identify the restoration and enhancement opportunities in the state for wetlands in public ownership.
(2) To identify means of protecting and enhancing existing wetlands in public ownership and to identify additional recreational benefits and opportunities that are compatible with the primary goal of maximizing the habitat value of wetlands.
(3) To identify opportunities for voluntary public-private partnerships for wetlands restoration, enhancement, and management on private lands.
(4) To identify those wetlands of particular significance in the state that are not currently in public ownership for which there is believed to be a willing seller.
(5) To identify additional recreational benefits that can be provided on existing, restored, or newly created wetlands in public ownership or for which there is a cooperative agreement for public use by a private landowner and a local, state, or federal agency.
(6) To provide a basis for the inclusion of wetlands data and information in the California Continuing Resources Investment Strategy Project (CCRISP), which was funded in the Budget Act of 2000.
(7) To identify, utilizing existing resources, wetlands on lands owned by federal agencies in California and those wetlands that are protected by existing wetlands management and conservation mandates imposed by federal law.
(8) To identify, in conjunction with the Office of Planning and Research, those instances where lead agencies have adopted mitigation measures pursuant to Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000), or natural community conservation plans prepared pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 2800) of the Fish and Game Code, that utilize or reference wetland resources located on lands owned by the United States Department of Defense.
(b) The agency shall consult and cooperate with counties cities, other appropriate state and federal agencies with an interest in wetlands resources, and willing landowners in conducting the study. The study shall be submitted to the Legislature not later than January 1, 2003, and shall set forth, for consideration by the Legislature, a plan for the acquisition, protection, preservation, restoration, and enhancement of wetlands, including funding requirements and the priority status of specific proposed wetlands projects.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 964, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2001.)