Wild Billions: Bay Nature's Reporting on BIL and IRA

The Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide billions of dollars for nature.

How is that changing the Bay Area?

And how do we know if it’s money well spent?

Bay Nature launched a reporting project called Wild Billions in 2023 to examine the impacts of this huge infusion of money—and the obstacles to keeping the big promises that came with it.

Dive into our data visualizations

Our map of funded projects

We’re tracking what nature projects have been funded so far in our area—like an experimental kelp-forest restoration, major upgrades to the Presidio, and a battle against Tahoe invasives. (Help us add projects if you know of them!)

Spending programs

We combed through hundreds of the funding programs Congress made in BIL and IRA, and found at least $106 billion for nature. What will the Bay Area get? See nature-related spending programs in our data viz.

How can I get some ‘Wild Billions’?

Applying for federal grants isn’t easy, especially for local governments and community groups. If you’ve got a worthy nature-related project—we’ve got some tips to get you started, and a searchable table of spending programs.

Send us a tip

President Donald Trump has begun making his mark on the federal government’s environmental work and policies, including BIL and IRA. If your environment-related work inside or outside the government is being affected, we’d like to hear how. Email wildbillions@baynature.org or contact one of our staff on Signal, an app for encrypted messaging and calls:

Tanvi Dutta Gupta, senior reporting fellow: colugo_68.21

Kate Golden, senior editor: cormorant.50

Victoria Schlesinger, editor in chief: VicSch.99

If you have sensitive information or are not authorized to speak with media, please take appropriate care to avoid leaving electronic tracks (here’s a Freedom of the Press Foundation guide). Anonymous tips are welcome, and documents can be mailed from public mailboxes to our office at 1328 6th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710.

Stories in this project

A Lifeline for Three Endangered Wildflowers

The Inflation Reduction Act is helping scientists imagine hopeful futures for endangered North Bay wildflower species that were listed decades ago.
In Search of the New Trees on the Block

Climate scientists are working out which trees our cities will need.
A Richmond Creek Gets Spruced Up, for Fish and People Alike

Wildcat Creek has been trash-clogged and flood-prone for forty years. Now residents will plan its revitalization—and maybe the steelhead can come back, too?
The Creek Cleanups Will Continue Indefinitely

Santa Clara Valley Water is spending millions cleaning up after unhoused people’s encampments. Now it would like to move them out, instead.
In the Name of Eelgrass

To protect the eelgrass meadows in San Francisco’s Richardson Bay, the anchor-out era near Sausalito is coming to a close.
On the Russian River, a Slow Road to Good Fire

The Ukiah Valley is getting a $7M federal grant meant to help high-risk communities—and the landscapes surrounding them—become more fire-resilient. The Forest Service says prescribed fire is key. So why aren’t Ukiah and other grantees proposing to do more of it?
An Indigenous Garden Takes Root

A $900,000 EPA grant funds a Cafe Ohlone x California State University collaboration.
Forest Service Grants Delayed for Communities in Flammable Forests

A new federal program aimed at reducing wildfire risk has been plagued by delays—in a few cases, by over a year.
Scientists Look to a Rare Butterfly’s Next of Kin

Maybe we can save the Lange’s metalmark. Or maybe there’s a stand-in, waiting in the wings?
Mud-Starved Wetlands Get a Meal, At Last

With Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, the Bay’s wetlands are finally getting some precious muck. Why have we been dumping it offshore?