Environment DEC
From the August 2003 issue
DEC Program Receives National Award
DEC's New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) has been recognized as the "2003 Outstanding Natural Heritage Program" by NatureServe. NYNHP was selected from among 76 similar programs that comprise an international network working across the United States, Canada and Latin America.
NatureServe is a nonprofit conservation group that provides scientific information and technology to guide effective conservation action. The group represents natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in the United States, Canada and Latin America that collect and analyze information on plants, animals and ecosystems. NatureServe has become a leading source for detailed scientific information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems.
The New York Natural Heritage Program
NYNHP, which is a partnership between DEC and The Nature Conservancy, enables and enhances conservation of New York's rare animals and plants and significant ecosystems. The program, which is housed in DEC's Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, uses thorough field inventories, scientific analyses, expert interpretation and the most comprehensive database on biodiversity to deliver high-quality information for natural resource planning, protection and management.
Accomplishments
The NatureServe award recognizes NYNHP's recent achievements, including the following:
- Completing a comprehensive, six-year assessment of New York's state parks that has identified more than 1,000 occurrences of sensitive plant species and habitats
- Developing in-depth maps and conservation guides for land-use planning in the lower Hudson River Valley
- Providing a detailed blueprint for conservation of the 1,200-square mile Lake Erie gorges region in western New York
- Designing and creating a hand-held tool and database for scientists to collect data in the field, and sharing this software for free with other natural heritage programs throughout North America
- Developing a popular web-based botanical atlas of New York in partnership with the New York Flora Association and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Working in a spirit of partnership with The Nature Conservancy, state agencies, local governments, the scientific and academic community and other partners to help conserve New York's most important natural areas
Congratulations to NYNHP.
