Environment DEC
From the December 2007 issue
DEC Announces Recipients of Grants to Protect Private Grasslands
More than 2,100 acres of privately owned, critical natural habitats will be protected and enhanced thanks to grants awarded recently to help conserve dwindling grasslands in communities throughout upstate New York. Grants totaling nearly $600,000 will be awarded to 22 private property owners as part of DEC's Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) for grassland protection and management.
Pastures and Hayfields Dwindling
"DEC and our partners in conservation have been tracking the decline in grassland bird populations through the Breeding Bird Survey since 1960s," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. "Loss of pastures and hayfields have been the main reason for their decline. These grants will assist private landowners, most of them farmers, in restoring dwindling habitat for the benefit of birds as well as other wildlife."
A Red-winged blackbird makes its nest in grasslands - photo courtesy of Jacob Dingel PGC
More than 90 percent of New York grasslands are in private ownership and their protection is critical for at-risk grassland birds such as short-eared owls, Henslow's sparrows and upland sandpipers. With these grants, private landowners will be managing their grassland habitats to benefit these and other species that depend on grassland ecosystems.
Each grant recipient will be reimbursed approximately $55 per acre for grassland management and restoration. Audubon New York, in collaboration with DEC, has prepared a five-year site management plan landowners have agreed to follow. Landowners will manage grasslands by mowing the fields before or after the nesting season, rotating grazing animals, removing trees and brush, controlling invasive species, and performing other activities specified in the site management plans.
Grant Projects Located in 35 Counties
DEC and Audubon worked together to identify key grassland areas throughout New York State. These focus areas, traditionally agricultural centers, include portions of the following counties: Allegany, Cayuga, Chemung, Clinton, Cortland, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Otsego, Saratoga, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Tompkins, Ulster, Washington, Warren, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates. Projects were selected based on their ability to benefit species of greatest conservation need (SGCN), as identified in the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. The strategy was prepared by DEC to secure the state's wildlife populations and their key habitats.
More About LIP
LIP is funded through a 2005 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. DEC announced the availability of the grants in November 2006 and more than 250 landowners applied for funding. Applications were reviewed by DEC staff through a rigorous selection process reflecting the ecological needs of at-risk grassland birds. See the complete press release upon which this story is based for a table listing the LIP grants for Grassland Protection and Management, as well as a comment from the the Director of Audubon New York. Also see Related Links below for more information about some of the subjects mentioned in this story.
Related Links:
Audubon New York (leaving DEC's site)
