For Release: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
DEC Announces $450,000 in Open Space Grants
State Partners With Land Trust Alliance To Fund Conservation Projects
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today joined State legislators and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) in announcing $450,000 in grants and technical assistance to conservation organizations across New York State. The funding represents the third round of grants provided by the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP), a pioneering public-private partnership designed to enhance local open space conservation programs across New York State.
"New York is leading the nation in efforts to conserve open space, and land trusts can play a vital role in protecting the important resources of communities across the State," Governor George E. Pataki said. "This grant program, unique in the country, underscores our commitment to working in partnership with non-profit conservation groups and local governments to preserve our natural resources, from farm and forest land, to wetlands, critical environmental areas and outdoor recreational facilities."
Acting Commissioner Sheehan said, "An investment in preserving open space is an investment in protecting the quality of life for the citizens of New York State. Under the Governor's leadership, we are protecting more than 915,000 acres of precious open space and securing a healthy future for New York's natural landscape. By partnering with local land trust organizations, we help ensure that communities can provide residents with green spaces, natural areas, and a healthy environment."
The Conservation Partnership Program is funded by the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and provides strategic grants to individual land trust organizations to enhance conservation programs, complete land protection projects, and build organizational capacity. Funding for the program has grown from $250,000 in State Fiscal Year 2002-03 to $500,000 in 2005-06. The program is jointly administered by the LTA and the DEC.
Working in partnership with New York land trusts, the Conservation Partnership Program has now invested a total of $1 million in grants, funding for technical assistance, and program support to build stronger land trusts and catalyze both local and regional conservation efforts.
Since 2003, the program has funded 87 different grant projects, helping to protect 3,400 acres of land prioritized in New York State's Open Space Plan, enhance strategic protection and stewardship plans, and build organizational capacity to support initiatives to preserve farmland, local watersheds, and important natural areas.
"This unique program represents a true public-private partnership approach to land conservation in New York State. It strengthens the capabilities of private land trusts at the local level and cost-effectively protects open space by leveraging more private funding for conservation purposes,"said Ezra Milchman, director of the Land Trust Alliance Northeast Program. "Thanks to the grants announced today, New York residents will enjoy 814 additional acres of protected farmland, community open space, and new nature preserves. We are especially grateful to Governor Pataki, Majority Leader Bruno, Speaker Silver, Senator Marcellino, Assemblyman DiNapoli, Acting Commissioner Sheehan and the entire State Legislature for their strong and sustained commitment to this program."
At today's announcement, the Conservation Partnership awarded $400,000 in grants to 29 conservation organizations across the State and $50,000 to the Land Trust Alliance to provide targeted technical assistance to New York land trusts. Projects receiving State grants include strategic stewardship and land conservation plans for local land trusts in Long Island, Orange County, and the Catskills; conservation easement projects in Columbia and Nassau counties, and regional-scale open space protection projects along the Battenkill River, the Hudson Highlands, and the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor.
State Senator Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset), Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said, "Open space preservation in communities across New York State is both environmentally and financially prudent. A continued partnership between the Land Trust Alliance and the State will continue to yield success stories that further a growing tradition of land conservation. Working together we will protect diverse and ecologically sound open spaces for future generations to enjoy."
Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli (D-Great Neck), Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee said, "We are in a race against the clock when it comes to conserving New York State's open space and agricultural lands. The New York State Conservation Partnership Program has proven a highly effective way to leverage state dollars and speed the effort to safeguard these vital natural resources."
Since 1995, Governor Pataki has committed $13 billion to preserve and protect New York's environment. In his 2002 State of the State address, Governor Pataki outlined a goal of preserving an additional one million acres of open space. The State is on track to meet this ambitious goal through the Conservation Partnership Program and other initiatives included in the $150 million Environmental Protection Fund for 2005-2006.
The NYSCPP advances the goals of New York's Open Space Conservation Plan by making grants to New York land trusts for four purposes:
- Conservation Capacity and Excellence grants provide up to $10,000 to help land trusts enhance their ability to protect and steward land. The majority of funded projects focus on the implementation of one or more of the Land Trust Standards & Practices - the nationally accepted guidelines for the effective and ethical operation of a land trust.
- Conservation Catalyst grants provide up to $20,000 to enable land trusts to launch local and regional land protection initiatives that lead to the conservation of resources specifically identified in New York State's Open Space Plan, in a local or regional open space plan, or in a local or regional farmland protection plan.
- Staffing grants provide the seed funding needed to help all-volunteer and small land trusts increase the pace and quality and of their conservation programs. Grants range from $20,000 to $50,000 and are intended to transform all-volunteer and small, under-staffed land trusts into sustainable, professionally-staffed organizations.
- Transaction grants provide up to $10,000 for projects that enable land trusts to protect and steward environmentally significant lands in New York. There is a particular emphasis on land protection priorities described in the 2002 New York State Open Space Plan. Transaction grants are available to cover costs associated with purchasing or accepting a donation of fee land or a conservation easement, and costs associated with providing for public access on these properties.
All Conservation Partnership grants require a match of at least 1:1 in non-state funds. Grant recipients receive technical assistance from Land Trust Alliance staff, which helps ensure the success of their funded projects.
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Washington D.C., LTA works directly with more than 1,200 land trusts nationwide, including more than 70 in New York representing 36,000 individual members. Working with state and local governments, local, regional and national land trusts have protected over 990,000 acres of land in New York State and more than 34 million acres nationwide.
For additional information about the Land Trust Alliance and New York Conservation Partnership Program, please go to www.LTA.org or contact the Land Trust Alliance Northeast Program Office in Saratoga Springs, NY at (518) 587-0774.
A list of grant recipients is attached.
| ORGANIZATION | NY OFFICE LOCATION | PROPOSAL | GRANT AWARD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Stewardship Association | Greenwich, Washington County | To hire a qualified fundraising consultant to plan and implement a fundraising program to succeed our current program, which expires in 2006. Hire local marketing consultant and designer to assist in development of solicitation materials and marketing collateral. | $6,700 |
| Catskill Center for Conservation and Development | Arkville, Delaware County | To complete internal assessment and prioritization of the Catskill Center's Land Conservation Program, and to review program components and decision on future direction, followed by communication of the resulting vision. | $2,900 |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy | Jamestown, Chautauqua County | To build upon continuing capital campaign by customizing campaign materials (video/DVD and Prospectus), and producing educational materials to reach residents and visitors of Chautauqua Institution, a non-profit educational center and community that attracts 142,000 persons each summer. | $4,900 |
| Delaware Highlands Conservancy - NY Office | Narrowsburg, Sullivan County | To plan and implement a capital campaign to protect culturally significant parcels in the Upper Delaware. This campaign will help preserve "The Gateway to the Upper Delaware," a federally designated scenic and recreational river. | $9,600 |
| Esopus Creek Conservancy | Saugerties, Ulster County | To initiate facilitator-supported board management and development improvement process designed to bring ECC into compliance with Standards I and III of the Land Trusts Standards and Practices. A pre-assessment of board functions by the facilitator will be followed by a two day retreat involving Mission Statement and Strategic Plan components, continued interface by the facilitator following the meetings, and a final retreat day for committee reports and board actions. A post retreat facilitator evaluation follows, along with end-of-year board actions in compliance with Mission Statement and Strategic Plan needs. | $7,000 |
| Genesee Valley Conservancy | Geneseo, Livingston County | To update and enhance existing AutoCAD and GIS mapping capabilities to increase land protection in the Livingston County region of the Genesee River and expand strategic stewardship of 7,500 acres of land protected by the land trust. | $4,200 |
| Indian River Lakes Conservancy | Redwood, Jefferson County | To develop a strategic protection plan that will seek to address conservation priorities, human resources, fundraising and financial resource development and stewardship and partnership opportunities applicable to the land preservation program. | $2,400 |
| Lake George Land Conservancy | Bolton Landing, Warren County | To obtain resources to provide strategic planning, fundraising, and related organizational development The overall purpose is to enhance the likelihood of success for the LGLC's proposed comprehensive fundraising campaign in support of its mission to preserve the water quality of Lake George and the rare plants and animals within its watershed by permanently protecting natural land. | $9,600 |
| Ontario Bays Initiative | Chaumont, Jefferson County | To provide resources necessary to fully implement the 2003 Strategic Plan and to build state and federal partnerships to protect Wilson Bay Marsh, a nationally significant wetland habitat for migratory birds, including the NYS threatened Black Tern. | $4,300 |
| Open Space Preservation Trust | Shoreham, Suffolk County | To develop a strategic plan for the land trust, established in 2000, and to focus conservation efforts in two key parts of Long Island - the Town of Brookhaven pine barrens and in the watersheds of Great South Bay, a NY State designated South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER). | $3,900 |
| Orange County Land Trust | Middletown, Orange County | To conduct feasibility study in preparation for Orange County Land Trust's Strategic Plan for 2004-2008, which calls for a capital campaign for 2006-2008. | $9,600 |
| Peconic Land Trust | Southampton, Suffolk County | To research and prepare a strategic stewardship plan to keep Quail Hill Farm financially viable in the future. Quail Hill Farm represents a model of organic, community supported agriculture and is the centerpiece of a 212 acre complex of highly scenic, protected farmland in Amagansett. | $7,700 |
| St. Lawrence Land Trust | Canton, St. Lawrence County | To prepare and implement Board Development Plan. A Strategic Projection Plan and a Project Planning and Design Guide will also be prepared, and the land trust's first conservation easement will be completed. These activities have three goals for the land trust, which was incorporated in 2003--to build organizational and board strength, to accelerate conservation work already begun in the Little River watershed, and to increase capacity for conservation in the St.Lawrence-northern Adirondack service area. | $9,600 |
| Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust | Watertown, Jefferson County | To develop Major Donor Moves Plan, a Business and Corporation Membership Program, and continue to raise awareness and support of THTLT and its stewardship of 2,700 acres under conservation easement by expanding the general membership program. | $7,700 |
| Category Total | $90,100 |
| ORGANIZATION | NY OFFICE LOCATION | PROPOSAL | GRANT AWARD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Stewardship Association | Greenwich, Washington County | To plan and implement a landscape-scale agricultural conservation project along 3.5 miles of the Battenkill River corridor in the vicinity of Shushan, Salem and Jackson, and other towns in Washington County, NY. The project area includes approximately 1,200 acres on 8 parcels of land, which will be protected in coordination with The Conservation Fund and the Battenkill Conservancy. | $19,300 |
| Hudson Highlands Land Trust | Garrison, Putnam County | To work in partnership with the Town of Philipstown and the Conway School of Landscape Design to develop a natural resource plan that will direct strategic conservation goals in the Town's new Comprehensive Plan, and to partner with the Open Space Institute and Scenic Hudson to increase protection along the Hudson River in Putnam County. | $7,600 |
| North Shore Land Alliance | Old Westbury, Nassau County | To design, structure and implement a county-wide land/easement acquisition program which will successfully and effectively spend the proceeds from two recently passed (November, 2004) bond acts - the $50 million Clean Water, Open Space Environmental Program and the $30 million Save Environmental Assets Fund II bond. This grant will position the organization to provide critical guidance on local land conservation decisions and to builds support in Nassau County for additional funding sources in 2006. | $16,500 |
| Saratoga P.L.A.N. | Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County | To partner with Saratoga County to produce a comprehensive county-wide Green Infrastructure Plan that will identify open spaces, natural areas, trail corridors and farmland that should be protected. Importantly it will work with each community and assure that there are linkages between communities for trails, watershed protection, habitat connections and adequate recreational spaces. The Plan will build on the 1995 "Special Places Campaign" to establish Saratoga PLAN's land protection priorities and to aid towns throughout the county in planning and securing resources for conservation. | $19,300 |
| Thousand Islands Land Trust | Clayton, Jefferson County | To engage local communities and partner organizations in the creation of a community-based conservation plan for the Thousand Islands landscape. This project will create a new regional approach for conservation of up to 2,000 additional acres along the St. Lawrence River and Islands and along major creeks feeding the south side of the St. Lawrence River, from the Village of Cape Vincent to Chippewa Bay. | $17,600 |
| Wallkill Valley Land Trust, Inc. | New Paltz, Ulster County | To develop and implement three part campaign (publicity, capital, and land conservation) to preserve and protect the 350-acre Pine Hole Bog, one of the largest dwarf shrub bogs in the Hudson Valley and a priority project area in the 2002 Open Space Conservation Plan, as well as the associated Black Creek watershed and outlet. | $7,700 |
| Westchester Land Trust | Bedford Hills, Westchester County | To launch a two-year comprehensive effort to complete 15 new conservation easements, in addition to land purchases and land use reforms, in North Salem, Lewisboro and Pound Ridge, and nearby towns, that will protect important biodiversity in the 22,000 acre Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor. | $9,600 |
| Category Total | $97,600 |
| ORGANIZATION | NY OFFICE LOCATION | PROPOSAL | GRANT AWARD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Stewardship Association | Greenwich, Washington County | To cover transaction costs for easement acquisition on the Beattie Farm, a 300-acre farm containing a high percentage of prime soils located on the White Creek. | $6,000 |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy | Jamestown, Chautauqua County | To acquire 27 acres of Chautauqua Lake Outlet wetlands and conserve 160 feet of waterfront, including expenses associated with environmental investigation and construction of an interpretive kiosk for public education. | $7,200 |
| Columbia Land Conservancy - Taconic Ridge acquisition | Chatham, Columbia County | To purchase a 93-acre forested parcel of land in the Taconic Ridge/Harlem Valley Region that is visible from the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and other protected lands, to be used as a public conservation area. | $9,600 |
| Genesee Land Trust | Rochester, Monroe County | To cover expenses related to the purchase of 5 acres of critical migratory bird habitat adjacent to Braddock Bay with a small Lake Ontario beach frontage, adjacent to DEC owned land and near migratory bird banding research station. | $5,000 |
| Hudson Highlands Land Trust | Garrison, Putnam County | To cover costs associated with the pending donation of a 19-acre parcel of undisturbed land to the Hudson Highlands Land Trust. The property, adjacent to NYS-owned parkland, will eventually be added to the Hudson Highlands State Park. | $6,500 |
| North Shore Land Alliance | Old Westbury, Nassau County | To cover expenses related to protection of a threatened, high conservation value property. The 6-acre property sits between a house that may be sold for development and an environmentally sensitive pond area which is slated to be purchased for passive parkland. | $9,600 |
| Northeast Wilderness Trust-NY Office | Essex, Essex County | To purchase and preserve the 108-acre Northwest Boquet Mountain Property, which is a vital piece in the protection of the Boquet Mountain Matrix and Split Rock Wildway. | $9,600 |
| Orange County Land Trust | Middletown, Orange County | To cover expenses associated with the purchase of a 44-acre easement on the Shawangunk Ridge in Orange County. | $9,600 |
| Teatown Lake Reservation, Inc. | Ossining, Westchester County | To cover transaction costs associated with donation and transfer of an easement on 17 acres of property that is key connection between Teatown's Back 40 Trail and Westchester County's Briarcliff-Peekskill Trail and also contains ~8 acres of a NYS-DEC Class 2 wetland. | $9,600 |
| The Nature Conservancy, Central & Western New York Chapter | Rochester, Monroe County | To cover costs associated with the protection of strategic parcels comprising 164 acres in the Honeoye Inlet area of the Western Finger Lakes region. The Camp Muller tract is important to maintaining the ecological integrity of the Honeoye Inlet region, as the property nearly connects the newly designated Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area to Harriet Hollister Spencer State Park. The eastern side of the tract borders the inlet to Honeoye Lake, which contains one of the largest silver maple-ash swamps in New York. The tract was formerly owned and managed by the Boy Scouts of America. | $9,500 |
| Thousand Islands Land Trust | Clayton, Jefferson County | To cover costs related to managing and improving baseline documentation for a 31-acre conservation easement at a time when the organization is preparing for significant expansion of its activity in purchased conservation easements. | $3,900 |
| Category Total | $86,100 |
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