For Release: Tuesday, November 20, 2007
DEC Announces Grants to Help Protect Private Grasslands
Landowner Incentive Program To Help Manage and Protect Dwindling Grassland Habitats
More than 2,100 acres of privately owned, critical natural habitats will be protected and enhanced thanks to grants awarded today to help conserve dwindling grasslands in communities throughout upstate New York, State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today. 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.
"DEC and our partners in conservation have been tracking the decline in grassland bird populations through the Breeding Bird Survey since 1960s," 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."
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 the grants announced today, private landowners will be managing their grassland habitats to benefit these and other species that depend upon 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 five-year site management plans the 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.
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 habitat.
"This Landowner Incentive Program is the newest tool we have for protecting critical habitat," said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York. "Audubon has been committed to the development of this program, and we are thrilled at this opportunity to partner with DEC and these private landowners to assist with their habitat management efforts."
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 this funding. Applications were reviewed by DEC staff through a rigorous selection process reflecting the ecological needs of at-risk grassland birds.
The following applicants have been selected to receive LIP grants for Grassland Protection and Management:
| County | Applicant | Acreage |
|---|---|---|
| Chemung County | Mount Saviour Monastery | 71 acres |
| Genesee | Ed Schmidbauer | 113 acres |
| Jefferson | John and Phyllis Donaghy | 129 acres |
| Jefferson | William and Charles Hutson | 110 acres |
| Jefferson | Charles Kingsley | 116 acres |
| Jefferson | Robert Lawson | 74 acres |
| Jefferson | Allen Mitchell | 51 acres |
| Jefferson | The Nature Conservancy | 45 acres |
| Jefferson | Edith Warner and Gail Miller | 125 acres |
| Montgomery | Richard Bromberg | 78 acres |
| Niagara | James Atwater | 86 acres |
| Niagara | Robert Atwater | 126 acres |
| Oneida | John and Linda Storey | 71 acres |
| St. Lawrence | Stephen Storie | 89 acres |
| St. Lawrence | David Warren | 85 acres |
| Steuben | Vaughn Emo | 126 acres |
| Steuben | Greg and Victoria Fuerst | 163 acres |
| Steuben | Robert Kephart | 80 acres |
| Steuben | Harold Maynard | 156 acres |
| Steuben | Carroll V. Wade II | 71 acres |
| Washington | Lillian Reid | 100 acres |
| Yates | Jim and Terri Coleman | 72 acres |
To learn more about LIP and grasslands, visit www.dec.ny.gov/animals/32722.html on the DEC website. Information can also be obtained by sending an e-mail to F&WLIP@gw.state.dec.ny.us or by calling DEC's Bureau of Wildlife at (518) 402-8910.
