For Release: Thursday, May 21, 2009
DEC Funding Available for Grassland Protection Program
Grants Available to Eligible Private Landowners to Help Promote Bird Habitats
Private landowners interested in enhancing and restoring critical grassland habitat could be eligible for grants totaling approximately $300,000, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today. With grasslands declining in New York and nationwide, DEC's Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) for Grassland Protection and Management directs funding to projects on private property that will help the at-risk species that depend on this unique ecosystem to survive.
Grasslands provide important habitat for a variety of wildlife and are especially significant for birds. In New York, the endangered short-eared owl, the threatened Henslow's sparrow and the threatened upland sandpiper need grasslands to avoid further declines in their populations. Grassland acreage in the state has been decreasingly drastically over the last three decades due mostly to a reduction in pasture and hayfields, natural vegetative succession and development. Pastures and hayfields in New York decreased by about 33 percent in area between 1965 and 2006; during that time, grassland bird populations decreased at a fairly steady average rate of 6.5 percent per year.
"The Landowner Incentive Program is a great way to directly involve private landowners in the conservation of habitat in great need of protection," Commissioner Grannis said. "This partnership will provide significant benefits both to the landowners, as well as to the numerous species that call New York's grasslands home."
To help address the loss of grasslands and at-risk species, the Landowner Incentive Program was created as a partnership between DEC and private landowners since the vast majority of wildlife inhabit, use, or move through private property. The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Private landowners can apply for technical guidance and financial incentives for the protection of at-risk grassland species on their land. To best achieve this purpose and guide conservation efforts, the DEC has joined with Audubon New York, a recognized authority in ornithology and habitat conservation. Eligible landowners interested in offsetting the decline in grassland bird habitat and populations will be able to apply for technical advice and financial incentives of $55 or $60 per acre per year to conduct the prescribed site management. The higher rate will be applied for parcels of land located within 25 miles of large urban areas, reflecting higher soil rental rates near population centers.
Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York, said: "As the majority of grassland bird habitat is in private ownership, individual landowners can play an important role in their conservation. Providing incentives and landowner education is critical if we are to be successful in conserving these fast declining bird species. We are thrilled to be working with Commissioner Grannis and the DEC on this innovative conservation program."
DEC and Audubon have identified the main grassland areas for the state. To maximize the program's benefit, DEC will limit LIP eligibility to private landowners who own grasslands of 10 acres or more within these focus areas. They 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, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, Washington, Warren, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates.
To learn more about the program and obtain an application form, visit the Landowner Incentive Program page on the DEC website. For questions or comments regarding the program, send an email to F&WLIP@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call (518) 402-8910. The deadline for pre-application submission is August 1, 2009.
