The Adirondack Land Trust (ALT) has been awarded two New York State Conservation Partnership Program grants: $30,000 to increase its impact as a conservation organization, and $10,000 to begin care and management of Glenview Preserve in the town of Harrietstown.

The funding was announced as part of the Land Trust Alliance and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s 2017 round of NYS Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) grants. Funded by the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), 58 awards of $1.8 million will leverage an additional $1.5 million in private and local support for projects across the state that protect farmland, wildlife habitat, and water quality, and conserve open spaces that are important for community health, tourism and regional economies.

For 33 years, ALT has worked to protect 23,032 acres of working farms and forests, undeveloped shoreline, scenic vistas and other lands contributing to the quality of life or Adirondack communities as well as the wildness and rural character of the Adirondacks. ALT shared staff and services with The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter for the past 29 years. This year, as ALT relaunches as an independently staffed organization, NYSCPP’s $30,000 Capacity Grant will help ALT build staff as well as prepare for Land Trust Alliance accreditation review.

NYSCPP’s $10,000 Transactions Grant will help ALT cover start-up stewardship costs at Glenview Preserve, on Route 86 between Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths, featuring one of the best roadside views in the Adirondack Park. ALT purchased the 238-acre property in October 2016. The organization will maintain the vista and develop a management plan that takes into account agricultural, habitat, freshwater and recreation values.

The New York State Conservation Partnership Program offers competitive matching grants to qualified New York land trusts. Since the program’s inception in 2002, it has awarded more than 750 grants totaling $14.9 million to 87 different land trusts, leveraging $17 million in additional funding.

Photo: Glen View courtesy John DiGiacomo.