Awards to North Country, Capital Region organizations total $1M

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos recently announced more than $2.2 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants for 50 not-for-profit land trusts across the state.

A total of 69 grants funded through New York’s Environmental Protection Fund will leverage an additional $2.6 million in private and local funding to support projects that protect water quality and farmland, boost public access for outdoor recreation, and conserve open space to benefit community health, tourism, and economic development. The Land Trust Alliance administers the Conservation Partnership Program in coordination with DEC.

“Over the last year, New Yorkers young and old have been exploring the outdoors in record numbers,” said Commissioner Seggos. “Land trusts across the state help to preserve and manage some of the special, natural places that the public has come to love. The grants announced today support forest management, conservation agriculture, coastal and wetlands restoration, and other activities that are essential to help address climate change and preserve the ecosystems we depend on. We commend the Land Trust Alliance for administering this important program.”

In addition, the $2.2 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants and $2.6 million in private and local funding will increase state lands’ resilience to the changing climate and contribute to climate solutions by storing carbon. Natural climate solutions will have a significant role in addressing risks associated with climate change.

The grant awards announced today range from $3,161 to $100,000, and include:

North Country – (total $351,649)

• Adirondack Land Trust: Capacity Grants $51,754
• Champlain Area Trails: Capacity Grant $28,500; Transaction Grant $34,725
• Indian River Lakes Conservancy: Capacity Grant $37,500
• Lake Placid Land Conservancy: Capacity Grants $25,000
• Northeast Wilderness Trust: Catalyst Grant $40,000; Stewardship & Resource Management Grant $12,000
• Thousand Islands Land Trust: Stewardship & Resource Management Grant $50,000; Transaction Grant $36,980
• Tug Hill Tomorrow: Land Trust Capacity Grant $23,830; Transaction Grant $11,360

Capital District – (total $647,946)

• Agricultural Stewardship Association: Capacity Grant $28,900; Stewardship & Resource Management Grant $50,000
• American Farmland Trust: Catalyst Grant $40,000
• Battenkill Conservancy: Capacity Grant $30,000
• Capital Roots: Transaction Grant $18,000
• Columbia Land Conservancy: Catalyst Grant $74,600
• Grassland Bird Trust: Capacity Grant $30,000
• Greene Land Trust: Capacity Grant $29,300
• Huyck Preserve and Biological Resource Station: Capacity Grant $32,975; Transaction Grant $11,100
• Lake George Land Conservancy: Stewardship & Resource Management Grant $23,300
• Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy: Professional Development Grant $33,710
• The Nature Conservancy: Catalyst Grant $60,000
• Northeastern Cave Conservancy: Transaction Grant $3,161
• Rensselaer Land Trust: Professional Development Grant $60,000; Transaction Grant $23,000
• Rensselaer Plateau Alliance: Transaction Grant $47,700
• Saratoga PLAN: Capacity Grant $36,000; Transaction Grant $16,200

Photo: The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) received a grant of $23,300, which will allow the public to access the LGLC’s 12-acre, ecologically-important East Brook Preserve in Lake George. (provided photo)