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DEC Awards More Than $3 Million in Conservation
Partnership Program Grants
Published: May 29, 2025 at
02:45 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS DEC
DEC Awards More Than $3 Million in Conservation
Partnership Program Grants
Funding Awarded to 45 Land Trusts to Conserve Open
Space
Grants Help Fulfill New York’s Goal of Conserving 30
Percent of Public Lands and Waters by 2030
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton
today announced more than $3 million was awarded
to 45 not-for-profit land trusts across the state. The funding, made
available through the Conservation Partnership Program, will support 61
projects designed to support land trusts and their ongoing work, which complements the State’s efforts to protect water
quality, prevent farmland conversion, boost public access for outdoor
recreation, and conserve open space.
“The Conservation
Partnership Program demonstrates the power of collaboration in advancing
New York’s environmental goals,” said Commissioner Lefton.
“Land trusts are essential partners in protecting critical habitats,
expanding public access to nature, and making communities across the state
more climate resilient. The Conservation Partnership Program grants
announced today build upon the successful
partnership between DEC, the Land Trust Alliance, and New York’s land
trusts, and reflect our dedication to working hand-in-hand
with local organizations to achieve our shared conservation goals and
protect public land. Congratulations to the awardees—your dedication is
helping to build a greener, healthier, and more sustainable New York.”
The grants are
supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and will
leverage an additional $2.6 million in private and local funding. The Land
Trust Alliance administers the Conservation Partnership Program in
coordination with DEC. Since its creation in 2002, the Conservation
Partnership Program has awarded 1,268 grants totaling more than $34 million
to 99 land trusts, with the funding leveraging at least $36 million in
additional private and local funding.
“Supporting land
trusts and private land conservation benefits the people of New York in
countless ways, from protecting open spaces to preserving farmland and
conserving natural resources,” said Ashley Demosthenes, CEO of the
Land Trust Alliance. “New York’s Conservation Partnership Program
grants illustrate the state’s commitment to safeguarding the health and
well-being of its residents and the environment by leveraging the strengths
of New York’s land trust community to protect treasured local outdoor
spaces and enhance resilience against the impacts of increasingly severe
weather and a changing climate. Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul, DEC
Commissioner Amanda Lefton, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for working to ensure the continued
availability of clean water, outdoor recreation and economic opportunities
for all New Yorkers.”
The grant awards
announced today range from $2,000 to $100,000. Below is a list of funded
projects; more details are available on DEC’s website. This year's grantees include 35
accredited land trusts that secured independent verification that their
work and operations meet high standards for land conservation, stewardship,
and nonprofit management.
Capital Region –
$583,115
- Agricultural Stewardship Association:
Stewardship and Resource Management Grant, $95,000
- Columbia Land Conservancy: Stewardship and
Resource Management Grant, $88,750
- Grassland Bird Trust: Capacity Grant, $24,460
- Hudson Taconic Lands: Transaction Grants,
$93,245
- Lake George Land Conservancy: Stewardship and
Resource Management Grant, $100,000; Transaction Grant, $31,660
- Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy: Professional
Development, $100,000
- Saratoga PLAN: Capacity Grant, $50,000
Central New York
– $177,500
- Cazenovia Preservation Foundation:
Professional Development Grant, $97,500
- The New York Agricultural Land Trust:
Professional Development Grant, $80,000
Finger Lakes –
$250,700
- Finger Lakes Land Trust: Conservation
Catalyst Grant, $100,000
- Genesee Land Trust: Capacity Grant, $50,000;
Stewardship and Resource Management Grant, $50,000
- Genesee Valley Conservancy: Stewardship and
Resource Management Grant, $50,700
Long Island –
$183,800
- HL Ferguson Museum: Capacity Grant, $35,300
- North Shore Land Alliance: Capacity Grant,
$23,500
- Peconic Land Trust: Stewardship and Resource
Management Grant, $100,000
- Sisters of Saint Joseph of Brentwood:
Capacity Grant, $25,000
Mid-Hudson –
$1,069,824
- Beaverkill Valley Land Trust: Capacity Grant, $20,000
- Delaware Highlands Conservancy: Transaction
Grants, $48,600
- Dutchess Land Conservancy: Transaction Grant,
$18,920
- Friends of the Great Swamp: Stewardship and
Resource Management Grant, $58,000
- Hudson Highlands Land Trust: Capacity Grant,
$50,000; Transaction Grant, $75,000
- Mianus River Gorge: Conservation Catalyst Grant,
$71,850; Stewardship and Resource Management Grant, $21,600;
Transaction Grant, $7,549
- Mohonk Preserve: Capacity Grant, $48,000;
Professional Development Grant, $80,000
- New City Parks: Stewardship and Resource
Management Grant, $75,000
- Open Space Institute: Conservation Catalyst
Grant, $75,000
- Orange County Land Trust: Transaction Grants,
$70,805
- Pound Ridge Land Conservancy: Capacity
Grants, $52,000
- Ramapo Munsee Land Alliance: Capacity Grant,
$25,000
- Teatown Lake Reservation: Professional
Development, $80,000; Stewardship and Resource Management Grant,
$50,000
- Wallkill Valley Land Trust: Conservation
Catalyst Grant, $17,500
- Westchester Land Trust: Capacity Grants,
$97,000
- Winnakee Land Trust: Transaction Grant, $28,000
Mohawk Valley –
$98,000
- Otsego Land Trust: Professional Development,
$98,000
New York City –
$64,800
- Brooklyn Queens Land Trust: Stewardship and
Resource Management Grant, $50,000
- Green Guerillas Inc: Capacity Grants, $14,800
North Country –
$414,578
- Adirondack Land Trust: Professional
Development, $80,000
- Champlain Area Trails: Professional
Development, $100,000
- Northeast Wilderness Trust: Transaction
Grant. $14,438
- The Nature Conservancy: Stewardship and
Resource Management Grant, $55,000
- Thousand Islands Land Trust: Capacity Grant,
$37,250; Stewardship and Resource Management Grant, $77,890
- Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust: Capacity Grant,
$50,000
Southern Tier –
$40,950
- Chenango Greenway Conservancy: Capacity
Grant, $18,750
- Otsego Land Trust: Transaction Grant, $22,200
Western New York
– $191,733
- Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust:
Professional Development Grant, $100,000
- Grassroots Gardens WNY: Conservation
Catalyst, $47,150
- Western New York Land Conservancy:
Transaction, $44,583
The grants are
the latest State action to help promote open space preservation and
conservation. The 2025-26 enacted State Budget increases the EPF to a
record $425 million. The EPF provides funding for critical environmental
programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species
prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality
improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda. In December
2022, Governor Hochul signed legislation setting the goal to support and
contribute to national efforts to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. land
and water by 2030. This law promotes biodiversity and conserves New York's
wildlife, forests, and clean water sources, which are all essential to New
York's health and economy.
About the Land
Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation
organization that works to save the places people need and love by
strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance represents
approximately 950-member land trusts supported by more than 250,000
volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in
Washington D.C. and operates several regional offices. More information
about the Alliance is available on the Land Trust Alliance's website.
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