WAWARSING, N.Y. — Mid-Hudson forest conservation efforts will receive $535,850 in grant funding, an announcement from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said.
In Ulster County, the Rondout-Esopus Land Conservancy will receive $160,850 to purchase a conservation easement, protecting 19 acres of forest land adjacent to Minnewaska State Park in the town of Wawarsing. The easement will protect Mine Hole Brook, a tributary of Rondout Creek, which contains brook trout, according to the announcement.
The funding will also “ensure that the area surrounding the Mine Hole Trail, a popular and heavily used recreation area, remains in a natural state,” the announcement said.
Scenic Hudson also received funding to support conservation efforts in Dutchess and Columbia counties. In Dutchess County, $125,000 will go toward the purchase of a conservation easement on the 137-acre Royal Strawberry Hill Farm and Preserve in the town of Poughkeepsie.
The property, once part of a network of farms, “has mostly reverted to forest in an area under extreme development pressure,” the announcement said. The land is home to a limestone woodland forest community and is a habitat for birds, mammals, and amphibians, the announcement added.
In Columbia County, $250,000 will go toward the purchase of a conservation easement on the 272-acre West Family Land property in the towns of New Lebanon and Canaan. The land, formerly part of a larger 19th-century Shaker community, is adjacent to conserved land, including Bates Memorial State Park in Massachusetts.
The funding is part of more than $1.72 million distributed statewide through the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Grant Program. The grants are funded through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.
The grants contribute to the state’s goal of conserving 30% of New York’s lands and waters by 2030. They are “intended to provide community benefits, advance ecosystem benefits and climate resilience, and work towards goals identified in the New York State Open Space Plan, the New York State Wildlife Action Plan, the New York State Forest Action Plan, and/or other local, regional or statewide land protection plans,” the announcement said.
DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a statement, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, DEC continues to protect forests and bolster climate resiliency, quality of life for all communities, and the economy. With approximately 73 percent of New York State’s forests being privately owned, this $1.72 million in FCELT Grant Program funding will help landowners keep their forests as forests and maintain working forest landscapes. Through partnerships with land trusts and dedicated landowners, we’re adding protections that keep trees standing, wildlife thriving, watersheds intact, and communities resilient.”
For more information, visit dec.ny.gov.