(Albany, NY) - Governor Eliot Spitzer’s 2007-2008 Executive Budget doubles the amount previously available for the New York State Conservation Partnership Program. This pioneering program provides public funds to be used in partnership with qualified private conservation groups to save land that is important for local communities. Increased from $500,000 last fiscal year to $1,000,000 in the new budget, the program will continue to be administered by the Land Trust Alliance in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Governor’s Executive Budget has yet to be approved by the legislature.
The Orange County Land Trust received a grant through this program in 2006 that enable it to hire staff a staff member specifically for Stewardship program coordination.
Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance, based in Washington DC, said “We applaud Governor Spitzer’s conservation leadership in providing funds that will be leveraged to benefit citizens across the state. By investing in this type of public-private partnership, working through local land trusts, more communities will be able to conserve farms, forests, wildlife, and natural areas where they live.”
"This is exciting news; the Governor's action will certainly make a
difference in quality of life issues in Orange County. As our communities
continue to grow and prosper, they are finding it more crucial than ever to
protect their priceless natural assets. Once lost, they are lost forever"
said Jim Delaune, Executive Director of the Orange County Land Trust.
“This investment demonstrates Governor Spitzer’s commitment to furthering the important work of private conservation organizations, which are working in concert with all levels of government to protect open space in our communities,” said John Halsey, President, Peconic Land Trust and Vice-Chairman of the Alliance’s New York State Advisory Board. “The Conservation Partnership Program enables Peconic Land Trust and other land trust organizations to help landowners and public partners permanently protect Long Island’s local aquifers, estuaries, working farms, and remaining open space. We are thrilled to have this expanded opportunity to preserve New York’s environment,” Halsey said.
“We are extremely pleased about Governor Spitzer’s proposal to increase the Conservation Partnership Program to $1 million. This one of a kind program is a prime example of the creative thinking that keeps New York at the forefront of land conservation efforts. At Dutchess Land Conservancy, we’ve used Conservation Partnership Program grants to leverage over $2 million dollars in private funds to protect important public and private land, and we are very excited about the many new opportunities this increase will provide to keep our magnificent Hudson Valley landscape intact,” notes Becky Thornton, President, Dutchess Land Conservancy & Vice-Chairman of the Alliance’s New York State Advisory Board.
"The Land Trust Alliance and Department of Environmental Conservation share a vision of clean air and water, community open space, and protected working landscapes,” said Lynn Schumann, Northeast Director, Land Trust Alliance. “Thanks to successful collaboration, this program is advancing the important goals of the New York Open Space Plan and, in doing so, is establishing a national model for accelerating the pace of conservation and for building a statewide network of proactive, community-based land trusts,” said Schumann.
The New York State Conservation Partnership Program is funded through appropriations from the Environmental Protection Fund. It provides technical assistance and competitive matching grant funds to New York’s 90 land trusts, leveraging private funding for open space conservation in communities around the state. First funded at $250,000 in the 2002-03 State Budget, the New York State Conservation Partnership Program has invested $2 million from the Environmental Protection Fund in non-profit, community-based initiatives to help communities and landowners create urban gardens, protect prime farmland and working forests, and ensure permanent conservation of key watershed lands, critical wildlife habitat, and public nature preserves.
Since its inception, the New York State Conservation Partnership Program has provided 130 competitive grants totaling $1.2 million to 53 land trusts across New York State, protecting thousands of acres of priority lands identified in the New York State Open Space Plan. In addition, these investments have helped New York land trusts implement Land Trust Standards and Practices, ensuring public accountability, high ethical standards, and strong governance in New York’s non-profit land trust community.
According to the 2005 Land Trust Alliance Census, New York is host to 90 local and regional land trusts, ranking fifth in the nation. These community-based non-profit land conservation organizations have conserved a total of 624,241 acres, the sixth highest state total, behind California, Maine, Colorado, Montana, and Virginia. National organizations such as The Nature Conservancy have permanently protected an additional 1,099,400 acres in New York, according to the Census.
This spring, the Land Trust Alliance will join Governor Spitzer and the Department of Environmental Conservation in announcing the 2007 New York State Conservation Partnership Program grant awards. These grants and expanded funding outlined in the Executive Budget for 2007-2008 for the New York State Conservation Partnership Program will enable land trusts to help communities save even more scenic areas, trail networks, farms and forests, community gardens, watersheds, wildlife and plant habitats.
For additional information about the Land Trust Alliance or the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, please go to www.lta.org or contact Ethan Winter at the Northeast Program office at (518) 587-0774.
