New York awards $2.7 million to 45 land trusts for trails, staff and land deals
The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced 56 Conservation Partnership Program grants on Oct. 1, from $6,861 to $100,000. The Land Trust Alliance runs the program with the department.
Albany. Forty-five nonprofit land trusts in New York will share $2.7 million in state grants for 56 projects, from new trails and staff positions to the costs of protecting land, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced on Oct. 1.
Conservation Partnership Program grants in 2026, by type of grant
The awards are the 22nd round of the Conservation Partnership Program, which is paid for by the state's Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Land Trust Alliance in coordination with the department. Grants range from $6,861 to $100,000, and the department said they will draw an additional $2.2 million in private and local money. Thirty-eight of the recipients are accredited land trusts.
What the money pays for
The program has five kinds of grants. Stewardship and resource management grants, the largest share at $780,164, pay for public access and work on land already conserved. Transaction grants, $676,585 across 14 awards, cover the indirect costs of conservation easements and land purchases; the department's summary puts the land involved at 4,997 acres. The rest builds organizations: capacity grants for planning and systems, catalyst grants for partnerships, and professional development grants that add permanent staff.
Genesee Land Trust received $100,000 to begin turning Island Cottage Woods in Greece into a preserve with accessible trails, signs and benches. Genesee Valley Conservancy received $100,000 to hire a full-time director of communication, its first dedicated communications position in 35 years. Dutchess Land Conservancy received $100,000 for a senior land projects manager, and the Open Space Institute Land Trust $100,000 to update a trail connectivity plan for Orange and Rockland Counties.
Thousand Islands Land Trust received $99,500 for wildlife corridor work, and Everwild Land Trust $99,212 for an accessible trail and parking at its Loomis Goose Creek Preserve in Chautauqua County. Westchester Land Trust's $75,000 transaction grant supports the protection of a 200 acre forest in Putnam County that the department says safeguards drinking water for more than nine million people. The smallest award, $6,861, went to Grassroots Gardens WNY for a stewardship plan and public access at a community garden it acquired in Buffalo.
Where the grants went
The Mid-Hudson region received the most, $899,991 for 18 awards, followed by the Capital Region with $530,989 for 14. The North Country received $370,588, Western New York $293,573 and the Finger Lakes $200,000.
Since it began in 2002, the program has made more than 1,300 grants to 100 land trusts, according to the department. The state budget for 2026-27 keeps the Environmental Protection Fund at $425 million.
“For decades, the Conservation Partnership Program has helped New York land trusts work with private landowners to voluntarily conserve their valuable farmland, wildlife habitat and outdoor spaces.”
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