Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today announced that the Peconic Land Trust has been awarded a $40,000 grant through New York’s Conservation Partnership Program to help protect farmland, wildlife habitat, water quality, enhance public access for outdoor recreational opportunities, and conserve priority open space areas.

The Peconic Land Trust was one of fifty-five nonprofit land trusts across the State to receive a grant. Grant awards range from $2,100 to $75,000. The Land Trust Alliance administers the Conservation Partnership Program in coordination with New York State Department of Conservation.

This year marks the 12th round of Conservation Partnership Program grants. These grants help local land trusts sustain and expand community and landowner outreach initiatives and develop an array of land conservation, stewardship and education programs. The grants will further regional economic development goals by strengthening partnerships with local and state governments and advancing locally supported efforts to protect working farms, enhance public access and recreation opportunities, and conserve private lands prioritized in New York State’s Open Space Conservation Plan and state wildlife action plan.

A summary of this round of grant awards and awardee directory is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/lta2015regsum.pdf

A map and a complete listing of the 2015 grant recipients is available at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/lta2015map.pdf