Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, REF - Sag Harbor) announced more than $2.2 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants for 47 not-for-profit land trusts across the state, including a $25,000 capacity grant for the Peconic Land Trust in Southampton.

The grants were announced with the Land Trust Alliance at a recent statewide land trust gathering celebrating New York's commitment to protecting the environment. The Land Trust Alliance administers the Conservation Partnership Program in coordination with the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

A total of 70 grants funded through New York's Environmental Protection Fund will leverage an additional $2.2 million in private and local funding to support projects that protect water quality and farmland, boost public access for outdoor recreation and conserve important open space areas that will benefit community health, tourism and economic development. This combined funding will also help build the resiliency of lands to the changing climate and contribute to climate solutions by storing carbon. Recent research underscores the role that natural climate solutions will have in addressing risks associated with climate change.

Grant awards range from $3,550 to $100,000 throughout the state, with $142,500 in awards directed to Long Island. A detailed breakdown of all the grants and an overview of how the funds will be spent are available on the DEC website.

Since the Conservation Partnership Program's inception in 2002, and including this year's grants, the program has awarded 928 grants totaling $19.45 million to 90 different land trusts. Cumulatively, the State's investment has leveraged $21.2 million in additional funding from local and private sources.

New York's investment in land conservation and open space supports local businesses, saves taxpayer dollars and protects public health. The Trust for Public Land found that every dollar invested by New York's Environmental Protection Fund generated $7 in total economic benefits from enhanced tourism, reduced government costs and improved public health. The 2019-20 State Budget sustained the record-high EPF at $300 million for the fourth year in a row, providing funding for open space conservation, parkland stewardship and other environmental protection projects.