Black crowned night heron taken at Glenwood Lake, where WLT recently protected the last two remaining undeveloped parcels around the lake. Photo Credit: Bruce Jackson, New Rochelle

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Bedford Hills, NY—Westchester Land Trust (WLT) was awarded two grants totaling $100,000 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as part of the latest round of Conservation Partnership Program (CPP) funding announced April 18. WLT, ​​a nationally accredited land conservation nonprofit headquartered in Bedford Hills, will use the funding to defray costs associated with recent land protection projects in Cortlandt and New Rochelle.

The CPP awarded a record $3.375M in grants to 51 nonprofit land trusts across this year, the highest amount given in the program’s 20-year history. To date, the CPP has funded more than $25M in grants and leveraged that funding into an additional $26.5M in additional support from local and private sources.

“We are thrilled to receive these Conservation Partnership Program grants and grateful for the support that enables land trusts like ours to protect natural resources for all New Yorkers, forever,” said Lori Ensinger, WLT’s President. “We thank the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Commissioner Basil Seggos, Governor Kathy Hochul, and the Land Trust Alliance for investing in the forests, wetlands, farmland, and urban green spaces that sustain our communities.”

The first grant will partially defray the costs associated with conserving a 137-acre property in Cortlandt, which has been prioritized by federal, state, and local conservation plans. The protected land is a critical addition to an existing 2,700-acre conservation corridor within the Croton-to-Highlands Biodiversity Area, which includes the Town’s Hudson Highlands Gateway Park, the Hudson Highlands State Park, and the Appalachian Trail. The land will be protected in perpetuity as a nature preserve and open to the public as soon as practical for hiking and nature study.

WLT was also awarded a grant to help fund the protection of the last remaining undeveloped parcels around Glenwood Lake Park in New Rochelle. This project ensures that the environmentally sensitive land located in this densely populated urban area will remain open space in perpetuity. Glenwood Lake is the only lake in the southern part of New Rochelle, and the 13-acre City-owned park is a natural area boasting a wide diversity of wildlife. The protection of the water quality of the 4-acre kettle lake further safeguards that of the Hutchinson River, and the Long Island Sound into which it flows. The preserve also provides an important stopover for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. Osprey, egrets, and herons are among the coastal bird species frequently spotted using the park, in addition to many varieties of ducks and woodland-dependent songbirds.

“Funding from the Conservation Partnership Program is critically important, not just for protecting land for wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, but also as an important natural climate solution,” said Brendan Murphy, WLT’s Director of Stewardship. “Both of these projects were top preservation priorities of their respective municipalities, and we are grateful for their partnership to preserve the ecological functions that protect our communities from the increasing effects of climate change.”