Bedford Hills, NY— Westchester Land Trust (WLT), a nationally accredited land conservation nonprofit headquartered in Bedford Hills, NY, was awarded three grants totaling $97,000 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as part of the latest round of Conservation Partnership Program (CPP) funding. The funds will be used to support three different projects, including survey work to improve boundary data on land owned by WLT, engaging conservation easement landowners through stewardship, and training to help the organization embody a culture of care across its service area.

The CPP awarded more than $3M in grants to 45 nonprofit land trusts across the state. The 61 funded projects are designed to support land trusts and their ongoing work, which complement the State’s efforts to protect water quality, prevent farmland conversion, boost public access for outdoor recreation, and conserve open space as part of its goal to protect 30 percent of public lands and waters by 2030. The grants are supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and will be used to leverage an additional $2.6 million in private and local funding.

“Westchester Land Trust thanks the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton, Governor Kathy Hochul, and the Land Trust Alliance for their support,” said Kara Whelan, president of Westchester Land Trust. “These urgently needed funds will help WLT, and the many inspiring conservation groups who secured these competitive grants, to protect the land, water, and air that our communities rely on. The grants we received will enable us to better protect our conserved natural spaces, engage landowners in caring for their land, and ensure inclusive and equitable access to nature for all.”

WLT was awarded $50,000 to support ongoing efforts to complete land surveys and boundary demarcation of its conserved lands. WLT has been working since 2014 to complete the surveys of more than 41 miles of boundaries surrounding the organization’s 33 preserves that total more than 1,150 acres and will use these funds to prioritize boundary staking at preserves that are at risk of encroachment.

“When we conserve land, we make a promise to protect it forever,” said Janelle Robbins, vice president of conservation at WLT. “To ensure we can fulfill that promise, we have to have accurate data and clearly understand where our boundaries are to prevent or mitigate encroachments or misuse. These funds will help complete this massive undertaking and give future conservationists the tools needed to protect our communities’ land and water resources and all that depend on them.”

The second grant, $32,000, will be used to improve WLT’s conservation easement stewardship by implementing new monitoring and recordkeeping software, providing funds for legal support, and offering more opportunities for landowners to connect with each other and WLT’s staff. Through these efforts, WLT is better poised to defend protected land and reduce the risk of future easement violations, as well as further cultivate a network of informed easement landowners who help WLT protect more than 6,250 acres throughout the region.

“The grant provides resources to streamline our land protection and stewardship systems, allowing us to be better protectors of the land and giving us the tools needed to meaningfully connect with our conservation easement landowners,” said Jody Hughes, WLT’s conservation easement steward. “They care about the land just as much as we do, and WLT looks forward to being both a resource and a partner in the ongoing conservation of their land.”

The third grant, for $15,000 will enable WLT to continue working with an equity coach to implement a three-year strategic equity plan that addresses past, current, and future work in this area, with the goal of creating a culture of care throughout the organization and across its efforts. The equity plan focuses on an organizational equity audit and assessment, awareness raising sessions, and foundation building with staff and leadership.

“Equity is at the heart of creating a conservation movement that works for everyone,” said Jes Parker, director of communications at WLT. “We’re committed to learning and taking action so that all people can feel safe, welcome, and connected to nature. This work brings us closer to a future where open space, fresh food, and clean water are a right, not a privilege, for every community.”

Since its launch in 2002, the CPP has awarded 1,268 grants totaling more than $34 million have been awarded to 99 land trusts. Cumulatively, the State’s investment has leveraged an additional $36 million in private and local funding. The Land Trust Alliance administers the CPP in coordination with New York State DEC.

The three projects, Drawing the Line: Delineating Boundaries to Protect Westchester Land Trust’s Legacy Lands, Engaging and Empowering Landowners Through Conservation Easement Stewardship, and Embodying a Conservation Culture of Care, were supported with funding from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

We acknowledge that our region is within the traditional territories of the Lenape people and that their culture and traditions live on today.