Bedford Hills, NY—Westchester Land Trust (WLT) was awarded two grants totaling $117,400 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as part of the latest round of Conservation Partnership Program (CPP) funding announced May 2. WLT, a nationally accredited land conservation nonprofit headquartered in Bedford Hills, will use the funds to support a recently created full-time director of urban engagement staff position and defray the costs associated with protecting five vacant parcels of open space in Park Hill, a historic neighborhood in the City of Yonkers.

The CPP awarded more than $3M in grants for 45 nonprofit land trusts across the state to support projects that protect water quality and farmland, boost public access for outdoor recreation and conserve open space to benefit community health, tourism, and economic development. The announcements include 67 grants funded through New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund that will leverage an additional $3M in private and local funding.

“We congratulate our fellow grant recipients the inspiring conservation groups who were awarded these competitive grants. The CPP grants will allow us to accelerate our work in urban centers and support the diverse needs of these communities,” said Kara Hartigan Whelan, president of Westchester Land Trust. “We’re grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Commissioner Basil Seggos, Governor Kathy Hochul, and the Land Trust Alliance for their investment in our work to increase land protection and outdoor access for all.”

WLT was awarded $100,000 to support a recently created staff position, the director of urban engagement, which aims to build relationships with communities and groups in urban areas to help the organization better understand where and how it can offer support. This addition to WLT’s staff is part of a larger commitment to increasing resources for proactive land protection and stewardship in urban areas.

The second grant, awarded at $17,400, will partially defray the land protection transaction costs associated with preserving five open lots in the historic Park Hill neighborhood in Yonkers through conservation easements. The parcels are located within the Hudson River Estuary, and some of the properties drain into Tibbetts Brook, which flows into Van Cortlandt Lake and eventually into the Harlem River. The neighborhood is less than a quarter mile from Pelton Park, a central hub of the Yonkers Greenway, which will eventually stretch from New York City’s Van Cortlandt Part to the downtown Yonkers waterfront and serve as a connection between underserved neighborhoods to green space.

Since its launch in 2022, the CPP has awarded 1,144 grants totaling more than $28M to 94 land trusts. Cumulatively, that investment has leveraged $29.5M in additional funding from local and private sources. The Land Trust Alliance administers the CPP in coordination with New York State DEC.