Part of the $3.4 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants announced by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will benefit the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.<\/p>\n
There will be 80 grants funded through New York\u2019s Environmental Protection Fund and will leverage an additional $2.7 million in private and local funding to support projects that protect water quality and farmland, boost public access for outdoor recreation, and conserve open space. The Land Trust Alliance administers the Conservation Partnership Program in coordination with DEC.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe applied for the grant under the Catalyst category\u201d, said Margo Olson, executive director of Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park. \u201cThis category is for innovative partnerships and we reached out to Saratoga PLAN.\u00a0 <\/span>It was a natural outgrowth of past collaborations with them and a great opportunity to further conservation, environmental education, and outdoor recreation in our community.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Preserve & Park\u2019s unique partnership structure whereby they do not own the protected lands on which they operate, has allowed them to embrace their role as environmental educators and facilitators to the community\u2019s outdoor recreational opportunities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Over the past decade, WWPP has worked hard to develop a year-round program of both educational and recreational programming, offering activities to the public with a robust series of programs for local schools, summer programs, afterschool, and other groups in the area. These walks and programs take place on lands owned by DEC, the Town of Wilton, and Saratoga County; the partners of the Preserve & Park.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/b>This grant will have the Preserve & Park working with Saratoga PLAN to develop and present programs on trails on Saratoga PLAN\u2019s properties.\u00a0 <\/span>They are doing so as part of their work to address climate change, the critical issue of our time.\u00a0 <\/span>The conservation of lands and habitats is important for the healing of the planet and these organizations are committed to getting people outdoors to increase their connection to our local natural resources. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople protect and are good stewards to places that mean something to them. They are more likely to support and care about the environment if they have had positive and meaningful experiences in nature,\u201d said Olson. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis collaboration with Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will drive the positive environmental changes that will be critical in the coming years to solve our climate crisis,\u201d said Maria Trabka, Executive Director of Saratoga PLAN. \u201cWhile our organizations have separate missions, with PLAN focused on land conservation and WWPP specializing in environmental education, climate change is one that both Saratoga PLAN and Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park share in common. We are excited that their interns will be introducing more people to PLAN\u2019s public preserves to experience and learn about nature, our life support system.\u201d<\/p>\n To be able to expand the programming required by the grant, Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be bringing on more program staff through adding new, paid internships to recent college graduates in the environmental field, officials said.\u00a0 <\/span>The\u00a0 <\/span>young people who are emerging professionals are also an important part of the Preserve & Park\u2019s educational mission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Working with interns who are the next generation of environmental educators will give them real world experience as they enter their field. Both Saratoga PLAN and WWPP are committed to improving diversity in outdoor spaces.\u00a0 <\/span>By targeting these internship opportunities to recent graduates who are from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the field of environmental education and conservation work, progress will be made in addressing disparities and showing the community that the outdoors is for everyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The $80,000 received from the grant will be used to support this internship program from May through March 31, 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cDEC is proud to partner with the Land Trust Alliance for this $3.3 million grant announcement, which supports land trusts across the state managing forests, conserving agricultural lands, restoring coastal and wetland areas, and bolstering essential projects in our fight against climate change,\u201d said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New York\u2019s 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 $1 invested by New York\u2019s EPF generated $7 in total economic benefits from enhanced tourism, reduced government costs and improved public health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part of the $3.4 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants announced by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will benefit the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park. There will be 80 grants funded through New York\u2019s Environmental Protection Fund and will leverage an additional $2.7 million in private and local funding to support projects that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\n