New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced a total of $379,879 in grants for projects that will protect and increase forested buffers along streams. The grants are part of a new initiative of DEC's Trees for Tribs Program, which supports streamside tree and shrub plantings to prevent erosion, increase flood water retention, improve habitat, and protect water quality in communities across the state.
"For more than a decade, DEC’s Trees for Tribs program and its many partners have significantly improved the ecological health and resiliency of our watersheds through streamside planting and maintenance efforts,” said Commissioner Seggos. “Thanks to Governor Cuomo, the funding made available for these grants through the State’s Environmental Protection Fund will continue to bolster and sustain these efforts into the future.”
The grants announced today extend the reach of the Trees for Tribs Program to all New York Watersheds. Of the 10 projects that will receive funding, nine are in areas new to receiving assistance through the program. All selected projects include education and volunteer engagement components in their workplans.
The grant funding is supported by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and was made available to municipalities, academic institutions, and not-for-profits. Selected projects in eligible locations were required to involve planting native trees and shrubs along streams.
The 2017-18 State Budget includes $300 million for the EPF, sustaining the fund at its highest level ever. The funding supports state land stewardship, agriculture programs, invasive species prevention and eradication, water quality improvement, municipal recycling, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda. In addition, the EPF is establishing new programs to help communities adapt to climate change through resiliency planning and capital projects.
Grant Recipients Listed Alphabetically:
|
Recipient
|
County
|
Project
|
Award Amount
|
|
Brookhaven, Town of
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Suffolk
|
Restoration of Bay Avenue Farm, East Moriches
|
$ 27,347
|
|
Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry
|
Erie
|
Isle View Tree Planting Project
|
$ 11,757
|
|
Finger Lakes Cultural and Natural History Museum
|
Yates & Steuben
|
Sugar Creek Restoration Project
|
$ 38,000
|
|
Housatonic Valley Association
|
Columbia & Dutchess
|
Partnering to Restore Streamside Vegetation in New York’s Housatonic Valley
|
$ 49,030
|
|
North Hempstead, Town of
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Nassau
|
Trees for Manhasset Valley Park
|
$ 37,500
|
|
Onondaga Environmental Institute, Inc.
|
Onondaga
|
Riparian Restoration of the Ley Creek Watershed
|
$ 88,045
|
|
Richmond, Town of
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Ontario
|
Sandy Bottom Park Trees for Tribs
|
$ 18, 598
|
|
Seatuck Environmental Association
|
Suffolk
|
Upper Penataquit Creek Riparian Restoration
|
$ 28,600
|
|
Whitestown, Town of
|
Oneida
|
Sauquoit Creek Channel and Floodplain Restoration Project
|
$ 25,000
|
|
Winfield, Town of
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Herkimer
|
Town of Winfield Memorial Park Riparian Tree Planting
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$ 56,000
|
For more information about DEC’s Trees for Tribs Grant Program, including further detail on each of the awarded projects, visit DEC’s website.
