GARDINER - A group of eight Ulster County land trusts received $20,000 to strengthen their organizations and land protection capacities. The grant was awarded by the Land Trust Alliance through the New York State Conservation Partnership Program administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The program provides funds annually to local land trusts in order to meet critical conservation goals—its success prompted an increase of $500,000 in the new State budget over the previous year, for a total of nearly $1.6 million in 2008-2009.

The eight partners are the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, the Cragsmoor Conservancy, the Esopus Creek Conservancy, the Mohonk Preserve, the Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy, the Shawangunk Conservancy, the Wallkill Valley Land Trust, and the Woodstock Land Conservancy.

The grant will support a study to assess the resources and activity areas of the land trusts and identify gaps that can hinder conservation across Ulster County as a whole. The result will be increased efficiency and lower costs for the organizations, which operate with limited staff and budgets. As a result, the land trusts will be able to improve contact with landowners and municipalities and provide a greater level of planning and consulting services to individuals and communities interested in realizing the financial and environmental benefits of land protection.