JOB POSTINGS:
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia & Greene Counties: Natural Resources Program Coordinator applications due March 5
CCE of Columbia and Greene Counties is seeking a Natural Resources Program Coordinator responsible for coordinating the Catskill/Hudson Valley region of the Master Forest Owner (MFO) Volunteer Program and natural resource projects and programs in Columbia & Greene counties. The Coordinator works with the supervisor and staff, volunteers, towns, organizations and partners to coordinate and deliver educational programs and resources on diverse natural resource topics.
Kingston Land Trust: Seasonal Land Steward application due March 22
Kingston Land Trust is seeking a seasonal land steward to help with caretaking, management, and monitoring of KLT-protected lands. The seasonal land steward will help them devote more regular attention to the land so they can continue to heal land disturbed by urbanization and other human forces, develop the local culture of land stewardship, and make land accessible to the public. This is a temporary part-time position starting in April and ending in November.
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps: Conservation Corps Member applications due April 4 (rolling)
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps (RCSC) is now recruiting Corps Members for the summer of 2021. RCSC is a summer internship program that provides members with a wide range of hands-on training and experience, leadership and networking opportunities, and professional development in the environmental field. It's a full-time, 350-hour commitment from June until mid-August. 50 hours of training, 50 hours of community projects and 250 hours of direct service at a nonprofit or municipal host site. All members receive a stipend of $2,300 for the summer.
Housatonic Valley Association: River Steward internships (rolling)
Housatonic Valley Association is seeking applications for their 2021 River Stewards internship program. River Stewards will work on a variety of projects related to water resource management and outreach. Positions are available in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
GRANTS:
The Funders Network: Partners for Places applications due March 19
The Funders Network (TFN), in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), has announced the next round of grant of grant opportunities for general and green stormwater infrastructure matching grants. Applications are to: create or improve collaborative partnerships between a local government sustainability and/or water department(s), frontline community-led group(s), and place-based funder(s), advance equitable sustainable climate action and/or GSI projects that addresses frontline community priorities, and apply a racial equity approach to both the collaboration and the project planning/implementation.
Climate Reality Project: Climate Justice for All Project Grants applications due March 21
Climate Reality seeks to work with 10 organizations or groups interested in implementing a six-month project-based climate initiative between April and October of 2021. The project must engage and benefit frontline communities, historically marginalized groups, or communities of color in the US. Recognizing that those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution, they will award a one-time grant of up to $20,000 per organization for project implementation. Climate Reality encourages applications from organizations primarily run by and serving people of color.
US EPA: The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program applications due May 7
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working on or planning to work on projects to address local environmental and/or public health issues in their communities. The program assists recipients in building collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions that will significantly address environmental and/or public health issue(s) at the local level. The EJCPS Program requires selected applicants, or recipients, to use the EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model as part of their projects.
US EPA: Environmental Justice Small Grants Program applications due May 7
The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues. The program is designed to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. Environmental Justice Small Grants fund projects up to $50,000, depending on the availability of funds in a given year. All projects are associated with at least one qualified environmental statute.
NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program: Local Stewardship Planning Grants applications due June 2
This funding will help communities in the Hudson River estuary watershed increase resiliency to flooding, protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and enhance natural resources. The minimum award amount is $10,500 and the maximum award amount is $50,000, with 15% match. This funding is from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Eligible projects advance four categories of projects and programs through planning, feasibility studies, and/or design:
- Hudson River shoreline communities to adapt land uses and decision-making to factor in climate change, flooding, heat, drought, and sea-level rise projections;
- Making water infrastructure more resilient to flooding and/or sea-level rise;
- Watershed and source water management planning (including assessing and monitoring water quality, developing a watershed characterization, and planning and designing water quality improvement projects); and
- Conservation of natural resources by creating a natural resources inventory, open space inventory/index, open space plan, conservation overlay zone, open space funding feasibility study, or connectivity plan.
NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program: River Education Grants due June 2
Approximately $200,000 is available to support projects to enhance education about the estuary along the tidal waters of the Hudson and make opportunities to learn about the Hudson River Estuary more accessible. The funding may be used to design, equip and/or construct educational facilities (including signage, exhibits, and river-focused art installations), support development of plans or curriculum, purchase of equipment, and/or development of web sites or mobile phone apps. The minimum grant award is $10,500, and the maximum grant amount is $40,000, with 15% match.
NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program: River Access Grants due June 2
Approximately $200,000 is available in the RFA for River Access for projects along the shoreline of the Hudson estuary, including the tidal portion of its tributaries, that provide new or improved accessibility at new or existing access sites for boating, fishing, swimming, and/or wildlife-dependent recreation. The minimum grant award is $10,500 and the maximum grant amount is $50,000, with 15% match. This funding is from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
FOR STUDENTS:
Hudson River Foundation: Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship applications due March 29
The Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship program is a student research program of the Hudson River Foundation (HRF) conducted in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This program provides a summer grant ($5,000 for each fellowship) and research funds (up to $1,500) for up to eight students (undergraduate and graduate) to conduct research on the Hudson River. The objectives of the program are to gather important information on all aspects of the River and to train students in conducting scientific studies and public policy research, including projects addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please note our reminder this year that the Foundation seeks in the Polgar program, as in all of its activities, to enhance its work by supporting participants with the unique and varied backgrounds, circumstances, needs, and perspectives that reflect the diversity of our community.
NEW RESOURCES:
NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program: Creating and Maintaining Hudson River Views: A Handbook for Landowners
This handbook, developed and produced by Saratoga Associates through a NEIWPCC contract in partnership with the Hudson River Estuary Program, is designed to help historic sites, land trusts, and owners of other large properties along the Hudson River create engaging river views using best practices for environmental stewardship. These practices include methods of creating and maintaining scenic vistas that balance aesthetic and historic goals with the protection of habitat and natural areas. Saratoga Associates also created two new views of the Hudson River that will serve as demonstration sites of best practices for creating scenic vistas at The Point at Mills-Norrie State Park in Staatsburg and at the Blithewood Estate on the Bard College campus in Annandale-on-Hudson. Saratoga Associates produced a three-part training series, which is now available here.
