Kevin M. Burke, Chairman, Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley,
Co-Chair National Heritage Area,
J. Winthrop Aldrich, Acting Chairman Greenway Council, Acting Co-Chair National Heritage Area
Scott Keller, Executive Director Greenway,
Director National Heritage Area
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Monthly News, Events, & Grant
Opportunities
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Important Reminders
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Greenway Planning, Greenway Trail, and Heritage Development Grant Applications are Due September 2, 2022. More details.
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New Project Categories and Increased Awards Available for Hudson River Valley Greenway and Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Grant Programs
The Greenway recently made several updates to its Conservancy Trail Grants Program, including a new category of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction. This category will allow applications for repairs to complete destruction of trail sections due to natural disaster, flooding events, or more severe cases of man-made causes.
Grant award amounts were also increased, with the maximum award for each category increased as follows:
- Trail Construction: Up to $250,000
- Trail Design or planning: Up to $75,000
- Trail Rehabilitation or Improvement projects: Up to $100,000
- Trail Education or Interpretation projects: Up to $25,000
- Natural Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction: Up to $250,000
In addition, the maximum amounts for Hudson River Greenway Water Trail Grants were also increased:
- Construction, design or planning: Up to $250,000
- Rehabilitation or Improvement projects: Up to $100,000
- Education or Interpretation projects: Up to $25,000
- Natural Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Up to $250,000
The new Value of Volunteer Hours has been updated for 2022 for all grant programs to $34.59, which will be used for volunteer hours from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. The value of volunteer hours is determined for each state and published by IndependentSector.org.
The Greenway and National Heritage Area hopes these new grant guidelines will allow more opportunities for helping communities and organizations throughout the Hudson Valley to achieve their goals. The grant application deadlines for 2022 are: September 2 and November 4.
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Erie Canalway NHC & NYS Canal Corporation Award Tourism Infrastructure & Event Grants Totaling $259,300
The Town of Saratoga received $8,000 to expand public amenities for water trail and Empire State Trail users to include an accessible kayak launch, picnic tables, a bike rack, and wayfinding signage.
The Capital Region Chamber, Albany Symphony, Parks & Trail New York, and Town of Waterford all received funding for events. Read the full press release.
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Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $3.2 Million Renovation of Coxsackie State Boat Launch and Riverside Park
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a $3.2 million project to revitalize the Coxsackie State Boat Launch and Riverside Park on the Hudson River in Greene County last week. The site is a designated Hudson River Greenway Water Trail site, and is the first to be renewed under the Hudson Eagles Recreation Area, an initiative to improve public access and resiliency on the wild stretch of the Hudson River between Albany and Kingston and enhance connections to the waterfront communities in the region.
Site improvements include:
- New open-air pavilion to host weekly Farmers Markets and other special events.
- New trees, landscaping, and seating throughout the site.
- Improved bike and pedestrian connections between the waterfront and downtown.
- New welcome, wayfinding, and orientation signage.
- Basketball court renovations.
- Improvements to the boat launch include new floating gangways and docks to make launching easier, a new ADA-compliant kayak launch, and added space for transient boater tie-ups.
- A new boat wash station, a rain garden to control stormwater, electric vehicle charging stations, and LED lighting fixtures.
The Coxsackie State Boat Launch project builds on Governor Hochul's efforts to expand and enhance outdoor recreation across New York State. The newly enacted Fiscal Year 2023 budget increased capital funding for State Parks by $140 million, for a total of $250 million. This substantial level of funding will aid the ongoing transformation of New York's flagship parks and support critical infrastructure projects throughout the park system. Learn more.
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News From Our Partners at the Hudson River Estuary Program |
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Important Reminders
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NYSDEC is Hosting a Webinar on Habitat Assessment: A Tool for Conserving Biodiversity through Site Design on June 9th. Register now.
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Protecting Water Quality and Aiding Climate Smart Certification in Gardiner
Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs is helping local partners from Climate Smart Gardiner and the Gardiner Trail Alliance plant native trees and shrubs along the Wallkill River in Riverbend Park. Last spring, volunteers planted 300 native trees and shrubs along the river. Two weeks ago, 50 volunteers planted an additional 370 tree and shrub seedlings, more than doubling the vegetated area to approximately 1.7 acres in the floodplain. The project has multiple benefits. Already, Gardiner has received 4 points toward their Climate Smart Communities Certification by completing the action to “revegetate a riparian buffer." The trees also will provide shade and diverse native plants along newly established walking and biking trails in the park. Streamside plantings help reduce erosion, provide habitat for wildlife, and protect and improve water quality. This is particularly important on rivers such as the Wallkill which is listed as an impaired waterbody. Learn more.
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Upcoming Events
*Please note that, while many heritage sites in the Hudson Valley have begun to reopen cautiously due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, some sites are still closed or have reduced hours. Please call the individual sites directly to inquire about their current status. New York State Parks remain open. While enjoying the outdoors, please follow the CDC/New York State Department of Health guidelines for preventing the spread of colds, flu, and COVID-19.
Going to an Event by Train? Download the Hudson River Train Tour App!
Between New York City and Albany, a world of history, nature, and culture awaits you. And there’s no better way to experience it all than by riding a train through the Hudson Valley. With the new, free Hudson River Train Tour app, you’ll discover what’s out that train window…and beyond. Learn more.
Engaging Kids on Trails: A National Trails Day Fireside Chat (WEBINAR)
June 2: Join the presenter in this interactive fireside chat where she will share top tips and strategies to engage children on the trail. Read more.
National Trails Day, Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton, NY
June 4: The summer has just begun, and the park could use your help! Join them to restore and maintain the trail system. More details.
On the Farm, John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, Katonah, NY
June 4: Guests will enjoy seasonal cocktails and farm-fresh hors d'oeuvres before sitting down to dinner in a picturesque meadow under the stars. Find out more.
The Livingstons and Their Community in the Revolutionary War, Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown, NY
June 5: Join one of Clermont's interpreters for a walk-and-talk tour of Clermont's grounds. More info.
11th Hudson Crossing Triathlon, Hudson Crossing Park, Schuylerville, NY
June 5: Join HCP for a great race on this fast course with fantastic scenery. Read more.
Habitat Assessment: A Tool for Conserving Biodiversity through Site Design (WEBINAR)
June 9: In this webinar, Gretchen Stevens will introduce model habitat assessment guidelines that municipal planning boards and other agencies may use in reviewing development projects. Find out more.
Walkway at Night, Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, Highland, NY
June 10: The Friends of the Walkway nonprofit organization is pleased to once again offer the opportunity to enjoy amazing Hudson Valley views after dark from 212 feet above the Hudson River. Learn more.
Get Outdoors and Get Together, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, NY
June 11: Accessible hiking wheelchairs and other outdoor assistive technologies will be available for participants to explore. There will be accessible birding opportunities, bird-themed activities, and an accessible mineral springs tour. Learn more.
The Great Chain of West Point, Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site, Stony Point, NY
June 11: Local historian Donald Bayne will present an illustrated talk on the Great Chain of West Point. Read more.
TrailBlaze NY, Hudson Crossing Park, Schuylerville, NY
June 11: Celebrate the new Empire State Trail with free waterfront concerts and festive arts and recreational events at Hudson Crossing Park. More details.
The REAL Gilded Age: America’s Elite in the Downton Abbey Era, Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh, NY
June 12: This tour highlights the real-life characters and themes at Staatsburgh that parallel Downton Abbey and HBO's The Gilded Age. Find out more.
Guided House Tour, Wilderstein State Historic Site, Rhinebeck, NY
June 12: Guided tour of the first floor of the Wilderstein mansion. Read more.
Full Moon Hike, Moreau Lake State Park, Gansevoort, NY
June 14: This is a 3-mile guided hike around Moreau Lake to experience the woods at night while viewing the full moon. More info.
Drawing and Painting Summer’s Bounty: A Botanical Drawing Course, Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, NY
June 17: Register for this botanical drawing course reflecting off the work of Frederick Church and his family. Learn more.
Sip & Paint on Slate, Slate Valley Museum, Granville, NY
June 17: This Sip & Paint session features an image of soft blooming branches, perfect for ushering in the summer season! More info.
Colonial Carpentry, Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, Fort Montgomery, NY
June 18: Learn about the electricity-free, tools and techniques they used to build this Hudson River fort. Try your hand at the froe and mallet, wood auger, and more! Read more.
Children's Day, New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, New Windsor, NY
June 19: A fun-filled day of family entertainment, on Father's Day, with the Two by Two Animal Sanctuary, magician Mr. Bayly, and a host of 18th-century games. Find out more.
First Day of Summer Stroll, Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, NY
June 21: Join a park naturalist on a stroll through woods and fields on the first day of summer to High Point. More details.
Community Heat Mapping with Climate Engine (WEBINAR)
June 24: The lecturer will walk you through a method for mapping heat and other variables using the freely available Climate Engine app, which allow users to quickly access, visualize, and analyze remote sensing data and insights at the community level. Learn more.
Weir Tour, Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, Ossining, NY
June 25: After a brief walk, descend into the Weir in Ossining and explore the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history. Read more.
Millbrook Mountain Loop Hike, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Kerhonkson, NY
June 25: Join a Park Educator, for a five-mile loop hike to Millbrook Mountain along the Lake Minnewaska and Millbrook Mountain Carriage Roads, returning along the Millbrook Mountain Footpath. More info.
PRIDE Sunset Hike, Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Pleasantville, NY
June 30: Celebrate PRIDE, diversity, love, and inclusion on this 3-mile sunset hike at Rockwood Hall. More details.
Independence Day!, Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Albany, NY
July 4: Games and performers from the 18th century, as well as activities and ice cream, will be free of charge to commemorate this important holiday. Learn more.
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Heritage Spotlight: FASNY Museum of Firefighting, Columbia County
The FASNY Museum of Firefighting is America’s interactive museum of firefighting. Activities for families include creative play on selected fire engines, hands-on interactive activities, including the popular bucket brigade activity, a virtual fire engine driving activity, the Jr. Firefighter Challenge and the Cabot/McCadam Discovery Room. The Museum also presents monthly programming that is family-friendly. With more than 60 pieces of apparatus on exhibit, whether you’re a firefighter, a student of history, or a family looking for a fun and educational day trip, you will not want to miss this unique museum. Learn more.
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Project Spotlight: Town of Poughkeepsie Comprehensive Plan Update
The Town of Poughkeepsie received a Greenway Compact Grant to update the Town's 2007 comprehensive plan. When the Town created its 2007 plan the focus was on Smart Growth by concentrating development more efficiently in and around traditional centers and avoiding overdevelopment of the rural surroundings. Several mixed-use Town Center zoning districts were created in order to focus development in appropriate locations, and more rural portions of the Town were up-zoned in an effort to reduce residential density and preserve open space. About ten years later, several of the Town Centers originally identified in 2007 have begun to flourish. Other centers identified in 2007 have stayed largely dormant, and the new plan suggests some alternatives for these areas. The new plan also recognizes that the Town has an abundance of commercial retail space, and that some of this space is underperforming. Therefore, in addition to focusing on infill development in the Town Centers that remain, the new plan recommends focusing on revitalizing and redeveloping already developed spaces such as vacant and underutilized commercial land and abandoned industrial sites. Learn more about the Town of Poughkeepsie.
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Take Dad on a Hike for Father's Day
There is no better gift than the great outdoors, especially in New York, where we enjoy some of the most beautiful and plentiful hiking spots in the country. Kick-off the summer with your dad by visiting a local hiking trail or park and enjoy some bonding time as well as an opportunity to get outside and explore. Learn more.
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Grant and Funding Opportunities
Greenway Conservancy Trail Grant Program
This grant program is dedicated to funding recreational trail projects. Special consideration is given to projects that seek to implement the goals of the Greenway Trail Program. Applications are due September 2, 2022. More details.
Hudson River Valley Greenway Community Grant Program
Matching grants are available for Greenway Communities and Greenway Compact Communities. Deadline: September 2, 2022. More info.
Heritage Development Grants
This grant program offers funding for programming, interpretation, and marketing projects that support the mutual goals of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and applicants. Grants will typically range from $1,000 to $7,500. Grant program guidelines and applications are available on the HRVNHA's website. Please note that staff time is eligible to be reimbursed, but only if that staff time is for the direct development of programming or interpretation, as identified in the grant application. We will be accepting applications with a September 2, 2022 submittal deadline. There is a new budget form with the application packet. Applicants should not use an older version of the budget form.
National Heritage Area Sponsorships Available
The Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (HRVNHA) will partner with various organizations to sponsor programs and events that reinforce the Heritage Area’s mission. While complimenting the mission of the Heritage Area, cultural, heritage, and recreational events deliver significant tourism and economic benefits to communities, and encourage local and regional partnerships. Municipalities and nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations located within the HRVNHA are eligible to apply. There is a new application and budget form that must be used and can be found on our website. For more information, please contact Dan Jeanson at daniel.jeanson@hudsongreenway.ny.gov or 518-473-3835.
Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives supports projects that promote access to America's historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture. Deadline: June 8, 2022. More details.
2022 Restoration of Watershed Connectivity Grants
NEIWPCC, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, is inviting proposals for projects that will help prepare communities to restore aquatic habitat connectivity for herring and eel, reduce localized flood risks, and improve conditions on Hudson River estuary tributaries. Deadline: June 10, 2022. Learn more.
Watershed Characterization Technical Assistance
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance is soliciting applications to provide technical assistance to develop watershed characterizations, based on the process outlined in the NYS Department of State and Department of Environmental Conservation Guidebook on Watershed Plans. The Hudson River Watershed Alliance will work with advisory committees from two watersheds within the Hudson River estuary watershed to develop watershed characterizations in 2022 and 2023, which will serve as templates in the future. Deadline: June 15, 2022. Find out more.
National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects
Through project-based funding, the Grants for Arts Projects Program supports public engagement with, and access to, various forms of art across the nation, the creation of art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life. Deadline: July 7, 2022. More details.
Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
HCRR advances scholarship, education, and public programming in the humanities by helping libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country steward important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture, and digital objects. Awards also support the creation of reference resources that facilitate the use of cultural materials, from works that provide basic information quickly to tools that synthesize and codify knowledge of a subject for in-depth investigation. Deadline: July 19, 2022. Learn more.
America the Beautiful Challenge 2022
In year one of the ATBC approximately $85 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to advance the America the Beautiful Initiative and its goals to connect and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. In the first year, ATBC will seek to fund projects across the following themes:
- Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands, and watersheds
- Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands, and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks
- Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes
- Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought, and other climate-related threats
- Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities
Water Quality Improvement Projects
WQIP funds implementation projects to improve water quality or protect a drinking water source. Eligible project types include wastewater treatment improvement, non-agricultural nonpoint source abatement and control, land acquisition for source water protection, salt storage, aquatic connectivity restoration, and marine habitat restoration. For full program details and requirements, including maximum award amounts, required match, and project type descriptions, view DEC's WQIP webpage. Deadline: July 29, 2022. More info.
Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and MS4 Mapping Grant
NPG funds the production of planning reports for nonpoint source water quality improvement projects and mapping of Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4). For full program details and requirements, including maximum award amounts, required match, and eligible grant categories, view DEC's NPG webpage. Deadline: July 29, 2022. Find out more.
School Bus Rebates: Clean School Bus Program
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorizes EPA to offer rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models. Deadline: August 19, 2022. Learn more.
NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grant Program
Support of up to $7,500 is available for conservation treatment
of paintings, works on paper (including individual drawings, watercolors, prints, or photographs), textiles (including costumes, domestic textiles, and upholstery), furniture, frames, sculpture, historical, ethnographic, and decorative objects. Deadline: September 1, 2022. More info.
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next 5 years. In fiscal year 2022, up to $1 billion is available. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Deadline: September 15, 2022. More details.
Inspire! Grants for Small Museums
Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America program. It is designed to support small museums of all disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. Deadline: November 15, 2022. More info.
Extreme Terrain’s Clean Trail Grant Program
This program will provide eligible groups the opportunity to apply for a grant to fund their next trail improvement-related project, which could range from trail clean-up, trail restoration, trail expansion, to name a few. Learn more.
New York State Assembly Grants Action News
State, federal, and private grant information from the New York State Assembly. More info.
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