Winnakee awarded $1.25 Million Forestland Protection Grant
“Without the PCLB Foundation support, this irreplaceable property might have been lost to development. In today’s highly competitive real estate market, where land trusts compete with developers seeking to fragment intact forests, the Land Capital Grant Program is a true game-changer, ensuring the permanent protection of critical conservation lands.”
–Bob Davis, Winnakee Land Trust’s CEO
Winnakee is thrilled to announce the award of a $1.25 million land capital grant from The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation to support a future forestland protection acquisition. While details of the property will be shared upon closing later this year, we can express our profound gratitude to the PCLB Foundation for making it possible for Winnakee to move forward with the planned permanent protection of an ecologically invaluable property that is currently highly vulnerable to development.
The forestland that will be protected ranks among the top 5% for local connectedness, according to the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP)’s Hudson Valley Forest Patch Assessment, and further strengthens a Hudson Valley Core Forest, benefiting wildlife habitat connectivity. Additionally, The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Sites tool rates portions of this land as “far above average resilience”, identifying it as a critical biodiversity stronghold capable of adapting to future climate change impacts.
This acquisition directly aligns with Winnakee Land Trust’s mission to conserve and steward forests, agricultural lands, and water resources while fostering resilient ecosystems.
Recognizing that land protection alone is insufficient for climate resilience, Winnakee is committed to an active stewardship model, ensuring the management of this large, intact forest block enhances carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, and riparian buffers—ultimately improving water quality and maintaining cold-water stream temperatures.
Additional generous funding for this project was provided by Scenic Hudson (read more in this article about the Scenic Hudson award).
If you’re interested in learning more about what conservation options may be a good fit for your situation, reach out to Trevor Keough, Winnakee Land Trust’s Conservation Forester, at tkeough@winnakee.org.
