20Th Anniversary of the Environmental Protection Fund Report
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New York State Environmental Protection Fund 20 th Anniversary Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signs a contract between DEC and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to preserve 69,000 acres of former Finch lands in the Adirondack Park – the largest addition to the NYS Forest Preserve in more than a century. Looking on is DEC Commissioner Joe Martens, Adirondack environmentalist John Ernst, and Bill Ulfelder, seated, the New York Director of TNC. Contents 20 Years of the EPF . 1 Preserving Special Places . 2 Open Space Conservation Program . 2 New York State’s Conservation Partnership Program . 3 Hudson River Estuary Program . 3 Albany Pine Bush Commision . 4 Long Island’s Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission . 4 Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve . 5 Mohawk River Watershed Program . 6 Invasive Species Program . 6 Connecting New Yorkers to Nature . 7 Creating State Parks . 7 State Land Stewardship . 8 Municipal Parks Grants Program . 9 Urban and Community Forestry Grants Program . 10 Hudson River Park . 11 Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquaria Program . 11 Preserving Clean Water and Clean Air . 12 Water Quality Improvement Program . 12 Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution Abatement . 13 Finger Lakes – Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance . 13 Aid to Soil and Water Conservation Districts . 14 Landfill Gas Management . 15 Pesticides Data Management . 16 Household Hazardous Waste Collection . 16 Building a Strong Green Economy . 17 Working Forest Conservation Easement Program .. 17 Agricultural and Farmland Protection Program . 18 Pollution Prevention Institute .. 18 Municipal Waste Reduction and Recycling Program . 19 Secondary Materials Marketing and Environmental Investment . 19 Local Waterfront Revitalization Program . 20 Smart Growth . 20 Adirondack and Catskill Parks Community Smart Growth . 21 Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation . 21 Environmental Protection Fund Historical Appropriations . 22 7 New York State Environmental Protection Fund 20 Years of the EPF During the last 20 years, the EPF has provided more than $2 .7 billion for environmental projects in three programs—Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation, and Open Space . The Mario Cuomo speaking at the ceremony signing the EPF into Law. Split Rock on impact of these funds cannot be Lake Champlain, July 1993. overstated, and all New Yorkers have gained by the diverse projects campgrounds, state forests and the Farmers have been called the first it has sustained . Forest Preserve, trails, boat launches stewards of the environment, and and other public facilities . the Open Space Program has a huge The Solid Waste Program has reduced agriculture component . New York waste by: encouraging recycling; The most diverse EPF program is has used this program to help providing safe disposal of household the Open Space Program . New York 76 municipalities develop agricultural hazardous waste; ensuring safe has used it to preserve more than farmland protection plans and closure of landfills; and developing 650,000 acres of open space . These protect more than 72,000 acres of markets for waste materials . More lands have become hunting and productive farmland, keeping it in recently, this program has allowed fishing areas, state parks, wildlife private ownership and permanently New York to establish the Pollution watching areas, and hiking trails available for farming . Soil and water Prevention Institute to help that so many people enjoy . This conservation districts have received businesses reduce pollution and program supports the state’s more than $30 million to protect save money in the process . Conservation Partnership Program, and enhance natural resources, and which has provided $8 million funds have been used to reduce The Parks and Recreation Program in grants to local land trusts and polluted runoff from farms and assist has fostered waterfront revitalization leveraged more than $14 million farmers with waste management . by investing more than $186 million more for local land preservation . in 330 waterfront communities . It has Each of the EPF’s programs has provided $217 million for more than The Open Space Program also has a generated wonderful success stories 1,300 projects for municipal parks, major environmental quality and helped New York’s cities and historic preservation and heritage component, as it supports the Water towns protect natural resources and areas, and more than $76 million to Quality Improvement Program, which build better communities . In the support zoos, botanical gardens and offers grants to municipalities for following pages, these successes are aquaria . This program enabled undertaking projects that reduce the presented in four broad categories: creation of the enormously successful flow of pollution to our lakes, rivers protecting clean water and clean air; Hudson River Park in New York City . and streams, and projects to protect preserving special places; building Less visible but equally important, it aquatic habitats . It also supports the a strong green economy; and provides funding for the stewardship Invasive Species Program and the connecting New Yorkers to nature . of state lands, including parks and Urban Forestry Grants Program . New York State Environmental Protection Fund 1 Michael McMurray Preserving Special Places Highlights Adding 69,000 acres of the former Finch lands to the Adirondack Forest Preserve, the largest addition in more than a century Saving Long Island’s Pine Barrens and its invaluable sole source aquifer that provides clean water for millions of Long Islanders Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced in August, 2012 that the state will acquire 69,000 acres of the former Finch lands in the Adirondacks. This is the largest addition to the Saving Hemlock and Canadice Adirondack Forest Preserve in more than a century. Lakes, City of Rochester’s drinking water supply source The Open Space Conservation With nearly $200 million in EPF Conserving more than 600,000 Program is building a network of resources, OPRHP has acquired acres of productive timber lands in protected lands that is a legacy for more than 32,000 acres of new state the Tug Hill and the Adirondacks, future generations and the envy of the parkland across the state . Using the ensuring a vibrant regional forest nation, protecting nearly 1 .5 million EPF, New York State’s Department of products industry acres in twenty years . The EPF has Agriculture and Markets has helped provided about $355 million to DEC 53 counties develop farmland Restoring Hudson River water quality and helping communities over the last 20 years to preserve protection programs and saved develop river-focused community more than 618,000 acres of land in 72,000 acres of valuable farmland revitalization programs every corner of the state . The program from development . Land trusts across has protected the Pine Barrens that New York have benefited from more Protecting New York’s unique sit atop Long Island’s sole source that $8 million in funding that has inland pitch pine-scrub oak barrens aquifer, as well as the Hemlock and helped preserve more than 18,000 through funding the Albany Pine Bush Commission’s work and land Canadice Finger Lakes, sources of acres of open space, in rural, suburban acquisition programs the City of Rochester’s drinking water . and urban areas . Local governments EPF funds have preserved huge tracts have used more than $217 million in Helping local land trusts leverage of forest lands in the North Country grants for more than 1,300 projects, municipal funding to permanently and added to the Adirondack and including municipal parks and conserve more than 18,000 acres of Catskill Forest Preserve and Staten historic preservation and heritage farmland, wildlife habitat, recreation areas and urban open space Island’s Greenbelt . DEC also has areas across the state . The EPF also invested about $120 million in EPF provides important funding to DEC resources to conserve more than and OPRHP for stewardship of our 750,000 acres of privately held public lands so that they may be forestland, in order to maintain accessed and enjoyed by users while forested acreage within the state . natural resources are protected . 2 New York State Environmental Protection Fund New York State’s Conservation New York City’s community garden conserves the region’s world-famous Partnership is a unique public- land trusts to the Wallkill Valley Land scenery . Over the past 20 years, private partnership that has become Trust, Agricultural Stewardship every Hudson River shoreline a national model for creating a Association, Genesee Land Trust, community has new or improved dynamic and effective grassroots Thousand Islands Land Trust, and access through parks, docks, fishing community of land trusts . Since its many others . piers, trails and boat launches . The inception in 2002, the partnership program contributed to regional has awarded more than $8 million The Hudson River Estuary projects such as the Walkway Over in grants for 509 projects, benefiting Program (HREP) applies an the Hudson, the Hudson River Water 83 different land trust organizations ecosystem-based management Trail and Greenway Trail systems, and leveraging more than $14 million approach to restoring the Hudson and the River Pool at Beacon . It also in additional funding . The funds River estuary and its watershed . provides education programs to have helped local communities Working with government, education more than 10,000 children annually . permanently conserve more than and nonprofit partners,