Nearly $1 Million Awarded to Region to Fight Invasive Species

Nearly $1 million was awarded to the Hudson Valley to combat the spread of invasive species.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced over $2.8 million in grants have been awarded to 42 projects that will reduce the negative impacts of invasive species through control or removal activities, research and spread prevention in the Hudson Valley and across the state.

"New York State is leading the way in invasive species management to ensure our environment remains sustainable, healthy and strong," Governor Cuomo said. "Through joint efforts by our state, community and organizational partners, we are developing new programs and initiatives to combat the threat of invasive species that could damage New York's waterways, agricultural crops, and invaluable forest lands."

Across the state, DEC is using science to determine what actions will have the greatest impact in controlling invasive species, officials say. Awarded projects are spread across four categories:

$594,464 for eight Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention projects to deploy watercraft stewards to conduct voluntary boat inspections and conduct outreach to educate recreational boaters;
$1,163,139 for 16 Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response and Control projects that promote the removal of invasive species through physical and mechanical removal, chemical treatments, and biocontrol release;
$865,960 for 10 Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Research projects that help improve invasive species control methodologies; and
$233,899 for eight Lake Management Planning projects to help address the underlying causes of aquatic invasive species infestations and provide context for their control and management.

Below are grants awarded in the Hudson Valley:

Groundwork Hudson Valley: $100,000 for Yonkers Greenway Rapid Response Initiative.
Historic Hudson Valley: $100,000 for management of porcelain-berry, Japanese stiltgrass, and common reed at Philipsburg Manor.
Town of Rye: $100,000 for invasive species rapid response and control.
Westchester Parks Foundation: $58,109 for Tibbetts Brook Park lake management plan.
Teatown Lake Reservation, Inc.: $53,050 for monitoring and control of aquatic invasive species in Teatown's lakes.
Village of Sleepy Hollow: $36,818 for DeVries Park invasive rapid response program.
Town of Fallsburg: $15,000 for Pleasure Lake Management Plan.

Mid-Hudson/New York City:

New York New Jersey Trail Conference: $100,000 for lower Hudson early detection and rapid response detection dog team.
Research Foundation of CUNY obo CUNY Advanced Science Research Center: $100,000 for mapping spatiotemporal patterns in invasive tree, insect, and pathogen occurrences in lower Hudson Valley and New York City.
Orange County Parks and Recreation: $20,000 for Lake Management Plan at Algonquin Park.

Mid-Hudson/Southern Tier/Capital Region:

Catskill Center for Conservation and Development: $63,297 for 2019 Catskill invasive plant rapid response and control.

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The grants are part of the State Department of Environmental Conservation's Invasive Species Grant Program and are funded by the State's Environmental Protection Fund.

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