News from the Noteworthy from Otsego Land Trust
Bond Act Offers Many Possibilities for County
Representatives overseeing the New York State $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act are asking the public to help determine how the funds will be used. Governor Kathy Hochul is hosting an educational listening tour around the state to gather project ideas that will exemplify funding priorities.
Officials from Otsego Land Trust and the Otsego County Conservation Association attended a recent session in Albany and a subsequent virtual session to advocate for projects in our region and learn about the details of the funding.
“We are excited for the possibilities to protect forests, farms, and wetlands in our region,” said Cherise Tolbert, development and communications manager at Otsego Land Trust. “Clean waterways, productive farmland and healthy forests are key priorities in our region. We advocated for protecting Crumhorn Mountain while meeting with state agencies in Albany, but the Bond Act will offer many more grant opportunities for the Otsego region.”
According to the State website (https://www.ny.gov/programs/clean-water-clean-air-and-green-jobs-environmental-bondact), “funding will help safeguard New York’s air, land, and water by expanding access to open space, preserving farmland, and supporting projects that will help ensure the health of our environment.” The Bond Act legislation, passed by voters in November 2022, allocates $1.5 billion to reduce air pollution and mitigate climate change; $1.1 billion for restoration and flood risk reduction; $650 million for water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure; and $650 million for open space, land conservation, and recreation.
Otsego County has been no stranger to problems like severe storms, invasive insects and harmful algae blooms. The Bond Act includes $150 million for farmland protection through the purchase of development rights on active farms. It also includes $650 million for wetland restoration and forest conservation. While the state is still preparing regulations, Bond Act funds could be used to conserve large tracts of land like the former Boy Scouts of America Camp Henderson in Milford, consisting of 663 acres on Crumhorn Mountain and Crumhorn Lake. Harmful algal blooms, which have reduced recreational opportunities on local lakes, might also be addressed through the Bond Act.
OCCA Executive Director Amy Wyant was among those at the recent Albany session.
“There will be a variety of ways that the money can be used in Otsego County, and we are currently putting together ideas and potential projects to be included,” Wyant said.
The extensive forests, fields, and wetlands in Otsego County help to mitigate the effects of climate change and make the region attractive to residents and visitors alike.
Otsego Land Trust helps to build climate resiliency throughout the region by holding conservation easements on over 11,000 acres of private land and providing nature-based recreational opportunities at six nature preserves. The possibilities for expanding recreation in the region are endless, officials said.
OCCA provides free, direct technical assistance to municipalities for the Clean Energy and Climate Smart Communities programs.
“The Clean Energy Communities program focuses on municipal projects that lower greenhouse gas emissions, while the Climate Smart program gives communities a framework to guide them in making their community more resilient in the face of climate change,” Wyant said. “We do this work in conjunction with the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District as part of a team of coordinators that work in the six counties of the Mohawk Valley. It is a statewide program with coordinators for every region in New York State.”
According to Wyant, each community that adopts the Climate Smart program must take a pledge to take steps to reduce GHGs, including:
- Build a climate-smart community
- Inventory emissions, set goals and plan for climate action
- Decrease energy use
- Shift to clean, renewable energy
- Use climate-smart materials management
- Implement climate-smart land use
- Enhance community resilience to climate change
- Support a green innovation economy
- Inform and inspire the public
- Engage in an evolving process of climate action
There are currently 13 Otsego County entities enrolled in the Climate Smart program. They are: Otsego County, the City of Oneonta, the towns of Hartwick, Middlefield, New Lisbon, Oneonta, Otsego, Richfield, and Roseboom, and the villages of Cherry Valley, Cooperstown, Laurens, Richfield Springs.
Otsego Land Trust is a community-based not-for-profit organization that works with landowners and partners to improve the quality of life in the Upper Susquehanna region by conserving farmland, forests, and waterways in perpetuity. For more information on conservation easements, hiking trails, and public access, visit www.otsegolandtrust.org
Otsego County Conservation Association is dedicated to promoting the appreciation and sustainable use of Otsego County’s natural resources through research, education, advocacy, planning and resource management and practice.