Congrats to 29 Friends groups awarded Park and Trail grants
Parks & Trails New York is excited to share the awardees of the fifth round of Park and Trail Partnership Grants.
29 groups will receive funding to strengthen their organizations and augment public access and recreational opportunities at state parks, historic sites, trails and public lands across New York. The fifth round of funding provides $900,000 to organizations for capital projects, maintenance, educational programming, and promotion of public green space through special events.
The grants, made possible through funding from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), are awarded through a competitive application process administered by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). Since its inception in 2015, Park & Trail Partnership Grants have provided more than $2.7 million to grassroots organizations across the state.
Awardees are as diverse as the Empire State itself. Located in all corners of the state. they represent the wide variety of grassroots groups that protect our outdoor places and champion initiatives that enhance the visitor experience. For a full list of this years’ recipients, visit our website.
"The grants announced will help bolster efforts to keep New York's open spaces beautiful and pristine at a time when more New Yorkers than ever are turning to nature for refuge and relaxation. New York is thankful for this dedicated group of volunteers, which provide invaluable support to our park system by devoting their time to help make improvements that all of us can enjoy." - Governor Cuomo
Read the Governors full press release announcing the 2019-2020 awardees.
Here's what awardees have to say about these transformative grants.
"Thank you PTNY for this wonderful opportunity. We are very excited to open this treasure up for the Park's 100th Anniversary in 2021." - Friends of Allegany State Park (The renovated sawmill pictured on the right was funded in 2018)
“With a record number of visitors this summer and drastic budget cuts at the state level, the timing could not have been better for the Friends of Knox Farm State Park to receive a $75,000 grant for infrastructure improvements. This piece of good news came at a time when it was sorely needed.” - Kathleen York, Executive Director for the Friends of Knox Farm
Parks & Trails New York will be sharing many of the projects awarded grants on social media in the coming weeks, so follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to learn more about the important work being done by Friends. We are looking forward to seeing the exciting projects come to life and encourage you to not only follow their progress with us, but visit the parks, historic sites, trails and public lands in person as part of your next road trip.