Newsroom
EPA & LTA Funding
Two Awards for BNRLT
Buffalo, New York - June 5, 2024
BUFFALO NIAGARA RIVER LAND TRUST RECEIVES UNPRECEDENTED FUNDING
The Board of Directors of the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust is pleased to announce the award of two grants totaling $600,000.
The Land Trust Alliance and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation awarded the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust a $100,000 NYS Conservation Partnership Program - Professional Development Grant for Building Capacity and Leadership Through Hiring of an Executive Director with funding from the Environmental Protection Fund.
This funding will allow the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust the opportunity to hire its first Executive Director. Until now, the organization was run entirely by its all volunteer board of directors and a part-time staff person. “The search is underway for our first Executive Director and we expect to announce this new hire within the next month. The board of directors is excited about where this increased capacity will take us. The organization is truly at an inflection point and we anticipate even more growth in the coming year,” said Matthew Fitzgerald, Board Vice President.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust as one of the entities for a Brownfield Assessment grant in the amount of $500,000. Since its inception in 1995, the EPA’s Brownfields Program has worked to help states, Tribal Nations, and communities around the country to clean up and revitalize brownfield sites.
The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust will utilize this funding to inventory, rank priority sites for assessment, perform Phase II environmental site assessments, and engage the community and partners surrounding these sites. Board President, Dan Riker said, "The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust is honored to receive this grant from the EPA to conduct brownfield site assessments throughout Western New York. This is a historic award for our young organization and it will enable us to continue our work to enhance, preserve, and protect lands along our region's waterfronts. We are excited to lead this project, identify sites for remediation, and engage the communities around those sites, with the goals of improving public access and stewarding these sites in perpetuity."
Accreditation
National Recognition
Buffalo, NY - February 27, 2024
BUFFALO NIAGARA RIVER LAND TRUST EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Strong Commitment to Public Trust and Conservation Excellence
One thing that unites us as a nation is land: Americans strongly support saving the open spaces they love. Since 2012, the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust has been doing just that for the people of Western New York. Now the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust announces it has achieved national recognition - joining a network of over 450 accredited land trusts across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in their work.
“Accreditation demonstrates the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust’s commitment to permanent land conservation in Western New York,” said Daniel Riker, Board President. “We are a stronger organization for having gone through the rigorous accreditation program. Our strength means special places - along WNY waterways - will be protected forever, making this an even greater place for us and our children.”
The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust provided extensive documentation and was subject to a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to achieving this distinction. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded accreditation, signifying its confidence that the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust’s lands will be protected forever. Accredited land trusts steward almost 20 million acres of land - the size of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Currently the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust owns or holds conservation easements on about 62 acres in Western New York with plans to add 45+ more in 2024. The flagship property is at 1660 Niagara Street, in Buffalo; Houghton Conservation Area in Buffalo’s Kaisertown area; and Cayuga Creek in Niagara Falls.
“It is exciting to recognize the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust with this national mark of distinction,” said Melissa Kalvestrand, executive director of the Commission. “Donors and partners can trust www.landtrustaccreditation.orgt the more than 450 accredited land trusts across the country are united behind strong standards and have demonstrated sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance, and lasting stewardship.”
The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust is one of 1,363 land trusts across the United States according to the Land Trust Alliance’s most recent National Land Trust Census. A complete list of accredited land trusts and more information about the process and benefits can be found at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
Bobcat/NRPA
$50k Grant for Houghton
Buffalo, NY - August 18, 2023
Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust Receives $50,000 Bobcat/NRPA Grant
Grant Support Dedicated to the Houghton Conservation Area Project
The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust (BNRLT), in partnership with the City of Buffalo, is proud to be a recipient of a $50,000 grant from Bobcat and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). This award will support the ongoing Houghton Conservation Area project in the City of Buffalo’s Kaisertown neighborhood.
“Support from Bobcat and NRPA will help the BNRLT remove heavy construction debris from the Houghton Conservation Area and move the Houghton Conservation Area Trail project forward,” said Dan Riker, BNRLT’s Board President. “This award will make the conservation area safe, help restore its natural settings and connect local residents to a beautiful shoreline in their neighborhood.”
The Houghton Conservation Area is 25 acres of green space along the Buffalo River within the City of Buffalo’s Stachowski-Houghton Park. The BNRLT holds a conservation easement for the area and manages it on behalf of its owner, the City of Buffalo. Along with the City of Buffalo and neighborhood stakeholders, BNRLT is working to improve public access while maintaining native vegetation and habitat for local wildlife.
Previously dumped concrete, brick and aggregate rubble must be removed from the conservation area. The existing trails must also be stabilized after years of being ravaged by illegal ATV and dirt bike activity. This award from Bobcat/NRPA will leverage compact equipment from Bobcat to remove the heavy construction debris, while offering a light footprint on the sensitive landscape. The stabilized area will then double as the foundation for a new trail along the majestic Buffalo River.
LTA Grants
2 Grants from the LTA
Buffalo, NY - June 26, 2023
Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust Receives Two Land Trust Alliance Grants
Funding will Support the Ship Canal Conservation Area and Organizational Capacity
The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust (BNRLT) is proud to be a recipient of two Land Trust Alliance (LTA) Conservation Partnership Program grants, recently announced by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. The $70,000 in funding will support the Ship Canal Conservation Area community engagement process and grow overall organizational capacity.
“These awards will help the BNRLT better protect regional shorelines and connect local residents to the beautiful natural resources in their own backyard, through community participation and enhanced greenspace access,” said Dan Riker, BNRLT’s Board President. ‘We appreciated being one of 45 state-wide land trusts awarded in this round, and are ready to put these conservation funds to work in Western New York.”
The LTA administers the Conservation Partnership Program in coordination with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The $3.075 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants and $3 million in private and local funding will increase resilience of state lands to climate change and contribute to climate solutions by storing carbon. Natural climate solutions will have a significant role in addressing risks associated with climate change.
Ship Canal Conservation Area Project Background: The BNRLT is in the final stages of acquiring an easement from CSX Transportation, Inc. on the Ship Canal Conservation Area. The property includes 13.4 acres along the west bank of the Buffalo Ship Canal, consisting of a former railyard. The property is adjacent to a waterfront trail that connects to the Buffalo River and Lake Erie. The BNRLT is engaging the community to help restore the site’s ecological integrity and create a safe and accessible waterfront greenspace with shoreline recreation opportunities like paddle sport launch spaces, viewpoints, and fishing areas.