Governor Kathy Hochul Directs $180 Million for Adirondack and Catskill Forest Watershed Conservation

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. — Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday the distribution of $180 million in state open space conservation funding from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act to purchase permanent working forest conservation easements protecting 40,000 acres of contiguous forest watersheds across the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves.

The transactions, executed in partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and non-profit land trusts, permanently bar commercial real estate subdivisions and industrial fragmentation while ensuring sustainable timber harvesting, public outdoor recreational access, and natural drinking water filtration for millions of New Yorkers downstream.

Protecting New York's Natural Carbon Sinks and Drinking Water Reservoirs Contiguous mountain forests act as immense natural sponges that absorb precipitation, filter dissolved nutrients before water enters municipal reservoirs, and sequester over 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually in standing hardwood biomass.

"The Adirondack and Catskill Parks are the crowning natural jewels of New York, providing clean drinking water, world-class outdoor recreation, and vital carbon-absorbing forests," Governor Hochul said in Lake George. "By investing $180 million to protect 40,000 acres of working forestlands, we are preserving our pristine waterways, safeguarding local forestry jobs, and ensuring these majestic mountain landscapes remain wild and accessible for our children and grandchildren."

Conservation Acquisitions and Public Access Highlights The $180 million program includes:

• 40,000 Acres of Working Forest Easements: Extinguishing residential development rights across major parcels in Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, and Ulster Counties.
• New Public Hiking & Skiing Trail Corridors: Creating 65 miles of public recreational trails connecting state forest preserve lands.
• Sustainable Forestry and Timber Jobs: Permitting certified, selective timber harvests that support local upstate sawmills and forest products workers.
• High-Elevation Spruce-Fir Habitat Protection: Safeguarding critical nesting territory for the endangered Bicknell's thrush and American marten.

Environmental advocacy groups, outdoor recreation federations, and upstate county supervisors commended the historic forest conservation funding, highlighting that working forest easements protect both ecological biodiversity and regional forestry economies.