On December 4, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance awarded the Rensselaer Land Trust (RLT) with their 2018 Watershed WaveMaker Awards. RLT was selected in the small organization category because of their 31 years in conserving the open spaces, watersheds and natural habitats of Rensselaer County, for the benefit of our communities and future generations. RLT’s recent successes which made them key award recipients include:

• RLT completed a county-wide Natural Resource inventory and Conservation Plan, which puts climate resiliency and water quality front and center in the prioritization of future conservation efforts. This conservation plan will lead to the protection of county-wide water resources as its target of preserving 10,000 additional acres by 2030 is achieved.

• RLT finalized a Hudson River Access Plan for Rensselaer County, the first county-wide plan to advance the Hudson River Estuary Program’s goal of “getting people to the river." People are motivated to protect places that they love and have access to. This plan provides the blueprint to increase the connection between people and the river in this region.

• RLT implemented a citizen scientist water quality monitoring project in local streams and tributaries in Rensselaer County. Riverkeeper’s boat can’t go up Rensselaer County tributaries, but the Rensselaer Land Trust's many volunteers can! Partnering organizations involved on this project included Rensselaer County; the Cities of Troy and Rensselaer; Watershed Assessment Associates; United States Geological Survey; Riverkeeper; River Haggie, and Capital District Regional Planning Commission. In one case, the data collected led to citation and remediation of a sewage leak in the City of Rensselaer.

Read more: RLT Receives 2018 Watershed WaveMaker Award

At its Annual Conference, the New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized a series of projects and one individual in its 2018 Professional Awards Program. The Rensselaer Land Trust won TWO “Best Practice” Awards for the recently completed Hudson River Access Study and County Land Conservation Plan.

These awards recognize outstanding contributions to the field of city, town, and regional planning. The Professional Awards program recognized outstanding submissions in the following areas: comprehensive planning, best practice, implementation, public outreach, distinguished leadership, and Great Places in Upstate New York.

"The Upstate Chapter Awards Program has been a centerpiece of our Annual Conferences for years and once again we were thrilled to present our membership with 12 exemplary examples of recent projects completed by Chapter Members that are bringing about positive change and benefits for residents of Upstate New York."

Read more: RLT Awarded TWO “Best Practice” Awards

We are pleased to announce that we have received a NYS Conservation Partnership Program Grant this year for $14,600. The NYS Conservation Partnership Program is funded by the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

These grant funds will be used to make public access improvements and prepare a management plan for our new 44 acre Featherweald Preserve in Cambridge, NY.

Home to a great blue heron rookery and located in an area with nesting bald eagles the property will be ideal for bird watching. The property also contains large black oak and pignut hickory trees. A walking trail system transects the property. The property was donated to RLT earlier this year by Lisa Lindquist, Ilse Godfrey, and Craig Johnson in memory of their parents.

Read more: RLT Receives New York State Conservation Partnership Program Grant