March 2018
Barnabas McHenry, Chair Greenway Council, Co-Chair National Heritage Area
Kevin M. Burke, Acting Chairman, Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Acting Co-Chair National Heritage Area
Scott Keller, Acting Executive Director Greenway,
Acting Director National Heritage Area 
Monthly News, Events, & Grant
Opportunities
Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Will Be Featured on PBS
The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area will be featured on the PBS show "Success Files." The show is a education based short-form documentary that explores the latest topics and trends in the world. Hosted by Rob Lowe, the show will feature interviews of various Heritage Site partners from throughout the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. Learn more about "Success Files" here .
Every Kid in a Park Welcomes 4th Graders
Hey fourth graders! See America's national wonders and historic parks for FREE. Through August 31, 2018, all National Parks and some other federally managed sites in the Hudson Valley invite all fourth graders to visit for free as part of the White House’s Every Kid in a Park program. Students may go to any National Park Service site or you can click here , complete an activity, and obtain a pass that is good through August 31, 2018.
Albany Skyway Project
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $3.1 million in funding for the Albany Skyway, which will transform the underutilized Clinton Avenue ramp off northbound Interstate 787 and Quay Street into an elevated, linear park. Once complete, the Albany Skyway will expand recreational opportunities in the City of Albany and provide a new, safe way for pedestrians and cyclists to reach the Corning Riverfront Park on the Hudson River waterfront.  Learn more here .
Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings
The forests of New York are inhabited by a group of salamanders that are seldom seen. While they spend much of the year in their terrestrial habitats, mole salamanders and wood frogs all breed in  woodland pools , a type of small, temporary wetland found in forests. During early spring rains when temperatures rise above freezing, these amphibians migrate to breeding pools by the hundreds, if not thousands. Unfortunately, migration pathways often cross roads and long driveways, leading to mortality of slow-moving wildlife. You can help by participating with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to observe and report when and where you see migrations of woodland pool amphibians. Your observations will aid in identifying and mapping road crossings where mole salamanders and wood frogs are especially vulnerable and learn more about where their habitats are located.This information can then be used for community planning and for groups of volunteers interested in starting "crossing guard" programs for the breeding season. Learn more here .
Focus on Funding: A Series of Collaborative Trainings
Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) will hold a series of workshops and webinars to allow heritage site staff to learn about funding opportunities from the sources themselves; hear presentations from other organizations who have written successful applications; and tour successful funded projects as a method for de-mystifying the process to inspire heritage sites to apply for their own potential preservation projects. GHHN is excited to offer these programs in partnership with the Preservation League of New York State and funded by the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and. To learn more click here .
Olana's Summer Arts Program
The Olana Partnership’s 9th Panorama Summer Program for youth will take place in July 2018 at Olana State Historic Site. These week-long programs are delivered by certified teachers and museum educators with years of experience; they have developed compelling activities and hands-on content for each of the three weeks. Camps are designed to be educational, and yet everything is linked to creative play and discovery in a stunning location. Program leaders are professionals with extensive museum and outdoor education training.This program is for young people between the ages of 6 and 14 and will take place Monday-Friday, 9am to 4pm. Early bird pricing ends March 17, 2018. Learn more here .
Register Now for 2018 Path Through History Weekends
There will be two 2018 Path Through History Weekends: 
Spring - Father's Day weekend (June 16-17, 2018) 
Fall - Columbus Day weekend (October 6-8, 2018)
Host sites can participate in one or both of the weekends; there is no obligation to participate in both. Registration is now open here , so register your event today!
Upcoming Events

Maple Sugar Tours, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Cornwall, NY
March 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26: Maple Sugaring Season is once again upon us and the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum is ready! Two types of tours will be offered. Sugar Bush Tours: 11am, 1pm & 2pm; a one mile moderate hike through field and forest to the original Sugar Shack (terrain and weather conditions dependent). Maple Lane Tours: 12pm & 3pm; perfect for little legs, a short walk from the farmhouse to our new Sugar Shack after a tour of the sugar maple stand. Read more here.

Slavery & the Palatines: A Lecture by Travis Bowman, Germantown, NY
March 11: S lavery played a surprisingly large role in colonial and revolutionary era NY. Mr. Bowman will examine how slavery evolved in NY under the Dutch, British, and American systems of government and how the institution was utilized at a local and personal level among the Palatine immigrants and their descendants in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys. Admission $5. Read more here.

Snowshoeing in the Barrens, Albany Pine Bush Preserve, Albany, NY
March 11: Join us for a 0.9-mile hike on snowshoes. We’ll explore the frozen landscape of the pine barrens and learn the basics of snowshoeing. Snowshoes will be provided to program participants. If there is not enough snow on the ground, we will hike without snowshoes. All ages. Read more here.

Art Collecting in Guilded Age America, Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh, NY
March 11: Enjoy tea and refreshments in the formal dining room while listening to talks about aspects of Gilded Age history. Each guest will receive a tin of Staatsburgh Blend tea created by Harney & Sons. Staatsburgh site manager, Pam Malcolm, will provide some glimpses of great art collections of the period and explore some of the reasons for their creation. Reservations are required. Snow date is March 18. Read more here .

Upcoming Gallery Exhibit Opening , Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Pleasantville, NY
March 11- April 29: The Art Gallery at the Rockefeller Preserve welcomes the beginning of a new season with its upcoming exhibit “The Spirit of Spring,” on display from March 11 th to April 29 th . The Art Gallery is open 7 days a week from 9 AM until 4:30 PM. An Artists’ Reception will be held on March 18 th from 1 to 3 PM. The exhibit and the reception are both free and open to the public. Read more here .

Introduction to Bird ID, Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain, NY
March 17: Have you always wanted to know what birds live in your backyard? Join us for a brief presentation, learn some new birding skills and practice them on a bird walk around Hessian Lake. Family friendly program, suited for ages 10 & up. Registration is required. Read more here .

Go Green, Albany Pine Bush Preserve, Albany, NY
March 17: Are you trying to be more conscientious about the environment and wondering what you can do to help? One way is to recycle and turn old items into new ones! Learn how to turn your old t-shirts into cloth bags. Not only will you be re-purposing old t-shirts but you will help reduce the use of plastic shopping bags! Registration required. Read more here. 

The General's Lady, Washington’s Headquarters, Newburgh, NY
March 18: A program celebrating Martha Washington and Women’s History Month. The program will include a presentation of runaway slaves in the area and also include the author's experiences researching material for her book, “In Defiance: Runaways from Slavery in New York’s Hudson River Valley, 1735-1831.” This event also includes the presentation of the 2018 Martha Washington Woman of History Award. Admission is free. Read more here.

America's Elite in the Downtown Abbey Era, Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh, NY
March 24: Highlighting Staatsburgh’s real-life counterparts of the Downtown Abbey characters, this tour, led by a costumed interpreter, will explore how the servants prepared for a busy weekend of entertaining...and how the Mills’ daughter, like Downtown’s Cora, married into the British aristocracy. Reservations required. Read more here.

Terrific Turtles, Albany Pine Bush Preserve, Albany, NY
March 25: Have you ever seen a turtle in the Pine Bush? They’re here! In this program, we will learn what kinds of turtles live in the Pine Bush, where they live, and how they survive. Registration required. Read more here .

Solar Smart Hudson Valley, FDR Presidential Library and Home, Hyde Park, NY
March 27: Join Scenic Hudson and co-sponsor NYSERDA for a daylong symposium on building clean energy while preserving important lands in the Hudson Valley. There will be an interactive discussion with experts in renewable energy policy, planning and development on the role our region has to play in meeting New York State's ambitious carbon emissions-reduction goals and employing responsible siting and design to reduce conflicts and maximize the benefits of new solar PV projects. Read more here .

Children's Spring Tea and Easter Egg Hunt, Mount Gulian Historic Site, Beacon, NY
March 27: Mount Gulian Historic Site welcomes youngsters and adults to its annual Children’s Spring Tea on Tuesday March 27th, from noon to 2 p.m. One of Mount Gulian’s most popular events, the Spring Tea combines genteel fun, good manners and education about a bygone era, in an authentic setting where social teas were once standard fare. Read more here.

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Speaker Series, Hyde Park, NY
March 29: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated their lives to the relief of human suffering in the United States and abroad. This series of programs will look to the past and the future to seek wisdom and inspiration from the collective human experience in the historic and modern day struggles for justice. The speaker series will include lectures, panel discussions, film screenings, and performances presented by historians, park rangers, activists, artists, and entrepreneurs. Read more here .

Almost Full Moon Hike, Albany Pine Bush Preserve, Albany, NY
March 30: Enjoy the Pine Bush at night with an hour-long hike under the full moon. We will plan to hike 0.9 miles over rolling topography stopping intermittently for night vision and sound observations. Ages 6+. Registration required. Read more here.
Heritage Spotlight: Untermyer Park and Gardens
Untermyer Park and Gardens was the private estate of Samuel Untermyer from 1899-1940. Untermyer was a successful lawyer, investor and advocate for progressive causes. The garden was built in 1916 and was called “America’s Most Spectacular Garden” in the 1920s by the national press. It had 60 gardeners and 60 greenhouses on 150 acres. Owned by the City of Yonkers since 1946, the park has seen a remarkable transformation since 2011 by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy. The Walled Garden is the finest Persian garden in the Western Hemisphere. The Vista is ornamented with ancient Roman monolithic columns 2000 years old. The Temple of Love is a magnificent rocky garden with multiple waterfalls. Read more here.
Project Spotlight: Hudson River Maritime Museum Exhibit
The Hudson River Maritime Museum was awarded a Hudson River Valley National Heritage Development Grant for the creation of the "Caring for the River Together Exhibit." This exhibit showcases four organizations on their history of the environmental and clean water movements in New York State, centered on the Hudson River. These four organizations - Riverkeeper, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Scenic Hudson, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - made nationally significant efforts to protect and care for the Hudson River's watershed while it was neglected for such a long time. Hudson River Maritime Museum integrated this exciting exhibit of five compelling exhibit panels and a documentary slideshow about the history of these four organizations to their "Changing River" exhibit.
Green Tip of the Month: Reduce Food Spoilage!
The location of food in your refrigerator can affect how long it remains fresh. Store meat on the bottom shelf, and avoid keeping milk in the door, where it's warmer. Put apples in a crisper but separate them from other produce. Apples emit ethylene gas, which ripens fruit. Learn more about recycling, reducing solid waste, reusing and composting here.
Grant and Funding Opportunities  

Hudson River Valley Greenway Grant Program
Matching grants available for Greenway Communities and Greenway Compact Communities. Deadline: May 4 . More  here .

National Heritage Area Sponsorship's Available
The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (HRVNHA) will partner with various organizations to sponsor programs and events that reinforce the Heritage Area’s mission. While complementing the mission of the Heritage Area, cultural, heritage and recreational events deliver significant tourism and economic benefits to communities, and encourage local and regional partnerships. Municipalities and nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations located within the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area are eligible to apply. For more information, please contact Dan Jeanson at [email protected] or 518-473-3835.

Teaching the Hudson Valley Explore Awards
These matching grants are intended to create opportunities for students to explore the history, environment, and culture of the Hudson River Valley, connecting their studies to significant places. They encourage students’ appreciation for and stewardship of their communities and cultures, and connect teachers with site educators and place-based learning. Eligible expenses include transportation and admission fees to eligible Hudson Valley locations for school groups. Read more here .

National Trust Preservation Funds
Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for particular projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector. Application deadlines are February 1, June 1 and October 1 .  Read more here .

National Fund for Sacred Places
Sacred places have played a critical role in shaping the character of our communities—receive grant funding to keep these historic places as an important part of our national cultural heritage. The National Fund for Sacred Places provides training, planning grants, and capital grants from $50,000 to $250,000 for congregations of all faiths. Letter of Intent deadline is April 17 , 2018. Visit  www.FundforSacredPlaces.org  for more details, including eligibility requirements, guidelines, and online application. The National Fund for Sacred Places is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in collaboration with Partners for Sacred Places.

NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grant Program
A partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) that provides support for treatment procedures by professional conservators to aid in stabilizing and preserving objects in collections of museums, historical and cultural organizations in NYS. Support of up to $7500 is available for conservation treatment of paintings, works on paper, textiles, furniture, frames, sculptures, historical, ethnographic, and decorative objects owned by eligible organizations. Funding is also available for treatment costs for supports, frames, stands and mounts that are integral to the treatment of the object. Deadline: June 1 . Read more here. 

NYSCA/GHHN Collection Needs Assessment Program
The Collections Needs Assessment Program is a NYSCA/GHHN Grant partnership program which provides two opportunities for museums across New York State. The Site Assessment Program (maximum award $650) will support professional services for a collections consultant who will come to your organization for a half-day site visit focusing on a collections related topic. The Supplies Program (maximum award $750) enables applicants who have consulted with an appropriate professional to request funds to purchase collections management supplies. Requests for archival or library collections will not be supported. Deadline: June 1 . Read more here .

National Endowment for the Humanities Announces New Grant Program
The National Endowment for the Humanities has just announced a new grant program to support humanities infrastructures. Cultural institutions, such as libraries, museums, archives, colleges and universities, and historic sites, are eligible to apply for grants of up to $750,000. This NEH Infrastructure and Capacity-Building Challenge Grant may be used toward capital expenditures such as construction and renovation projects, purchase of equipment and software, sharing of humanities collections between institutions, documentation of lost or imperiled cultural heritage, sustaining digital scholarly infrastructure, and preservation and conservation of humanities collections. Deadline: March 15 . Access the grant application and guidelines here .

NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program Funding Opportunities:
Tributary Restoration and Resiliency : Funding for projects to help restore free-flowing waters to benefit water quality, conserve and restore habitat, and increase flood resiliency for communities in the Hudson River estuary watershed. The information below provides details about applying for projects in the Hudson River estuary watershed. Due April 18 . Read more here .

Restoration of Watershed Connectivity :The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), in cooperation with the Hudson River Estuary Program, is inviting proposals for projects that will help restore aquatic habitat connectivity for herring and eel, reduce localized flood risks, and improve conditions on Hudson River Estuary tributaries. This Request for Proposals will fund road-stream crossing assessments, prioritizing the mitigation of these crossings at a municipal scale, using existing assessments and designs for correcting inadequate road-stream crossings (culverts and bridges). Due March 30 . Read more here .

Watershed Flood Mitigation Assessment : The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) in cooperation with DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program is soliciting proposals for a study that will assess flooding vulnerabilities in a Hudson River watershed or sub-watershed, and propose flood mitigation solutions that consider both engineering (e.g. roads, bridges, culverts) and natural system solutions (e.g. conservation or restoration of wetlands, forests). Due March 16 . Read more here .

New York State Assembly Grants Action News 
State, federal, and private grant information from the New York State Assembly. More  here . 
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