$150,000 Award for ADA Paths; New Trustee Nicholas Cassin

Jay Estate Gardens newly refreshed by volunteers with Salpiglossis and Reseda alba annuals.

JHC AWARDED $150,000

GRANT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ADA PATHS

Accessibility matters. Which is why we are so grateful to be recipients this week of a $150,000 Parks & Trails Partnership Grant for the construction of ADA pathways in and around the historic Jay Estate Gardens.

JHC President Suzanne Clary said, "The public can look forward to greater connectivity of our garden rooms both inside and outside the historic stone-walled perimeters. Our gardens were designed for every person of every age, ability and mobility."

Governor Kathy Hochul announced $1.8 million in grants to support 28 not-for-profit organizations like JHC involved with stewardship of state parks, trails, historic sites and public lands. "We are proud to support the work of the incredible grassroots partner organizations that elevates the stewardship and programming of our state parks, historic sites, trails and public lands," Governor Hochul said.

See the full list of awardees and read more here

Water Grant Workshop Highlighting Availability of

$450 Million Draws Attention in Coastal Rye

NY State Assemblyman Steve Otis joined by representatives of the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC). Workshop co-sponsors included the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and the Hudson Valley, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Save the Sound, Westchester Municipal Officials Association and the Jay Heritage Center.

Rye is a small coastal community on Long Island Sound, remarkable for its natural riparian character. But Rye is also known for its commitment to environmental conservation which made this most recent workshop of huge interest to local attendees.

Assemblyman Steve Otis (AD-91) along with representatives from the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) hosted a special workshop on the EFC’s 2023 round of clean water grant programs at the Jay Heritage Center on May 19th. $450 million in available grants might explain why the attendance for this program was the largest ever!

Kids Learn About Clean Water

Kids try to remove pollutants from water in timed clean up

Kids learned first hand that chemicals are one of the hardest things to remove from contaminated water

Umbrellas helped everyone stay dry during a tour of the gardens

Pouring rain could not stop the kids' water workshop which we co-host each year at our site with our partners at the African American Men of Westchester's Environmental Committee (AAMW). AAMW is a group dedicated to helping address issues related to education, youth empowerment, domestic violence awareness and they share JHC's mission of expanding education about environmental justice.

We were also joined by Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak (SLAC CURB). Each child went home with a copy of Doug Tallamy's newest book, Nature's Best Hope (Young Readers Edition).

Thank you to Con Edison for providing funding.