Kevin M. Burke, Chair, Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley,

Co-Chair, Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area

Margaretta “Meg” Downey, Chair, Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council, Co-Chair, Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area

Scott Keller, Executive Director, Hudson River Valley Greenway,

Director, Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area 

Important Reminders

• Greenway Planning, Greenway Trail, and Heritage Development Grant Applications are Available Through the Good Grants Online Platform by February 3, 2023. More details.

• Purchase the New Cycling Guidebook Highlighting the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail in the Hudson Valley and the Empire State Trail in the Hudson and Champlain Valleys. More info.

Hudson River Valley Greenway's Grant Applications Are Now Hosted on Good Grants

Grant applications for all Hudson River Valley Greenway and Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage grant programs, including Community/Compact Planning, Conservancy Trail, and Heritage Development Grants are hosted by Good Grants, an online grants platform. The online HRVG Grants Platform went live on November 5, 2022, and is the only way to apply for our grants. A link to the virtual application process and detailed guidance may be found on our website. This change is being made in part to help ensure we are receiving full and complete applications that may then be considered immediately. Previously, incomplete applications were automatically rejected.

All applications for funding are required to submit grant applications on the new online platform to apply for funding for all grant rounds. Applicants must register on the HRVG Grant Platform using their email addresses. Older applications will not be accepted.

If you have any questions or concerns, email [email protected] or call us at (518) 473-3835.

Ossining Awarded $7 Million Grant from NYSERDA for E-Bike Sharing Program

The Village of Ossining will soon serve as a blueprint for communities across the State of New York for an innovative solution for enhancing clean transportation, improving mobility options, and reducing harmful emissions through an e-bike-sharing program. Project MOVER (an acronym for Moving Onto Vast E-Micromobility Replication), which is a partnership that includes Ossining, EIT InnoEnergy, Nelson Nygaard, and ACTION eBikes, was one of 10 winners of a three-year $7 million grant through an $85 million program from NYSERDA. The program will develop e-bike sharing programs in four other neighboring municipalities as well: the Town of Ossining and the villages of Tarrytown, Croton-on-Hudson, and Dobbs Ferry.

“Improving access to clean mobility options, electrifying trucks and buses, and supporting projects that reduce air pollution modernizes the way residents and visitors access community services, recreation, and work opportunities while creating jobs, improving health, and reducing the impacts of climate change,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.

NYSERDA will actively monitor the 10 projects to measure their impacts as compared to community needs and New York State’s Climate Act goals. Each awarded project and the overall program will be assessed, and results will be shared through reports and online updates to encourage the advancement and replication of innovative transportation models. Learn more.

The New York Land Conservation Conference in May is Requesting Presentation Proposals

Do you have land conservation experience you'd like to share?

The Land Trust Alliance is inviting interested professionals to present at the 2023 New York Land Conservation Conference (NYLCC). The NYLCC will take place at The Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga Springs, New York, on May 10–11, 2023.

Submit a proposal to present by January 31, 2023. Interested attendees are able to register for the conference until February 2023. Learn more.

Important Reminders

• Check Out the Taghkanic Headwaters Conservation Plan. Read now.

Improving Access for People with Disabilities

Kingston Point Beach, a designated Hudson River Greenway Water Trail site within easy walking distance from downtown Kingston, provides one of the few public beaches along the tidal Hudson River. In addition to a large swimming area, the park includes a public motorboat launch, volleyball courts, kayak and canoe launches, and a picnic pavilion. Beginning in 2017, the City of Kingston took steps to improve accessibility for people with disabilities at Kingston Point Beach, following the recommendations of an on-site assessment by the Northeast ADA Center (Americans With Disabilities Act) which took place through the Hudson Estuary Accessibility Project (PDF). With funding from a River Access grant, the City installed an accessible beach mat, purchased a beach wheelchair, improved accessibility to and within changing rooms and restrooms, and designated accessible parking. These improvements, completed in 2022, implemented the recommendations of the on-site assessment. Read more.

Upcoming Events

Wreath-Making Workshop, Opus 40, Saugerties, NY

December Weekends: Wreaths celebrate the season. Create your own wreath and enjoy some hot chocolate. Read more. 

Wilderness Trails: Special Places, Special Considerations (WEBINAR)

December 1: This webinar will provide some basic information on trails in federally-designated Wilderness, examples of practical experiences, and resources to learn more. Find out more.

10th Annual Snowflake Festival, Wall and Main Streets, Kingston, NY

December 2: Festival offers fun for the whole family, with main stage performances, fire twirlers, jugglers, ice carving, a stilt band, fiddlers, dancers, singers, Christmas tree lighting, and a visit from Santa Claus. Learn more.

Finding a New Audience: Adopting an Augmented Reality Experience to Reach New Users and Partner for Growth (WEBINAR)

December 2: Content creators and creatives will provide an overview of incorporating the 360xr Augmented Reality platform to enhance tours for their visitors and share some examples of the experience from concept to implementation. Find out more.

St. Nicholas Day Celebration, Crailo State Historic Site, Rensselaer, NY

December 3: Kick off the holiday season and celebrate St. Nicholas Day! This medieval saint's day was brought by the Dutch colonists to the Hudson River Valley. More info.

History of Rockwood Hall, Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Pleasantville, NY

December 3: Join Rockwood docent, David Teich, on an adventure into the past as we explore the Rockwood Hall area and its rich history dating back to prehistoric times. Read more.

Animal Tracking/Snowshoeing, Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton, NY

December 3: Learn how to identify common winter animals by footprint! This program will include a 1-mile hike. More details.

Holiday Hunt in the Mansion, Locust Grove Estate, Poughkeepsie, NY

December 4: It's a Holiday Hunt for sugar plums, a golden pinecone, and more hidden in the holiday-festooned rooms of Locust Grove's historic mansion! Find out more.

Capital Region Meet-Up, Tang Teaching Museum & Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY

December 5: NY's Capital Region museum's will get together for an in-person meet-up to hear updates from the field, connect with colleagues, and take a guided tour. Learn more.

Good Governance: Policies and Practices for the IRS Form 990 (WEBINAR)

December 6: During this webinar, Katie Davis of 5 Branches Consulting will “cook up” a basic recipe for good governance and then dive deeper, reviewing the following five standard policies that the IRS highlights on Form 990. More details.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Powell’s Landing Pavillion, Montgomery, NY

December 7: Join a to commemorate the day of infamy. More details.

Weir Tour, Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, Ossining, NY

December 8: After a brief walk, descend into the Weir and explore the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history. More info.

Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference, Judicial Institute, White Plains, NY

December 8: The 21st annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference's theme this year is Land Use under Siege: Revisiting Well Grounded. Register now.

5th Annual Lighted Tractor Parade, 82 Church St. Granville, NY

December 9: Celebrate the holidays with Granville's 5th Annual Lighted Tractor Parade! Learn more.

Working With Land Managers For Trail Projects, Little Stony Point, Cold Spring, NY

December 10: Join Senior Trail Builder Ben Sugar for this classroom-based course on how working relationships with land managers help make good trail ideas a reality! Read more.

Songs of the Season Holiday Concert, Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, NY

December 10: Enjoy the beauty of the Earl Chapel and its excellent acoustics as you listen to seasonal carols by the Highlight Acting Troupe. More info.

Collective Brass Holiday Concert, Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY

December 11: Awaken your holiday spirit with a joyous concert from Collective Brass in the Lyndhurst Carriage House. Read more.

Godspell, Theatre on Main Street, Cornwall, NY

December 11: Enjoy this 'Feel Good' production this holiday season. Find out more.

County Referral (WEBINAR)

December 14: This course reviews the requirements of General

Municipal Law 239-l, -m, and –n and the law’s impact on local decision-making. Read more.

Hudson Valley Climate Action Network, Senate Garage, Kingston, NY

December 15: This climate gathering is intended to deepen your connections and learn what others are up to in the growing local climate movement. Learn more.

Artful Families, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY

December 16: Preschoolers and caregivers enjoy original art, read books about kids who love the library, and make their own mini-book of favorite picture books. More info.

Holiday Tea and Performance, Boscobel House & Gardens, Garrison, NY

December 18: Enjoy hot tea service and experience the holidays as they were celebrated in early America. Sip teas over winter tales by Jonathan Kruk or holiday music from the 18th and 19th-century by Carla and Keyes. More details.

Community Science: Winter Raptor Survey, Five Rivers Environmental Educational Center, Delmar, NY

December 20: Volunteers with bird-watching skills or the desire to learn are needed to help discover winter-feeding areas of endangered raptor species. Read more.

SEQR Basics (WEBINAR)

December 21: This webinar includes an overview of the environmental assessment form, Type I, Type II, and Unlisted actions and the sequence of making a positive or negative declaration on a project’s potential to have an adverse impact on the environment. Learn more.

Holiday Lighted Nights, Washington County Fairgrounds, Greenwich, NY

December 22: Make Holiday Lighted Nights the start of a new holiday tradition! This drive-thru experience will be fun for the whole family. Find out more.

Holiday Lights in Bloom, The Orange County Arboretum, Montgomery, NY

December 23: 14th annual garden-themed light display at the arboretum in Thomas Bull Memorial Park. More info.

A Gilded Age Christmas, Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh, NY

December 27: Enjoy Staatsburgh's beautiful interiors, with their original furniture, art and décor, lavishly decorated for the holiday season. Learn more.

Winter Scavenger Hunt, Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, NY

December 29: Join an educator as you learn about winter wildlife on a guided scavenger hunt! Find out more.

Heritage Spotlight: Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon, Columbia County

Mount Lebanon was the leading Shaker society in America from its founding in 1787 through its closing in 1947, and the North Family was its face to the wider World, composed of some of the most progressive and public Shakers in history. Guided tours are $10 per person, and standalone entry to exhibitions is by donation. The Museum Store, located in the historic Wash House, features a carefully chosen selection of items, including new and used books, Shaker reproductions, locally-made gifts, and products made by the living Shakers of Sabbathday Lake, ME.

Founded in 1787 as the first organized Shaker society in America, Mount Lebanon was the spiritual and secular heart of Shaker life. It was home to the central ministry which oversaw a community that, at its height in the mid-19th century, spread from Maine to Kentucky and comprised some 6,000 members. The last seven Shakers left Mount Lebanon in 1947, and since 2004, 91 acres of the North Family have been preserved by the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon for tours and exhibitions. The site is a National Historic Landmark and contains the only World Monuments Fund-designated site in Columbia County–The Great Stone Barn, built in 1859 as the largest stone cattle barn in America. Learn more.

Project Spotlight: A New Interpretation of an Old Story - Virtually

The Underground Railroad Education Center in Albany County received a Heritage Development Grant to develop two virtual presentations highlighting Black Capital Region Underground Railroad abolitionists and the relationship of their work with society today. One virtual presentation provides an inclusive and equitable interpretation of Underground Railroad history and its relationship with society today. The second virtual presentation focuses on strategies to uncover hard-to-find African American history. The virtual projects are 60 minutes in length each and include aspirational models such as Harriet Tubman, Arthur Ashe, and Shirley Chisholm. These presentations are intended to empower people to realize that they can influence historic developments in their everyday lives. The project also developed content-specific question-and-answer booklets that are designed for a diverse youth, college, and adult audience. Learn more about the Underground Railroad Education Center.

Be Mindful While Gift Wrapping During the Holidays

Look for cards and wrapping paper made from recycled paper. Avoid plastic ribbon and tape or foil-backed wrapping paper. Check out some tape-free wrapping techniques online such as furoshiki. This is a traditional Japanese method of using cloth to wrap and transport gifts. Learn more.

Grant and Funding Opportunities

Greenway Conservancy Trail Grant Program

This grant program is dedicated to funding recreational trail projects. Special consideration is given to projects that seek to implement the goals of the Greenway Trail Program. There is a new application for this program. Applicants should not use an older version. Applications are due on Good Grants by February 3, 2023. More details.

Hudson River Valley Greenway Community Grant Program

Matching grants are available for Greenway Communities and Greenway Compact Communities. Applications are due on Good Grants by February 3, 2023. More info.

Heritage Development Grants

This grant program offers funding for programming, interpretation, and marketing projects that support the mutual goals of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and applicants. Grants will typically range from $1,000 to $7,500. Grant program guidelines and applications are available on the HRVNHA's website. Please note that staff time is eligible to be reimbursed, but only if that staff time is for the direct development of programming or interpretation, as identified in the grant application. Applications are due on Good Grants by February 3, 2023. Learn more.

National Heritage Area Sponsorships Available

The Maurice D. Hinchey 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 complimenting 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 HRVNHA are eligible to apply. The application and budget form can be found on our website. For more information, please contact Dan Jeanson at [email protected] or 518-473-3835.

Park & Trail Partnership Grants

The program is administered jointly by Parks & Trails New York and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is designed to:

1. Enhance the preservation, stewardship, interpretation, maintenance and promotion of New York State parks, trails, state historic sites and public lands.
2. Increase the sustainability, effectiveness, productivity, and volunteer and fundraising capabilities of not-for-profit organizations that promote, maintain, and support New York State parks, trails, state historic sites and public lands.
3. Promote the tourism and economic development benefits of outdoor recreation through the growth and expansion of a connected statewide network of parks, trails, greenways and public lands.

Learn more about Park & Trail Partnership Grants. Deadline: December 9, 2022.

U.S. Department of Transportation Thriving Communities Program 

This Program aims to ensure that disadvantaged communities adversely or disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health policy outcomes have the technical tools and organizational capacity to compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive. Deadline: December 22, 2022. Find out more.

New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials Grants

This grant program provides $500,000 each year for preserving materials in the collections of libraries, archives, historical societies, and similar agencies. The grant awards for 2022-2023 will be limited to a minimum of $2,500 and a maximum of $40,000. Deadline: January 6, 2023. Read more.

Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions

This program encourages applications from small and mid-sized institutions that have never received an NEH grant; community colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities; and Native American tribes and Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian organizations with significant humanities collections. Furthermore, organizations or collections that represent the contributions of under-represented communities are highly encouraged. Deadline: January 12, 2023. Learn more.

National Endowment for the Humanities: Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grant Program

This program helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting sustainable conservation measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful life of collections, and strengthen institutional resilience. Deadline: January 12, 2023. More info.

Larry J. Hackman Research Residency Program

The Larry J. Hackman Research Residency Program supports advanced work on New York State history, government, or public policy using historical records in the State Archives. The program is intended to defray travel-related research expenses and fund on-site research at the Archives by faculty and graduate students in the humanities and social, natural, and life sciences, public historians, and teachers. Deadline: January 15, 2023. Find out more.

National Forest Foundation 2023 Matching Awards Program

The program supports action-oriented projects that enhance outdoor experiences, forest and ecosystem health, and engage local communities in caring for their public lands. Deadline: January 23, 2023. More info.

Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant

Flood Mitigation Assistance is a competitive grant program that provides funding to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes and territories. Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. Deadline: January 27, 2023. More details.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities

FEMA’s BRIC grant program gives states, local communities, tribes and territories funding to address future risks to natural disasters, including ones involving: wildfires, drought, hurricanes, earthquakes, extreme heat, and flooding. Addressing these risks helps make communities more resilient. In addition to providing funding, the BRIC program offers help to communities in the form of non-financial Direct Technical Assistance that can provide holistic hazard mitigation planning and project support. Deadline: January 27, 2023. Find out more.

Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grants Program

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program was established in 2014 and is funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. ORLP is a nationally competitive program targeting grant assistance to help economically disadvantaged urban communities with no, or almost no, access to publicly available, close-by, outdoor recreation. Funds can be used for the acquisition and/or development of, or to substantially renovate obsolete, public parks and other outdoor recreation spaces. Deadline: January 31, 2023. More info.

Mellon Planning Grants for Collaborative Digital Editions in African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American History and Ethnic Studies

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission of the National Archives supports projects that promote access to America's historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture. Draft Deadline April 1, 2023. Final Deadline: June 7, 2023. Read more.

Extreme Terrain’s Clean Trail Grant Program

This program will provide eligible groups the opportunity to apply for a grant to fund their next trail improvement-related project, which could range from trail clean-up, trail restoration, trail expansion, to name a few. Learn more.

New York State Assembly Grants Action News 

State, federal, and private grant information from the New York State Assembly. More info.