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 and Trail Grant Applications are Due Through Our Online Grants Platform by November 3, 2023. More Details.

• Hudson River Valley Greenway Joint Board Meeting on October 11, 2023, at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison. Email Us.



• Does Your Organization Own or Manage a Trail? Designate Your Trail as an Official Part of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail System. Learn more.

Another Successful Ramble

The 23rd annual Hudson River Valley Ramble was a success with over 155 submitted events for the month of September. Events ranged from guided hikes, historic site tours, festivals, and more.

Thank you to everyone who participated in events and a special thanks to event leaders for helping us celebrate the history, culture, and natural resources of the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area!

If you haven't already filled out comment cards, please do so for a chance to win a prize and help us make the 23rd annual Hudson River Valley Ramble even more of a success.

Also, don't forget to email us photos of your Ramble experiences to win prizes at ramble@hudsongreenway.ny.gov. Check out the Ramble Photo Contest webpage for details on how to submit your photos.

Lastly, don't forget to like/follow the Hudson River Valley Ramble on Facebook and Twitter!

Bard College Awarded $750,000 from National Park Service for Restoration of Montgomery Place Mansion

The National Parks Service (NPS) has announced that Bard College has been chosen as a recipient of a $750,000 Save America’s Treasures grant through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). This prestigious award will help support the restoration of the Montgomery Place Mansion, a National Historic Landmark owned by Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson. The grant funding will support structural repairs to the exterior of the building in order to restore its integrity and resiliency for future preservation.

The work at Montgomery Place Mansion will include a comprehensive assessment of the structural conditions and will help secure the long-term preservation of the building, its finishes, and its collections. Following completion of the structural assessment and a comprehensive onsite evaluation of the building envelope, restoration work will begin focusing on the mansion roof, drainage, north- and east-facing porches, as well as exterior paint. Read the full press release.

Palisades Park Conservancy Awarded $150,000 Through Park & Trail Partnership Grant

Parks & Trails New York held a press conference Thursday, September 28th, highlighting the continued, significant impacts for state-owned public lands created by the Park and Trail Partnership Grant program. Legislators, partners, and public lands leadership convened at Lake Sebago in Harriman State Park to celebrate the $150,000 grant awarded to the Palisades Park Conservancy. The event highlighted the state-funded program’s efficacy, while drawing attention to the need and opportunity at the shuttered bathhouse and beach facilities—currently permanently closed to the public.

Lake Sebago, once a popular destination for residents of the Hudson Valley and NYC Metropolitan Areas, is an example of the opportunity to expand access to public lands. Sebago was closed in 2011 after Hurricane Irene. Sebago’s closure left only Harriman State Park, Lake Tiorati and Lake Welch to meet the state park swimming needs of the city and region, sites that frequently reach maximum capacity.

Parks & Trails New York, with partner NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, administers the $2m yearly Park and Trail Partnership grants program. This fund, financed by the Environmental Protection Fund, addresses critical needs at state lands through providing support to grassroots groups creating programming, addressing infrastructure needs, building state-site capacity, and more. Read more.

Hudson River Valley Greenway's Grant Applications Are Now Hosted on the Greenway's Online Grants Platform

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 now on an online grants platform, HRVG Grants Platform.  This 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.

All applications for funding are required to submit grant applications on the 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 grants@hudsongreenway.ny.gov or call us at (518) 473-3835.

Important Reminders

• Overview of NY's Freshwater Wetland Regulatory Changes Webinar on October 26, 2023. Register now.

Camphill Hudson Makes Donation to Support American Shad in the Hudson River

Camphill Hudson, a nonprofit organization supporting people of differing abilities made a donation to the Greenway Heritage Conservancy HRV, Inc. (Greenway) to support American Shad in the Hudson River. Through a long-standing partnership, the Greenway will manage the donation for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Hudson and Delaware Marine Fisheries team to purchase shad tags and improve scales used to weigh the fish. The tags will be inserted in fish captured next year to determine seasonal movement patterns and annual mortality rates. The scale improvements will allow for more accurate weight measurements and safer handling of the shad in the field.

American shad is a migratory species that has a long history in the Hudson River. Indigenous people and colonial Americans fished for shad for sustenance, often smoking the flesh and consuming the roe (eggs) as a delicacy. American shad continued to be an important recreational and commercial fishery throughout the 20th century, but stock depletion resulted in the closure of the fishery in 2010.

This year in March, DEC released the Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad (PDF). The plan outlines the efforts undertaken to recover the stock since its collapse and develops a transparent and science-based roadmap for reopening the shad fisheries. More info.

Upcoming Events

Fall Lecture Series: Lighthouses on the Hudson River, Shattemuc Yacht Club, Ossining, NY

October 4: Join us for a historical and photographic presentation of the Hudson River's past and present lighthouses, their histories and keepers. Read more.

Putnam County’s Mysterious Stone Chambers: Panel Discussion, Desmond Fish Public Library, Garrison, NY

October 6: Immerse yourself in a lively panel discussion featuring five leading experts and enthusiasts in the field of stone structures. Learn more.

Historical Games, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, Yonkers, NY

October 7: Learn the history behind these games and then learn how to play Quoits, Nine Men's Morris, Shut the Box, Cribbage, Whist, and more! More info.

Girl Scouts Cadette Tree Badge, Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, NY

October 8: Take in the fall colors on this hike to High Point. On the way, Cadettes will learn to identify trees and work towards earning their Tree Badge. Find out more.

Slavery, Segregation & Staatsburgh: From Black Service to White Servants, Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh, NY

October 9: In 1810, there were nine Black people enslaved on the Staatsburgh estate. In 1910, there were no recorded Black employees working inside Staatsburgh. What happened? Learn more.

Hudson River Valley Greenway Joint Board Meeting, Boscobel House and Gardens, Garrison, NY

October 11: This joint board meeting will feature an exciting presentation on Boscobel’s rich history and current-day programming, as well as Greenway business and grant awards. Email us.

Walk & Talk at Dutchess Manor, Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, Cold Spring, NY

October 12: An hour-long gathering and walk at Fjord Trail project area to discuss plans and proposed amenities, and provide the timeline for the project. Learn more.

History Hike: Nimham Mountain Fire Tower, Nimham Mountain, Kent, NY

October 13: This hike will explore the ways Nimham Mountain’s past has played a role in its environmental presence. More info.

Sunrise at Washington Headquarters, Washington Headquarters State Historic Site, Newburgh, NY

October 14: Set your alarm clock to see the sun rise over Mount Beacon from the Tower of Victory's belvedere. Read more.

Road to Freedom Walk / Dobbs Ferry 150, Gould Park, Dobbs Ferry, NY

October 15: Led by fife and drum, follow the path of the Continental Army and then celebrate the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the village in 1873. More details.

To Bring the World Home: Collecting Photography in the Nineteenth Century (WEBINAR)

October 17: During this webinar with independent photo historian Corey Keller, consider how making and collecting photographs offered a medium through which the world could be seen, sorted, and understood in Frederic Church's time. Register now.

Winnakee-Dutchess Trails Roundtable (WEBINAR)

October 17: An online forum on local & regional trails will feature lessons learned from Wallkill Valley Land Trust's "Celebrate Trails Day," plus a brief introduction to PTNY's programs & vision for trails, with incoming Executive Director Paul Steely White. Register by emailing contact@winnakee.org.

Legends by Candlelight Halloween Event, Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown, NY

October 20: Join ghost hunters as they explore the Mansion at Clermont, searching for the spirits of past residents. Learn more.

2nd New York Regiment Encampment, Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site, Stony Point NY

October 21: The 2nd New York Regiment will conduct military drills and recreate camp life while talking with visitors about the lives of the soldiers who served with the American infantry during the early years of the War for Independence. Find out more.

Haunted Tales From the Crow's Woods, Crailo State Historic Site, Rensselaer, NY

October 21: Join us around the campfire in Crailo's Riverside Park for an evening of haunted tales, spectres, and portents of doom! More info.

It Was Dark Back Then, Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site, New Windsor, NY

October 21: Watch a 45-minute scary theatrical presentation between 6:00 – 10:30 PM and tour the grounds if you dare. Learn more.

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

October 22: After a brief walk, descend into the Weir in Ossining and explore the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history. Find out more.

Fun Finds in the Archives! (WEBINAR)

October 24: Join us this Archives Month to peek into government records held at the New York State Archives in Albany. Walk virtually through the stacks to locate surprising, unexpected, and just-plain-fun finds! More info.

Egg-tastic After School Engineering, Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton, NY

October 25: The goal is to build a crash vehicle out of supplies like straws, paper, toothpicks, etc. that can protect an egg from a 25-foot drop. Ages 10+, Read more.

Hulda’s Night, Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Pleasantville, NY

October 27: Hulda's Night is an adventure into the history and legends of the Preserve through live performance. More details.

Keeping it Fresh! Colonial Food Preservation, Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, Fort Montgomery, NY

October 28: From pickling to drying to salting and smoking, presenter Tom Hunt will discuss and demonstrate many of the techniques used in early American food preservation. More info.

Full Moon Hike, Moreau Lake State Park, Gansevoort, NY

October 29: Join a Park Educator on a beginner hike around Moreau Lake. If the clouds cooperate you'll get to enjoy the splendor of the moon rising above the mountains! Find out more.

Tuesday Trek: Fall Breezes on top of Millbrook Mountain, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Kerhonkson, NY

October 31: Join Laura Conner, Environmental Educator, for this modestly challenging, five-mile roundtrip hike along the Millbrook Mountain Footpath and Millbrook Mountain Carriage Road. Read more.

Heritage Spotlight: Albany City Hall, Albany County

A grand Romanesque-style building, Albany’s City Hall was designed in 1882 by Henry Hobson Richardson, then America’s greatest architect. Constructed of Rhode Island granite with darker stone trim, the building features a profusion of arches, a pyramidal-roofed tower, and a 49-bell carillon—the first municipal carillon in the United States. Considered to be the most Romanesque of all of Richardson’s buildings, it contains many of his trademark features, including intricately patterned stonework, rich floral carvings, and fanciful finials and gargoyles. Learn more.

Project Spotlight: Improving the Access for All Trail at Greenport Conservation Area

The Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) in Columbia County received a Conservancy Trails Grant to improve access to their Access for All Trail at the Greenport Conservation Area (GCA) in Greenport. The GCA is one of CLC’s best-known sites. The 732-acre site includes more than seven miles of trails, and people visit the site more than 18,000 times a year. However, the Access for All trail, the gateway to the site and CLC’s only ADA-accessible trail, needed repair, and resurfacing. Grant funds were used to contract with the Greenagers, a non-profit that engages teens and young adults in meaningful work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, and natural resource management. The Greenagers repaired and resurfaced the bulk of the 1.5-mile Access for All Trail. This included replacing aging and non-functioning culverts, bringing the trail bed above grade, and recrowning the trail to ensure the trail was accessible year-round. These improvements better protect and enhance the site’s natural resources, as people no longer need to create social trails to avoid potholes, standing water, and ice in winter. Grant funds were also used to purchase two Eco-Counter trail counters to better understand which entrances are being used most often, how often, and at what times the trails are being used so we can make good decisions moving forward on how we manage and deploy our resources. Learn more about the Greenport Conservation Area and Columbia Land Conservancy.

Choose Non-Lead Ammunition

New development of alternative non-lead ammunition allows hunters the same performance and accuracy of traditional lead-based ammunition without fragmentation. Non-lead ammunition consists of solid copper or copper alloys (90-95% copper and 5-10% zinc) and is available in a large variety of calibers and bullet weights for rifle, shotgun and muzzleloader. 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. The remaining deadlines for applications this year are due on HRVG's Online Grants Platform by November 3, 2023. More details.

Hudson River Valley Greenway Community Grant Program

Matching grants are available for Greenway Communities and Greenway Compact Communities. The remaining deadlines for applications this year are due on HRVG's Online Grants Platform by November 3, 2023. More info.

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. Applications are available on HRVG's Online Grants Platform. For more information, please contact Dan Jeanson at daniel.jeanson@hudsongreenway.ny.gov or 518-473-3835.

Community Forest Conservation Grant Program

This grant program funds municipal land acquisition for community forests, which are vital for wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, recreational opportunities, mental health, air quality, water quality, and to meet the obligations outlined in New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Deadline: October 11, 2023. More info.

Technical Assistance Grants

Technical Assistance Grants are available to eligible NYS nonprofits and municipalities. The TAG Program provides support for planning studies or analyses of New York State’s historic resources that serve an arts and/or cultural function. TAG funds consulting reports only, completed by architects, engineers and/or other design and preservation professionals. These grants do not fund capital construction costs, architectural plans and specifications, schematic designs, or construction documents. Pre-Application deadline: Monday, October 9. Grant application deadline: Friday, October 20, 2023. Find out more.

Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) 

Communities nationwide are suffering from a lack of affordable housing, and housing production is not meeting the increasing demand for accessible and available units in many urban and rural areas, particularly areas of high opportunity. Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) supports communities who are actively taking steps to remove barriers to affordable housing. Deadline: October 30, 2023. More details.

2023 Thriving Communities Program

The TCP provides intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation and community revitalization opportunities. Deadline: November 13, 2023. Learn more.

2024 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant 

EPA’s Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. Deadline: November 13, 2023. More details.

Legacy Trails Grant Program

This program is funded up to $1.5M per year for 5 years through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports partner trail projects that further the Legacy Roads and Trails criteria on National Forest System trails throughout the nine Forest Service Regions. The goal of the program is to support projects that restore, protect, and maintain watersheds in our national forests and grasslands. American Trails is administering this grant program, and is soliciting applications for funding, with awards up to $100K per project. Deadline: December 1, 2023. Read more.

New York State Conservation Partnership Program

The New York State Conservation Partnership Program offers competitive matching grants to qualified New York land trusts to advance land conservation, economic development, farmland protection, community conservation and recreation and tourism. Deadline: December 22, 2023. Learn more.

Environmentally Sustainable Transportation Projects

Projects will be selected through a competitive solicitation process and rated based on established criteria that include public benefit, air quality improvements, cost-effectiveness, and partnerships. Projects must be related to the surface transportation system and provide full access to the public. The TAP-CMAQ-CRP project awards will amount to no less than $500,000 and no more than $5 million for any single project. NYSDOT will provide up to 80 percent of the total eligible project costs with a minimum 20 percent match provided by the project sponsor. Eligible project costs may include planning, design/engineering services, right-of-way acquisition, construction, and construction inspection. Deadline: January 9, 2024. More info.

Candevra Foundation Grant Program

The Candreva Environmental Foundation is a New York state-based organization that provides seed money for local environmental education initiatives and projects that engage young people in environmental service. Awards of up to $500 can be used for materials, printing costs, student and teacher travel, communication costs, and other project-related expenses. Grants are limited to Westchester and Putnam Counties. Deadline: June 1, 2024. Find out more.

The Peter H. Brink Leadership Fund

The Peter H. Brink Leadership Fund helps to build the capacity of existing preservation organizations and encourages collaboration among these organizations by providing grants for mentoring and other peer-to-peer and direct organizational development and learning opportunities. More info.

Trails Count Grant Program

The Trails Count Grant Program is an assistance grant in partnership with Eco Counter and focuses on the quality of mountain bike trail communities by measuring the number of users on trails to assess the impact of trails. The grants support communities that have the interest and political support to develop trail use measurement systems but need additional assistance. More details.

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.