2025 Ecological Restoration Grant Awards Announced
We are thrilled to announce the selection of the 2025 round of Ecological Restoration Grant awards. Twenty-three organizations in six counties will receive a total of $450,000 to implement action-based ecological restoration projects supporting native pollinators and forest health.
Grants ranged from $2,500 to $50,000 and were awarded in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Ulster, Putnam and Orange counties, with 56% of funding awarded to NYS-designated Disadvantaged Communities. Awards were made to municipalities, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, land trusts, and libraries following a careful review process by PCA staff and expert advisors.
“Since we first launched our Ecological Restoration Grant program in 2023, we’ve consistently heard from our community that forests and pollinators represent two of the most critical restoration priorities here in the Hudson Valley,” said Avalon Bunge, PCA’s Ecological Projects Manager. “We’re delighted to be able to provide funding in these two key areas, and we’re very proud of the resources we’ve developed at PCA to support our grantee partners in their work.”
PCA launched the Hudson Valley Pollinator Action Guide (pollinatehv.org) in May 2024, with the goal of providing a complete toolbox for gardeners and land stewards interested in supporting threatened native pollinator populations at a range of scales. Grant awards in the pollinator health focus area will install plantings using techniques and native plant species drawn from the Action Guide.
Additionally, PCA’s Forest Health Task Force was established in 2023 to address the factors behind New York’s forest regeneration crisis. Supported by the Task Force, grant awards in the forest health focus area will undertake reforestation and afforestation efforts along with deer exclusion fences and restoration of sensitive understory plant and tree species eliminated by deer.
“We’re always impressed by the action-readiness of our communities, and by the high levels of local expertise around the interconnected climate and biodiversity crises that we’re facing,” said Bob Dandrew, PCA Co-Founder. “So often, the biggest barrier to taking action is a simple lack of funds. Our grant programs are intended to remove that barrier and help people get their hands dirty taking tangible, meaningful ecological action.”
The awarded projects will all be implemented in 2025, engaging diverse communities, municipalities, and youth groups across the region. A key component of each project is a plan to document and share successes and lessons learned to create a ripple effect of future restoration action.
PCA continues its fundraising efforts to support community-led ecological action in the Hudson Valley. “As with our first round of Ecological Restoration Grant funding in 2023, we received an overwhelming number of solid proposals, and we couldn’t meet the full need,” said Dandrew. “PCA raises every dollar that we re-grant to our communities to engage in this critical work. We’re looking for donations large and small to help us continue to support ecological restoration efforts across the Hudson Valley.” To donate and learn more, visit the Partners for Climate Action website at www.climateactionhv.org.
2025 Ecological Restoration Grant Awardees Include:
FOREST HEALTH FOCUS AREA
Black Rock Forest
Project title: Restoring Beech Stands
Award Amount: $37,098
Project Location: Cornwall, Orange County
Cultivate Catskill
Project title: Greene County Lot Restoration Project
Award Amount: $11,120
Project Location: Catskill, Greene County
Dutchess Land Conservancy
Project title: Site Restoration at the Bontecou Preserve to Control Tree-of-Heaven and Spotted Lanternfly
Award Amount: $22,500
Project Location: Town of Stanford, Dutchess County
Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program
Project title: Leatherwood (Dirca palustris) Protection from Deer Browsing at Hawthorne Valley
Award Amount: $8,295
Project Location: Hillsdale, Columbia County
Kingston Land Trust
Project title: Ecological Restoration of Red Fox Ravine
Award Amount: $46,000
Project Location: Kingston, Ulster County
Middle Way School
Project title: Middle Way School Forest Restoration Project
Award Amount: $7,265
Project Location: Saugerties, Ulster County
Town of Rhinebeck Cemetery
Project title: Natural Burial Ground Restoration
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Location: Rhinebeck, Dutchess County
AT-RISK POLLINATOR HABITAT FOCUS AREA
Boscobel House and Gardens
Project title: Boscobel’s Native Meadow Project
Award Amount: $30,000
Project Location: Garrison, Putnam County
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County Master Gardener Volunteers
Project title: CCE Ulster County Master Gardener Volunteers Demonstration Meadow at SUNY Ulster
Award Amount: $3,325
Project Location: Stone Ridge, Ulster County
Columbia Land Conservancy, Inc.
Project title: Greenport Pollinator Patch
Award Amount: $13,000
Project Location: Greenport, Columbia County
Ecological Citizens Project
Project title: Crystal Lake Pollinator Gardens
Award Amount: $38,400
Project Location: Newburgh, Orange County
Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy
Project title: Newburgh Blooms for Pollinators & People
Award Amount: $10499.50
Project Location: Newburgh, Orange County
Kingston YMCA Farm Project
Project title: Kingston's Urban Ecological Oasis
Award Amount: $11,199
Project Location: Kingston, Ulster County
Kite’s Nest
Project title: Hudson Waterfront Native Plant Buffer Pollinator Project
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Location: Hudson, Columbia County
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Project title: Restore Orchard Pollinators at MAVA
Award Amount: $19,647
Project Location: Kinderhook, Columbia County
Red Hook Public Library
Project title: Red Hook Public Library Field Station
Award Amount: $2,500
Project Location: Red Hook, Dutchess County
Southeastern New York Library Resources Council
Project title: Turning the Page for Pollinators
Award Amount: $15,905
Project Location: Highland, Ulster County
The Ashokan Center Inc.
Project title: Power of Pollinators: Restoring Biodiversity and Supporting Education through Native Pollinator Gardens at The Ashokan Center
Award Amount: $12,500
Project Location: Olivebridge, Ulster County
The Town of Esopus, Connelly Community Garden
Project title: Connelly Community Native Plant Pollinator Garden
Award Amount: $14,625
Project Location: Esopus, Ulster County
Town of Hyde Park
Project title: Hyde Park Town Hall Pollinator Gardens
Award Amount: $3,675
Project Location: Hyde Park, Dutchess County
Town of Hyde Park
Project title: Native Plants of Hyde Park Garden
Award Amount: $5,496
Project Location: Hyde Park, Dutchess County
Vassar College
Project title: Sowing Seeds of Engagement: Meadow Restoration Demonstration Area
Award Amount: $34,977
Project Location: Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County
White Feather Farm, Inc.
Project title: White Feather Farm Pollinator Habitat Program
Award Amount: $32,814
Project Location: Saugerties, Ulster County
