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 Highlands Conservation Act Grant ProgramAbout UsWhat We DoGet InvolvedNews The Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In an effort to conserve natural resources in this region, the Highlands Conservation Act was passed in 2004, founding the Highlands Conservation Act grant program. This grant program is among the many that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers to help partners conserve an array of plants, fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Grant funding also supports states, non-governmental organizations and other conservation partners working to sustain key landscapes in the Highlands region for the benefit of both people and wildlife.This iconic landscape is distinguished by Appalachian ridges, hills, and plateaus. It is marked by deciduous and coniferous forests, streams and lakes, and thousands of plant and animal species. It is not only ecologically diverse, but sustains forest management, working farms, nature-oriented recreational opportunities, and clean water for the many people who live in the region.Since the passage of the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004, $46 million in federal funds, matched by $72 million in non-federal funds, have been awarded to permanently protect 15,852 acres of land. Projects supported by the Highlands Conservation Act grant program are led by state agencies and address lands that support key conservation objectives outlined in the Highlands Conservation Act such as clean drinking water, healthy forests, thriving wildlife populations, productive agriculture, and abundant recreational opportunities.Latest Stories and TopicsStoriesA group of people stand in front of a forest holding a ribbon while a woman cuts the ribbon with a huge pair of scissors.Our PartnersRoom to roam in ConnecticutIn western Connecticut — just a two-hour car ride from New York City — conserved areas are expanding thanks to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Highlands Conservation Act grant program and Steep Rock Association.Apr 3, 2024A small black turtle white bright orange markings on it's neck walking in grassEndangered Species ActProtected spaces give bog turtles a reason to come out of their shellIt may come as a surprise, but sometimes a threatened or endangered species relies on privately owned land for its survival. Across the country, the Service and our partners work to purchase private land from willing landowners for the sake of threatened species like the bog turtle.Feb 21, 2024A group of people at a conference pose for a group photo.Our PartnersCelebrating new heights at the Highlands SummitThe Highlands Summit brought together conservationists from a variety of backgrounds to train and share resources as they looked to the future of conserving natural resources throughout the Highlands region.Dec 15, 2023a boardwalk leads into a vast marsh with rolling mountains in the distanceAdding acres multiplies opportunitiesExperience the wonders of nature on an accessible walking trail or challenging hiking trail in the Highlands region of New York, where wildlife, scenic vistas and recreational opportunities abound, thanks in part to the Highlands Conservation Act.Sep 19, 2023a worker on a wooded trail wearing a helmet and using a chainsaw on a large logLand ManagementTurning an abandoned campground into a conservation opportunityAn abandoned campground in the Highlands region of southeastern Pennsylvania is undergoing massive cleanup to be open to the public for recreational use while protecting drinking water resources and wildlife habitat.Jul 19, 2023A view of the forested hills leads to a large open body of water belowOur PartnersConnecting to nature in the Highlands RegionMeet Mark Zakutansky, director of conservation policy engagement at Appalachian Mountain Club. His childhood connections to nature turned into a career conserving the land he loves as one of the driving forces behind land conservation throughout the Highlands.May 16, 2023View All News
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