State Grants Awarded to Westchester, Hudson Valley Parks

Grants to enhance state parks and historic sites were announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo Wednesday and more than $100,000 will be heading to the Hudson Valley.

A total of $450,000 in state grants to 20 organizations will be distributed. They are funded by the Environmental Protection Fund and will be matched by nearly $242,000 in private and local funding.

Cuomo said, in a prepared statement, that the grants will help preserve New York’s natural green spaces while boosting tourism and helping local economies.

“Our parks, trails and historic sites are some of the best outdoor destinations in the nation,” he said, “and this funding will help ensure they remain in peak condition for years to come.”

For the Mid-Hudson Region, a total of $103,725 in grants were awarded to three organizations:

• Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct: $47,475 to design and equip a Visitor and Education Center (the site’s first) within the Keeper’s House, a National Historic Landmark that had previously been empty and unused.
• Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Inc.: $35,000 to hire fundraising and social media specialists to raise the funds needed to refurbish the roads around Swan Lake (Brothers’ Path).
• Walkway Over the Hudson: $21,250 to increase the organization’s capacity to attract and host tour groups through training, outreach, and the development of site-specific, multi-lingual materials.

Photo caption: Rockefeller State Park. Photo credit: NYSParks.