Description
The Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program is designed to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in conserving land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. The program provides Federal assistance for land conservation projects where a State entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to permanently protect resources of high conservation value. Proposed projects must be consistent with areas identified in the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study: 2002 Update and the Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 Update as having high resource value.
Key aspects of the project include:
• Eligibility: Only the lead State Agency for the Highlands Conservation Act is eligible to apply for funding.
• Cost Sharing: The Federal share requested may be no more than 50% of the total project cost.
• Project Narrative: The narrative description of the project proposal should address eligibility, need, objective, expected results, approach, location, estimated cost, and stakeholder coordination.
• Budget: The budget should include a breakdown of costs for acquiring the targeted property and a justification of requested budget items.