State Land Master Plan

New York State's updated open space conservation plan is out and includes large sections of Westchester County as priority areas for protection.

It's all worth a look, but if you click here and jump to chapter 5, you can see the priority areas in Westchester and the rest of our region. Westchester Land Trust served on the regional citizens committee that recommended the priority areas.

Here's the press release sent out by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis and State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Commissioner Carol Ash today announced the release of the state's 2009 Open Space Conservation Plan, which provides a comprehensive blueprint for focusing and achieving the state's conservation goals.

"Traditionally, the Open Space Plan has been geared toward land acquisition, without much thought given to the broader scope. This new plan changes that," Commissioner Grannis said. "To be sure, the plan still focuses on the state's longstanding tradition of including large wilderness tracts for possible acquisition. But, under Governor Paterson, the Plan also contains comprehensive recommendations to help local governments and non-profit organizations undertake open space planning at regional and community levels. Recognizing economic pressures on all government funding, the Plan focuses on four goals: responding to global warming; fostering green communities; connecting people with nature and recreation; and safeguarding the state's unique natural and cultural heritage."

"With challenges such as climate change, the difficult economy and a growing demand for energy facing New York, the responsible stewardship of our lands and waters requires an informed and thoughtful strategy," Commissioner Ash said. "In these challenging times, we need to remember that the state's protected landscapes generate critical economic activity in the form of tourists' dollars and agricultural and forest products. The Open Space Plan provides a forward-looking approach to safeguarding New York's scenic, recreational, agricultural and ecological resources today and in the decades to come."

The 2009 Open Space Plan builds on previous state plans and contains a list of 135 priority conservation projects across the state, identified by nine citizen-based Regional Advisory Committees. The Plan makes many sensible and cost-effective recommendations that can help protect New York's outdoor heritage, reduce sprawl and improve the quality of life in communities across the state.

The Open Space Plan includes recommendations on how the state and local governments can protect and enhance riparian, coastal and floodplain areas and forests as part of the adaptation to a changing climate, while at the same time improving wildlife habitat and creating new outdoor recreational opportunities. Protection of coastline areas and riparian zones also can buffer adjacent private property and community resources against rising sea levels and more frequent flooding.

The Plan also better focuses regional priorities, such as protecting Long Island beaches and estuaries and promoting access to its shorelines, improving habitat and watershed protection in the Catskills, increasing access to the Hudson River and improving environmental justice and access to open spaces in New York City.

The Governor's Smart Growth Cabinet, the Ocean and Great Lakes Council, the Climate Smart Community network, the Hudson River Estuary Program, along with several state agencies have been involved with development of the open space recommendations and will provide technical assistance to local and regional governments and planning organizations. The Plan includes more than 300 Internet links to related content, resources and partners in open space conservation.

DEC and OPRHP finalized the Plan after holding a series of public meetings on a draft proposal earlier this year.

"The overwhelming positive public response to the Open Space Plan is a clear message from New York's citizens," Commissioner Grannis said. "It showed us that New Yorkers care deeply about the environment and believe in the importance of moving ahead with a vigorous open space protection strategy, even in very difficult economic times."

"The 2009 Open Space Conservation Plan could not be more clear in its acknowledgement that what we do with our land resources has enormous implications for New York's future," said Open Space Institute President Joe Martens. "Wisely, the Plan provides a blueprint for responding to the major issues of the day, including climate change, the challenge of creating sustainable communities, and how to reconnect New Yorkers with the State's abundant natural and cultural resources."

"The Nature Conservancy applauds DEC and OPRHD for finalizing the 2009 Open Space Plan," said Bill Ulfelder, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in New York.  "The Conservancy is proud of our partnership with the State, which has ensured the protection of hundreds of thousands of acres of open space including forests, mountains, wetlands, grasslands and waters. We look forward to continuing our partnership through the protection of critical landscapes identified in the Open Space Plan that support New York's rich biodiversity and economy."

"As habitat loss is the leading threat to many of our most beloved bird species, we commend the DEC and OPRHP for developing this important blueprint to guide land preservation efforts throughout the state and ensure that resources provided through the Environmental Protection Fund, and other state and federal sources, are spent wisely," said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York.  "In addition to providing habitat and migratory stopover sites for birds and other wildlife, protecting open space in New York plays an important role in the state's economic recovery through providing destinations for ecotourism, protecting clean water resources, and buffering against the most severe impacts of climate change.  We look forward to working with the state to ensure the successful implementation of this important plan."

The 2009 State Open Space Plan can be accessed on the Internet at www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47990.html or by contacting the regional offices of DEC and OPRHP.