The wetlands of the North Shore Land Alliance's Darwin James...

The wetlands of the North Shore Land Alliance's Darwin James Preserve in Oyster Bay Wednesday. Credit: Barry Sloan

Two Long Island conservation organizations are among 45 land trusts across the state that received just over $3 million in state grants designed to support water quality, farmland and public access to open space.

In an announcement Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the grants went to projects "that protect water quality and farmland, boost public access for outdoor recreation and conserve open space to benefit community health, tourism and economic development."

The local recipients are the North Shore Land Alliance, based in the village of Mill Neck in Oyster Bay Town, which received $92,700; and the Peconic Land Trust in Southampton, which received $61,200.

“We applied for this last November/early December," said Lisa Ott, president and chief executive of North Shore Land Alliance. "We've been waiting with bated-breath and crossed fingers" on word they had received the grant. 

Ott said the $92,700 is split between two projects: the redevelopment of an old pool house on the Humes Estate the Alliance bought in 2015, that will be turned into an outdoor classroom and educational center focused on nature; and restoring a once private property in Lattingtown that will become a public preserve. 

"We’re restoring that property, getting rid of invasive species, putting in native plants and we’re building a meadow," Ott said of the Lattingtown property, which will be known as the Williams Preserve. "Our volunteers have been working there for weeks trying to get the land ready for planting. It’ll take several years for a full restoration, but the biggest part of the work will happen in the next six weeks to two months. By the middle of the summer people can begin to come." She added that the pool house renovation is expected to be completed by June.

Matt Swain, vice president of the Peconic Land Trust, said in a statement that its grant "will help with the installation of a new hiking trail in Riverhead at the Grantham Preserve, providing public access to this beautiful natural area.”

Hochul noted that the $3.075 million in state Conservation Partnership Program grants would be leveraged by $3 million in private and local funding. Ott said the alliance had raised matching funds for both projects, which she said was a requirement of the grant, from foundations and individual donors.

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