State aid will benefit Hudson River Estuary projects

State funding totaling about $263,000 will go toward protecting water quality and habitats, conserving open space and increasing storm resiliency in the Mid-Hudson region.

The money is from $441,000 awarded by the state Department of Environmental Conservation for projects throughout the Hudson River Estuary.

“The Hudson River and its valley are critical players in the history of New York,” state Environmental Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a press release. “The Hudson River Estuary Program was created to ensure that proud history continues ... by helping New Yorkers enjoy, protect and revitalize the river.”

The local grant recipients and the amounts they’re receiving are:

• Kingston — $24,500 to complete a communitydriven open-space plan to preserve, protect, and enhance natural areas.

“The plan will identify and prioritize green space, water and natural resources, as well as parks, natural, historic and cultural resources,” the press release stated. “The plan will also promote sustainable development and serve as a framework for landuse planning and protection.” • Mohonk Preserve — $47,440 to create a conservation plan for the Kleine Kill and Coxing Kill watersheds on the Shawangunk Ridge.

The plan will evaluate water quality, identify vulnerable species, assess invasive threats, determine the need for riparian buffers, assess the impact of current agricultural practices and inform the siting of future trails and/or educational kiosks, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

• Riverkeeper — $50,000 for the environmental watchdog group to support community science waterquality projects throughout the Hudson River Estuary that monitor fecal indicator bacteria and support the development of protocols to monitor algae and nutrients. The projects will focus on Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties.

• Siena College — $48,244 to develop collaborative research priorities and an action plan to help watershed communities make science-based management decisions for river tributaries. The work is to benefit Ulster, Dutchess, Albany and Westchester counties.

• Columbia County Land Conservancy — $43,067.

• Vassar College in Poughkeepsie — $50,000.