Organizations get grants for environmental education programs

Eight Hudson River Valley organizations with environmental education programs, including four in Ulster and Dutchess counties, will share $66,000 in grants from the Open Space Institute, according to a press release.

The money comes from the Malcolm Gordon Charitable Fund Awards, which were created in 1994 and have since distributed $956,705 to 52 grantees.

The eight recipients offer programs that “that engage local communities, inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, support access to healthy food and make nature and the outdoors more available and welcoming to all people,” the release said.

“In response to expanding needs in Hudson Valley communities, the fund has shifted its priorities this year to support programs to serve new constituencies, focusing particularly on the communities of Newburgh, Beacon, and Peekskill,” OSI said in the release, although recipients include organizations in Ulster County.

Each year, OSI conducts research to find organizations hosting programs that align with the fund’s goals and invites selected organizations to submit an application for committee review. Individual awards range from $5,000 to $15,000, based on need and project scope, and are given in support of and to help launch “promising and inspiring environmental programs,” organizers said.

Recipients of the 2021 Malcolm Gordon Charitable Fund Awards are:

• Wild Earth in High Falls, which was awarded $8,000 for its “Nature Connection — Supporting Traumatized Youth in the Hudson Valley” program. The program “seeks to support underrepresented youth and help them navigate trauma by establishing connections with trusted mentors; and build character and resilience by providing experiences in nature” in both wilderness and urban settings, according to the press release.

• Arm-of-the-Sea Theater in Saugerties was awarded $6,000 for its “Performing As Your Watershed” program. Arm-of-the-Sea Theater is an arts ensemble that fuses visual storytelling with live music in largescale works of mask and puppet theater and “seeks to utilize the participatory power of puppet theater to engage young people in discovering and learning about local watersheds and build connections between local communities, drinking water, and the Hudson River watershed,” according to institute

• The Stony Kill Foundation in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County, was awarded $7,000 for its “Cultivating Community Connections to the Outdoors Amidst COVID-19” program. With the award, the foundation seeks to expand its programming to include a new Junior Farmer program; support targeted outreach and research to bring new communities to the farm; aid in the improvement of selfguided resources, including new technology that will facilitate virtual connections; and provide educational programs that promote health and wellness.

• Land to Learn (formerly Hudson Valley Seed) in Beacon, Dutchess County, was awarded $10,000 for its “Leadership Ladder: Garden & Education Apprenticeships Summer 2021” program, which will offer apprenticeships for youngsters from third grade to college-aged. The program seeks to provide immersive outdoor environmental education experiences for teenagers, help participants connect with the land in their own city, and teach young leaders how they can be of service to and help feed their community.

• The Hudson Highland Nature Museum in Cornwall-on-Hudson, Orange County, was awarded $5,000 for its “Naturalists in Newburgh” program. The Hudson Highlands Nature Museum seeks to create responsible caretakers of the environment by hosting educational programs for the public that focus on the ecology of the Hudson Valley and promote knowledge and appreciation of the natural world. It will provide children ages 2 to 10 with experiences in nature.

• Black Rock Forest Consortium in Cornwall, Orange

County, was awarded $10,000 for its “Summer Science Scholars Program at Black Rock Forest.” The project is a partnership between the Consortium and the Newburgh Enlarged City School District to increase the interest, excitement and retention of students in STEM programs and provide students with outdoor opportunities for inquiry-based science learning.

• The Ecological Citizen’s Project based in Garrison, Putnam County, was awarded $15,000 for its “Building Regenerative Capacities” in Peekskill and Newburgh programs. The project seeks to foster community leadership, establish community farm growing spaces and address local food insecurity; while expanding nature-based youth education and employment to provide jobs and train young environmental activists and stewards.

• The Hudson Highland Land Trust in Garrison was awarded $5,000 for its “Relearning Highlands History: Researching a Heritage Trail about Black and Native American Communities in the Hudson Highlands” project. The project seeks to create a heritage trail highlighting the history of Black and Native American people in the Hudson Highlands. The grant will fund the information-gathering phase of the project, including hiring a qualified consultant to work with local museums and archives.