We have partnered with the Orange County Land Trust to provide technical assistance to the Towns of Cornwall and Blooming Grove with their recently launched Cornwall-Blooming Grove Natural Heritage Project (NHP). The NHP will produce Open Space Inventories (OSIs), building upon the Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) work already completed in both towns by their respective Conservation Advisory Councils. OSIs are valuable planning tools for guiding a desirable balance between development and conservation. Based on public input, community leadership discussions and the data already collected through the NRI work, the NHP OSIs will identify and prioritize open spaces that are valued within these communities. They will also provide critical information for municipal comprehensive planning, as well as educate and engage the public on issues related to conserving and protecting water resources, farmland, wildlife habitat, scenic beauty and recreational opportunities.
This project has been funded in part by a grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.