DEC and OPRHP Announce Release of Draft 30x30 Conservation Strategy for Public Review

Aug. 30 Deadline for Public Comments

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today announced the release of a proposed strategy document for implementing New York's commitment to support the national goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The draft New York State 30x30 Methodology and Strategiesdocument is available for public comment until Aug. 30, 2024, and outlines a comprehensive framework to achieve the directive in the 30x30 legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in December 2022.

DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, "New York's sustained leadership to invest in and advance natural climate solutions is vital to achieving both our climate goals and our efforts to conserve 30 percent of state lands and waters by 2030. Public input on the draft 30x30 Methodology and Strategies document released today will help inform these efforts as New York State moves forward with planning and managing new acquisitions, conservation partnership work, and applicable policies and regulations to meet our goals."

OPRHP Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons said, "OPRHP is proud to be a partner in the conservation of New York's lands and waters under the 30x30 initiative. Our ever-expanding State Park system is just one piece of the puzzle. We are committed to the protection of biodiversity, resilient habitats, connectivity, and providing public recreation as we uphold our continued mission of responsible environmental stewardship."

The 30X30 Methodologies and Strategies document builds upon New York State's extensive efforts to preserve open space through numerous programs, partners, and funding sources. Recent accomplishments include the acquisition of 287 acres at the former Bell Station power plant to create the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area, acquisition of 203 acres to add to Fillmore Glen State Park, the creation of the 500-acre Sojourner Truth State Parkin Ulster County, and the ongoing finalization of an agreement to permanently protect more than 14,600 acres at Follensby Pond and the Raquette River in the Adirondacks. Key components of the draft 30x30 Methodology and Strategies document include:

• Defining what will be counted towards New York's 30x30 goal including both permanent and persistent protections;
• Creating a baseline of what is already protected to determine the number of acres needed to reach 30 percent of New York State's lands and waters;
• Identifying priority conservation areas based on ecological significance and biodiversity;
• Pinpointing strategies for providing support to conservation partners to protect lands and waters, including enhancing existing grant and other programs that protect land, developing new grant and other programs to protect land, and legislative initiatives that protect land; and
• Establishing methods for supporting sustainable land management practices and promoting climate resilience.

The draft document incorporates the following legislative objectives:

• Conserving lands prioritized through the Open Space Conservation Plan;
• Providing protections for water sources, sole source aquifers, and watersheds;
• Preserving biodiversity through habitat restoration and means for wildlife migration, with a focus on endangered and threatened species;
• Expanding public access to nature and the outdoors;
• Considerations of urban, suburban and rural natural areas, wetlands, and forests;
• Protecting food sources through farmland preservation; and
• Increasing climate resilience, including reducing risk from extreme weather events, cooling urban landscapes, and the prevention of erosion and flooding.

The draft 30x30 Methodology and Strategies document will be available for review and comment for 60 days during which DEC and State Parks will hold two virtual public meetings to ensure input from stakeholders, community leaders, and environmental experts across the state.

To access the draft document and provide comments, visit DEC's 30x30 webpage. The details for the virtual meetings will also be posted on this webpage. A summary of public comments will be included in the final document as an appendix. Progress towards the 30x30 goal will be posted annually to the DEC webpage.

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