Mark Castiglione, Acting Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley Greenway, announced the approval of a $10,000 Greenway matching grant to the Town of Nassau, a Greenway Community, for the development of a regional economic impact study of the Rensselaer Plateau region.
The project to develop a Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan (RPRCP) is already underway, with all eleven municipalities of the region invited to participate in the process. The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance has the specific goal of creating a roadmap for conserving the full spectrum of natural resources. Funding from the Greenway will look at the direct and indirect economic impacts of the forest products industry, recreation and tourism and an estimation of ecosystem services provided by the forest. This study and the information it provides will be an important component that will complement the ecological and community values data in the conservation plan and will become part of the overall conservation plan.
Jim Bonesteel, President of the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance, Inc. said, “We are very appreciative of the Greenway Council for supporting this grant request. The economic study it funds will provide information critical to a well rounded conservation planning effort being done in cooperation with municipalities and residents of the Rensselaer Plateau region. The study will evaluate the contributions of the region’s natural resources to the forest products industry, recreation and tourism. It will also evaluate the value of the plateau’s open space, water supplies, clean air and other less tangible but essential benefits. All information of the conservation plan will be made available to assist towns, businesses and residents with their planning efforts.”
The Hudson River Valley Greenway works with communities on a voluntary basis to assist in the development of local land use plans and programs related to the Greenway criteria. Greenway community planning projects can be undertaken by a single community to address local issues or a group of communities working together to address both local and regional issues. Greenway Communities Grant Program provides grant funding to help communities develop and implement a vision for their future that balances Greenway criteria of economic development considerations with resource protection and promotion objectives.
Visit www.hudsongreenway.ny.gov for more information on the Greenway. Visit www.hudsonrivervalley.com for more information on the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.