CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The state Department of Economic Conservation Wednesday released $825,000 in grant funding to conservation-minded land trusts.

Fifty-two grants were awarded to 40 local and regional land-trust organizations to spur conservation and smart development across New York State, according to the Land Trust Alliance, a private group that works with the state to preserve open space.

"These grants are helping these community based organizations protect these lands before they are lost forever," said Ethan Winter of the Land Trust Alliance.

A land trust is an agreement between a landowner and the state that the land will remain protected forever, Winter said.

There are a total of 90 land trusts in the state that protect 2 million acres of land, Winter said. Nationally, there are 1,700 land trusts that protect 36 million acres.

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