Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program

The Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In an effort to conserve natural resources in this region, the Highlands Conservation Act was passed in 2004, founding the Highlands Conservation Act grant program. This grant program is among the many that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers to help partners conserve an array of plants, fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Grant funding also supports states, non-governmental organizations and other conservation partners working to sustain key landscapes in the Highlands region for the benefit of both people and wildlife.

This iconic landscape is distinguished by Appalachian ridges, hills, and plateaus. It is marked by deciduous and coniferous forests, streams and lakes, and thousands of plant and animal species. It is not only ecologically diverse, but sustains forest management, working farms, nature-oriented recreational opportunities, and clean water for the many people who live in the region.

Since the passage of the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004, $48 million in federal funds, matched by $74 million in non-federal funds, have been awarded to permanently protect 16,226 acres of land. Projects supported by the Highlands Conservation Act grant program are led by state agencies and address lands that support key conservation objectives outlined in the Highlands Conservation Act such as clean drinking water, healthy forests, thriving wildlife populations, productive agriculture, and abundant recreational opportunities.

The Highlands Conservation Act grant program is marking 20 years of land conservation in the four-state Highlands region. The program has been updated and expanded to address the issues of our time — climate resilience, habitat connectivity and equitable access to the outdoors — and broaden its potential reach to 10 million acres and under-resourced communities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Plus, county and municipal governments can now receive grant funds and conserve lands.