The Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. 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 supports states, non-governmental organizations and others 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 working farms.
Since passage of the Highlands Conservation Act, $48 million in federal funds, matched by $75 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 act, such as clean drinking water, healthy forests, thriving wildlife populations, productive agriculture and abundant recreational opportunities.
In 2024, the Highlands Conservation Act grant program marked 20 years of land conservation in the four-state Highlands region. The program was updated and expanded to address the issues of our time — climate resilience, habitat connectivity and access to the outdoors — and broaden its potential reach to 10 million acres and communities. Plus, county and municipal governments can now receive grant funds and conserve lands.
This iconic landscape is distinguished by Appalachian ridges, hills and plateaus. It is marked by deciduous and coniferous forests, streams and lakes, and working farms.
Since passage of the Highlands Conservation Act, $48 million in federal funds, matched by $75 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 act, such as clean drinking water, healthy forests, thriving wildlife populations, productive agriculture and abundant recreational opportunities.
In 2024, the Highlands Conservation Act grant program marked 20 years of land conservation in the four-state Highlands region. The program was updated and expanded to address the issues of our time — climate resilience, habitat connectivity and access to the outdoors — and broaden its potential reach to 10 million acres and communities. Plus, county and municipal governments can now receive grant funds and conserve lands.
What We Do
Our Services
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Conservation Investment administers the Highlands Conservation Act grant program, working with states, non-governmental organizations and others to sustain key landscapes in the Highlands region for the benefit of both people and wildlife.
Latest Stories and Topics
Stories
Since 2004, the Highlands Conservation Act grant program has protected more than 16,000 acres in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut Highlands, putting conservation “on the map” for people and wildlife. As it marks two decades, the program has an expanded reach and updated...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to invest about $13 million to protect lands in the 3.4-million-acre, four-state Highlands region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. The agency released 2025 notices of funding opportunity for the Highlands Conservation Act Grant...
An addition to New York State conservation lands marks 20 years of the Highlands Conservation Act grant program.
Our Partners
Throughout the Highlands Region, there are partners in each state that help make our conservation efforts possible.
Our Partners
In western Connecticut — just a two-hour car ride from New York City — conserved areas are expanding thanks to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Highlands Conservation Act grant program and Steep Rock Association.
Endangered Species Act
It may come as a surprise, but sometimes a threatened or endangered species relies on privately owned land for its survival. Across the country, the Service and our partners work to purchase private land from willing landowners for the sake of threatened species like the bog turtle.
Work With Us
Highlands Conservation Act grants are awarded to state agencies within the Highlands region, which spans Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Apply for a grant.