The EPF has provided funding in every county of New York State to conserve forests and farmland, protect clean water, create parks and trails, support recycling and waste reduction, advance environmental justice, and further environmental education and stewardship.

Here are just a few examples of EPF-supported projects.

CONSERVE NATURE FOR NEW YORKERS

• Expanded Staten Island's Green Belt, Minnewaska State Park Preserve, the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves, and Tug Hill State Forest in Western New York

• Supports city parks and urban forests including Hunts Point Riverside Park in the Bronx, East River Park in Brooklyn, Hudson River Park in Manhattan, and Olmsted Parks in Buffalo

• Supports revitalization projects in shoreline communities including Walkway Over the Hudson and the Greenway Trails

PROTECT WATER AND WILDLIFE

• Protected Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, source of clean drinking water for the City of Rochester and nearby communities

• Helped preserve the Sterling Forest State Park, a source of drinking water for millions, a popular recreation area, and an important area for migratory birds and other wildlife

• Protected the Long Island Pine Barrens, sole source of drinking water for millions of residents

• Improved water quality and restored habitat in the Great Lakes and coastal estuaries including the South Shore Estuary, the Hudson River Estuary, and the Peconic Estuary

ENHANCE PARKS & QUALITY OF LIFE

• Reestablished access to the Native American Council Grounds area of Letchworth State Park

• Funded Trees New York to reduce flooding in East Harlem by removing a concrete island and creating green space to replace it with native trees and plants

• Helped preserve the historic Chautauqua Midway Park on the shores of Chautauqua Lake and the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, a popular Finger Lakes destination

• Helped hundreds of communities revitalize waterfronts and downtowns, protect natural resources, expand recreation, and boost tourism

REDUCE POLLUTION, WASTE, AND PESTICIDE USE

• Closed hundreds of inactive landfills across the state

• Provide funding for municipal recycling programs

• Provide businesses with resources and technical assistance to minimize pollution, reduce waste, and cut costs

• Fund environmental justice projects in disadvantaged communities such as community-based air monitoring programs focused on reducing emissions and improving public health

• Support communities to reduce emissions, use renewable energy, and reduce local climate risks from risings seas and flooding to deadly heatwaves

CONNECT NEW YORKERS TO NATURE

• Helped save the endangered Karner blue butterfly and create the Albany Pine Bush Preserve & Discovery Center

• Connect kids with nature and fund environmental education programs throughout the state

• Support zoos, botanical gardens, arboretums, aquariums, bird sanctuaries, nature preserves, and science museums

• Fund public land stewardship and maintain public facilities so residents and visitors can safely enjoy public parks, campgrounds, nature centers, and heritage sites