Largest federal grant in Mass Audubon history terminated by Trump admin
Mass Audubon, the largest conservation organization in New England, received the $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Regional Conservation Partnership Program last October — a slice of $1.5 billion in financial commitments to 92 conservation projects around the country. The funding was part of an expansion created by the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act.
According to Politico, many of the termination notifications didn't explain why the grants were cut. A USDA spokesperson told the publication that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was returning the Regional Conservation Partnership Program 'to the Farm Bill's established priorities.'
The funding would have protected 10,000 acres in the Connecticut River Watershed, according to Mass Audubon, as well as 'fostered partnerships with landowners to restore forest habitat by removing dams, restoring floodplain forests, and engaging in other restorative land management practices.'
Read more: 'Small money, huge impact;' We traveled Conn. River to spot hazards of missing buoys
'Terminating grants that conserve our forests, keep working lands working, act as a flood protection buffer for communities, and leverage millions from other funding sources simply makes no sense, and represents a loss for all of us,' David O'Neill, president and CEO of Mass Audubon, said in a statement.
The grant also included money that would have assisted in the development of a new measurement and monitoring approach for private landowners to evaluate conservation outcomes — using field measurements, LiDar (light detection and ranging), satellite imaging and AI machine learning to measure and monitor carbon, biodiversity and flood resilience.
Mass Audubon had partnered with the Center for Geospatial Solutions at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to develop the tool.
The $25 million grant featured partnerships with Kestrel Land Trust, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Hilltown Land Trust, East Quabbin Land Trust, Connecticut River Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership.
Mass Audubon said it is currently weighing its appeal options with the Trump administration.
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