New York State Landowner Incentive Program on the Land Conservation Assistance Network

New York State Landowner Incentive Program
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last updated: April 2022

The Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) is a unique partnership between the DEC and private landowners to protect the habitat of at-risk species on private lands. The program is funded by a grant from the Department of the Interior, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Landowner involvement in the program is entirely voluntary. Since the land is privately owned, public recreation or use of the sites will not be affected.

Why Protect Private Lands?

As wildlife and habitat managers, we recognize that habitat protection and management are the keys to wildlife survival and perpetuation. Approximately 85% of the State's 32 Million acres are privately owned. The vast majority of wildlife inhabit, use, or move through private property, where necessary management options are currently very limited. Current land-use patterns have also fragmented essential habitat, isolating populations or limiting their access to needed resources. We have learned that we cannot possibly acquire all the land necessary to give wildlife sufficient room and resources to thrive.

Historically, landowners have managed and protected vast areas of wildlife habitat. This program seeks to encourage landowner participation in habitat management and protection by providing technical and financial assistance. This approach recognizes and rewards the role of private individuals in the stewardship of natural resources.

As administrators at the national level have recognized for many years, concrete incentives (monetary or otherwise) for private landowners are needed. It ensures that critical habitats are protected, restored, and maintained for the benefit of wildlife. This is evidenced by the passage of the LIP initiative.

In 2004, the USFWS awarded $1.12 million to New York to develop and initiate a Landowner Incentive Program. This funding provided resources to ensure that critical habitats are protected, restored, and maintained for the benefit of wildlife.

Priority Species and Habitats

This program focuses on the protection and management of specific at-risk species and their habitat. These at-risk species have also been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need in our Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Some of these species live and breed in habitats found throughout the state, whereas others depend on a few key sites for survival. Identifying and targeting specific sites or geographical areas makes the most efficient use of our resources. It provides the greatest benefit for our at-risk species.

To this effect, we implemented three programs to address this need. The first program was for the protection and management of grassland birds and their habitat. The second was for protection and management of bog turtles and their habitat. The third was specific to the gating of Indiana bat hibernacula.

Contact New York State Landowner Incentive Program

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New York State Landowner Incentive Program is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.