Natural and smartly developed spaces in both rural and urban settings are critical for people and the environment. These spaces encompass a variety of landscapes and ecosystems that give home to a diversity of wildlife and provide numerous benefits to people. These benefits include improved well-being through access to nature, clean air, fresh water, farmed food, and a more life-sustaining planet. Priority lands need to be protected, managed, and made accessible today, so that such benefits will be available for generations to come.

To ensure the health and vitality of the outdoors, we support and partner with organizations engaged in Land Conservation work and Camping programs.

Land Conservation: Despite the clear benefits of natural habitats and open space, many places are under significant pressure and threats, including those from development and a changing climate. A direct route to addressing these threats is to preserve and protect land for the long-term, removing it from potential development; contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation; and most of all create opportunities for people to appreciate and enjoy open space to continue the virtuous cycle of land conservation.

More specifically, PCLB currently supports organizations working in Connecticut and New York’s Hudson River Valley region to achieve:

• Preservation – Preserve and steward additional acres of land, especially lands that are critical habitats, that are climate resilient, and that protect and create connections to migratory corridors.
• Connections – Ensure public access to protected land for all, by undertaking projects that provide improved access to protected open space.
• Strength and Sustainability – Strengthen land trusts by promoting and facilitating mergers that result in professional, sustainable, and active regional land trusts and by increasing the percentage of easements held by LTA-accredited land trusts.

Camping: Exposure to the outdoors helps youth to appreciate its importance – now and throughout their lives. In addition, camp experiences foster a myriad skills and values – including independence, self-reliance, fitness, adaptability, teamwork – that can serve youth well over the long-term. Because of this, we support organizations that provide youth who otherwise could not afford camp with healthy, safe, traditional outdoors experiences, so they enjoy the benefits of nature today and value the outdoors for decades to come.

More specifically, PCLB supports a well-established cohort of camping organizations in New York and Connecticut. We do not anticipate adding significantly to this group of grantees.