Climate Resilience in the Hudson River Estuary

In This Issue

• NYS Grants Now Available
• Draft Hudson River Action Agenda 2021-2025 Released
• Climate Leadership Coordinator Services RFP
• News Roundup
• Local Weather Trends

State Funding Available to Help Build Resilience and Adapt to Climate Change

Governor Cuomo announced more than $750 million available through this year's NYS Consolidated Funding Application (CFA). The deadline to apply is 4:00 pm, July 30, 2021. You can:

• download the 2021 CFA Resources Available Guide (PDF),
• sign up for informational webinars on the 2021 CFA grants, and
• log into the CFA online.

New Funding Climate Adaptation and Resilience Webpage

Over $170 million of these state grant programs can be used to support local governments and non-profit organizations building resilience and adapting to flooding, sea-level rise and other climate risks. Our Funding Climate Adaptation and Resilience webpage summarizing these assistance programs, including when and where to apply. Eligible activities include municipal planning, resilient infrastructure and structures, emergency management, economic revitalization, public outreach, and natural solutions like sustainable shorelines, green infrastructure and floodplain protection.

Draft Hudson River Action Agenda 2021-2025 Available for Public Comment

The Hudson River Estuary Program released our Draft Hudson River Action Agenda 2021-2025 (PDF) for public comment. You can find our new resilience goals and strategies under our Climate-adapted Communities Benefit beginning on page 23. Climate change and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) are cross-cutting themes throughout the report. 

Please submit public comments on the Action Agenda by July 9, 2021 at 5 p.m. to hrep@dec.ny.gov with 'Action Agenda' in the subject line.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Highlights from Our 2015-2020 Work

Read the major highlights from our work over the past Action Agenda in our 2015 - 2020 Hudson River Estuary Coordinator's Report (PDF). Resilient Communities outcomes begin on page 6 and are the result of collective work with our many agency, academic and NGO partners.

$3.5 Million Available for Climate Leadership Coordinators RFP

The DEC Office of Climate Change seeks proposals from qualified organizations to serve as climate leadership coordinators, to provide support services to communities as part of the Climate Smart Communities Program. The selected contractors will engage and support municipal action through outreach, planning, education, and capacity building to local governments and their communities within one of three territories. The contractors will also engage communities in participatory climate future scenario planning, develop climate change adaptation and resilience plans, and convene climate and transportation listening sessions to inform sustainable and low-carbon transportation policies.

A Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the Climate Leadership Coordinators Services initiative is available in electronic format by sending an email request with full organizational contact information to climatesmart@dec.ny.gov. Questions regarding the RFP can be directed to climatesmart@dec.ny.gov until close of business on June 7, 2021. Answers to questions will be compiled and posted on this webpage by June 14, 2021. 

Informational Webinar TODAY

An informational bidders conference webinar will be held Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. by clicking https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=e19f10edcb0c7bb0b485d87eaf7288643

Meeting Number: 161 751 7080 | Password: CLCrfp2021

Climate Resilience Leadership in NYS

• DEC Announces Six New Certified Climate Smart Communities, four of which represent the Hudson Valley: Village of Athens, City of Hudson, Westchester County, and Ulster County!
• Newly launched Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley focuses on Climate Leadership, Community Resilience and Climate Communications and offers strategic resources to local governments
• Climate Action Council Marks Critical Milestone to Advance New York's Nation-Leading Climate Law, seven advisory panels, including Land Use and Local Government, along with the Just Transition Working Group, submitted their recommendations for achieving the Climate Act's goals to put the State on the path to carbon neutrality economy-wide by 2050
• The DEC has updated its Environmental Justice Maps based on newly available 2020 Census data
• The Estuary Program's Conservation and Land Use team and Hudsonia Ltd. have selected the towns of Montgomery (Orange County), New Lebanon (Columbia County), and Woodstock (Ulster County) from a competitive application to receive technical assistance in establishing Critical Environmental Areas (CEA)

News Roundup

• The US Census released new Community Resilience Estimates to predict the "capacity of individuals and households to absorb, endure, and recover from the health, social, and economic impacts of a disaster such as a hurricane or pandemic," view their data dashboard online
• Article: Kingston Hamlet Offers Test Case for Conservation Amid Gentrification, "preservation of the Wilbur uplands, recently acquired by the Kingston Land Trust, illuminates the tensions between development and land conservation in the Hudson Valley"
• Article: More Americans Are Leaving Cities, But Don’t Call It an Urban Exodus, "Hudson, New York, is one of several small towns along the Hudson River that saw a spurt in migration"
• Article: Mohicans feel strong bond to their Capital Region homeland, "the extensive list of Mohican villages across several states... with a strong concentration north and south of Albany"

Local Weather Trends from Mohonk Preserve's 125-year Weather Station

This April was the 6th warmest on record. You can check out the Mohonk Preserve weather data online for more information.

Please visit our website or email us at hvclimate@dec.ny.gov

Invite your friends and colleagues to join our newsletter at http://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/subscriber/new?topic_id=NYSDEC_147