Hurley awarded $36,800 grant for ‘Natural Resources Inventory Project’

NY State funding secured by Town's Conservation Advisory Committee
Posted on: February 28, 2024 - 12:58pm

Hurley has been chosen to receive a grant totaling $36,800 that will allow the Town’s Conservation Advisory Committee to conduct a “Natural Resources Inventory Project.”

The award is funded by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program.

A Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) compiles and describes important, naturally occurring resources within a given locality, such as a municipality, watershed or region. Cultural resources – such as those that are historic, scenic or recreational – often are included in an NRI, as well.

The inventory has two basic purposes: To provide the building blocks for comprehensive land-use and conservation planning; and to allow natural resource information to be included in local planning and zoning.

The grant application submitted by the Hurley Conservation Advisory Committee (CAC) stated, in part:

“The CAC, working with the Town of Hurley, will engage the services of a consultant to develop a Natural Resources Inventory that will set the stage for identifying areas to protect, including water resources, habitats and wildlife, and natural areas important for climate resilience. The NRI, together with the 2018 Hurley Open Space Plan and an updated Comprehensive Plan, will give the CAC and the Hurley Zoning Task Force the tools to revise the Town Zoning Code to incorporate climate resilience and mitigation elements, improved wetland and watercourse protections, critical environmental area protection, and a tree ordinance.”

The Conservation Advisory Committee also stated that Hurley plans to overhaul the Town Zoning Code based on the updated Comprehensive  Plan to better balance the needs of development and sustain the economic vitality of the town while protecting unique natural and scenic resources.

Additionally, the CAC stated, a wetlands and watercourses protection law will ensure the safety of Town residents’ drinking water, which is supplied entirely by wells, and the Lower Esopus Creek and its tributaries within the Town of Hurley.

The grant requires a 15% local match. Most of this will come in the form of volunteer labor hours, though the cost of supplies also will be covered at the local level, and some cash funding will be necessary.