Highland Conservation Act Grant Program

The Highlands Conservation Act (H.R. 1964, 2004; 16 U.S.C. 3901) is designed to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania in conserving land and natural resources in the Highlands Region through Federal assistance for land conservation projects in which a State entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to permanently protect resources of high conservation value. The USDA Forest Service has identified lands that have high conservation value through the ⿿Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 Update⿝ similar to that completed for the Highlands of New Jersey and New York in 2002. Subject to availability of funds through Federal appropriation, each year, Governors of the four Highlands States may submit land conservation projects in the Highlands Region for funding not to exceed fifty-percent of the total cost; projects must be consistent with areas identified in the Update as having high resource value.