State, county seek assistance with bird-nesting program

By Joe MahoneyThe Daily Star

Property owners in northern Otsego County and migratory birds alike could benefit from a grassland protection program being promoted by state officials and the Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation is willing to pay landowners in some areas of New York for maintaining grasslands in areas that are known nesting spots for certain species of endangered or protected migratory birds, said Scott Fickbohm, manager of the local Soil and Conservation District.

“Due to changing land-use patterns, natural vegetative succession, and development, grasslands are fragmenting and disappearing,” DEC officials said in announcing the program.

To be eligible for the state funding, tracts must have grassland parcels that are at least 25 acres. Officials said research has shown grassland birds need large, uninterrupted habitat patches to thrive. Parcels over 30 acres in size will receive priority points in DEC’s project evaluation and scoring process.

Grant amounts, officials said, hinge on the acreage of habitat that is accepted by the program. The minimum grant amount corresponds to 25 acres, at a rate of $110 per acre, paid over five years, or $13,750. Large unbroken parcels of high quality habitat are most desirable for species conservation, said.

Read on:  http://thedailystar.com/localnews/x730420534/State-county-seek-assistance-with-bird-nesting-program