Bronx-Based Organization Focuses on Conservation Strategies For Metropolitan Area Within 100 Miles of New York City
NEW YORK, N.Y., December 16 - The Wildlife Conservation Society, based in Bronx, New York, today received a three-year, $700,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to incorporate ecosystem and biological research into local land use planning in the region that lies within 100 miles of New York City. The grant focuses on conservation efforts in New York's Great Swamp in Putnam and Dutchess Counties, the Wallkill Valley in southern New York and northern New Jersey including Stewart Airport, and eastern Westchester County.
The award is one of 14 multi-year grants totaling $10 million given by the Foundation this year to support environmental projects across the nation.
The grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society will be used to conduct applied research in three distinct ecosystems; integrate this research into local land use and planning; educate and train public, private and civic decision-makers about strategies to protect natural systems and counteract urban sprawl; and broaden public knowledge and participation in promising approaches to ecosystem protection.
"Our grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society reflects Doris Duke's interest in preserving the environment," said Joan E. Spero, president of the Foundation.
"We are committed to funding conservation initiatives that are based on sound science and research, employ market-based approaches and partnerships, and broaden public awareness and participation in environmental stewardship."
"This very generous gift of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation will help insure the protection of a gallery of ecosystems that lie literally in the backyards of 20 million people," said William G. Conway, president and general director of WCS. "The time is now to safeguard these areas from uncontrolled development, using the best science available so that both people and wildlife can prosper."
Doris Duke, who died in 1993, bequeathed the bulk of her estate to the Foundation. The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which was established in 1997, is to improve the quality of peoples' lives by protecting and restoring the environment, seeking cures for diseases, and nurturing the arts.
With more than $1.4 billion in assets, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is among the largest philanthropies in the United States. The Foundation has awarded approximately $48 million in grants in 1998.
Contact:
Steve Sautner
Wildlife Conservation Society
718/220-5197
Karen Borack/Jane Cabot
M Booth & Associates
212-481-7000