From Canada to Georgia, behind every acre OSI protects, there are people. Each person has a connection to the land that has inspired them to protect it and their stories are as diverse as the landscapes they are dedicated to protecting.
Stories from the Field
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Voice Your Support for the Expansion of Ocmulgee National ParkA 50-mile stretch of Georgia’s meandering Ocmulgee River is on track to becoming the nation’s newest National Park and Preserve, and OSI is excited to be a critical partner in this historic initiative.
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The Hope We Find in Protecting LandThe land we protect today will reap benefits for generations to come.
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Living on the Land, South Carolina StyleMore than a daily pleasure, the South Carolina landscape is a way of life. Between its quiet blackwater rivers, pristine coastal beaches, sunny longleaf pine savannas, and dramatic mountains, South Carolina provides many outdoor opportunities.
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Welcoming WildernessFor more than four decades, the Open Space Institute (OSI) has protected some of the most beautiful landscapes in the heart of New York’s Adirondacks – land that provides people with places to play and discover the wonders of nature.
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Behind the Scenes of the Greatest Legislative Conservation Victory in a GenerationThe passage of the Great American Outdoors Act was heralded as one of our nation’s most significant conservation achievements in decades. In the middle of this great success story was Lesley Kane Szynal, who leads OSI's Outdoor America Campaign.
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New Jersey Greenway Closer to Reality“From expanding commuting options to providing safe greenspace to exercise and enjoy the outdoors, we are on the verge of something really wonderful.”
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Year-in-Review: OSI’s 2020 SuccessesIn 2020, as the public flocked to the outdoors, OSI’s legacy of protecting millions of acres -- and improving access to many beloved parks and lands -- took on renewed meaning. People came home to the land, and the land was there to welcome us.
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Year-in-Review 2020: Improving Parks and Increasing AccessBefore the end of 2020, OSI is anticipating the addition of almost 13,000 acres to state and national parks and forests in Georgia, South Carolina, and New York.
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Year-in-Review 2020: Creating Strong CommunitiesThis year, OSI’s environmental protection work touched communities across the east, both urban and rural — from New Paltz to the Bronx in New York; and from quiet Dillon County to the Charleston, SC region, just to name a few.
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Year-in-Review 2020: Protecting Watersheds and Drinking WaterBy targeting key forests for conservation, in 2020 OSI kept its focus on protecting drinking water, the lifeblood of countless habitats and communities.
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Year-in-Review 2020: Addressing Climate Change & Protecting HabitatIn 2020, OSI-protected lands removed and estimated 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 1.2 million cars.
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Nurturing Nature in NYC“Our garden’s largest impact is as a self-healing community. I have seen firsthand the transformational power of touching soil, and Kelly Street Garden helps us address the issues of our community while bringing people together." - Sheryll Durrant
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Catskill Conservation
Nine projects in 2019 safeguarding a critical water source and two impressive trail projects
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In South Carolina Five Years and Counting“OSI understands the long-term conservation vision of South Carolina, and is effective in protecting threatened, ecologically significant places.” - State Senator Chip Campsen.
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Saving Chattanooga's BackyardThe Tennessee River Gorge is a geological wonder flanking a 26-mile stretch of Tennessee’s namesake river, where waters carved a path thousands of feet deep through the hard sandstone and limestone of the Cumberland Plateau.
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Tapping the Power of Land ProtectionFive large-scale projects protects 37,000 acres and the benefits are immeasurable.
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Riverbank Rocks"Since the center was renovated, we have hosted many more community performances." - Travis Berry
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Momentum for MinnewaskaA master trail builder, Kortright’s skills are invaluable to OSI’s reconstruction of the 19th-century carriage roads–just one of the many features that make New York’s Minnewaska State Park Preserve a recreational destination.
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Virginia VictoryLargest conservation project in Virginia in decades protects forestland and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
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Planning for a Green CorridorThe Open Space Institute and local partners are joining forces to create a master plan that will identify new stakeholder partners across varied interests and sectors to develop a “green corridor” in the Palmertown Range,
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A More Welcoming GardenOSI provides support that helps a community garden come to life.
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Protecting Forests Ensuring Clean Water in the DelawareOSI, with support from the William Penn Foundation, has an expansive initiative to support the long-tern health of the Delaware River.
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Finding Climate Solutions in the LandLand conservation plays an important role in finding climate solutions.
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South Carolina Conservation SoarsOSI working in South Carolina
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Cultivating Community Conservation“Food justice is life-changing and active work; you have to actively participate in it to help bring about change,”
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Connecting People to the Land
OSI's River-to-Ridge Trail connects New Paltz to Shawangunk Ridge
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The Open Space Institute Featured at New York Land Trust Alliance ConferenceThe Open Space Institute Featured at 2019 New York Land Trust Alliance Conference
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Green Design Drives OSI’s New River-to-Ridge TrailFinding a balance between ecological, agricultural, and recreational use
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Traversing Tennessee TrailsThe Denny Cove project was one of three that OSI and partners projects completed in 2017 that expand South Cumberland State Park.
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Planning for the New NormalIn Conway, South Carolina, community leaders turn to land protection, to help prepare for a future threatened by climate change.
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Letter from Kim EllimanTo our friends and partners in the Carolinas
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Conservation With a Local TouchCitizen Action allows OSI to reach diverse audiences who are passionate about conservation. The program addresses a range of issues that are central to OSI’s mission, and leaves a positive and lasting mark at the community level.
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Fresh From Forests to FaucetsToday the Open Space Institute, the Water District, and other partners are working against time to save Sebago Lake’s forests – and to protect drinking water for roughly 200,000 people.
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Supporting a Park in the Heart of ManhattanThanks to OSI’s support of a local friends group, a park in the Inwood community of Manhattan is being cared for in order to build community, bring people closer to nature, and ensure access to green spaces in a densely populated city.
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Adding Adirondack AccessOSI is offering solutions that will better disperse eager explorers by securing additional acreage for public access in the Adirondacks.
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Study Links Land Protection and Climate Change SolutionsThere is wide agreement that land conservation plays an important role in reducing harmful gases that cause climate change. The question is, how big a role?
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OSI Brings Climate Science to Land Trusts in the SouthSince 2014, nearly 100 land conservation organizations have integrated climate science into their land-protection decisions with support from OSI. The South Carolina nonprofit Upstate Forever is the latest OSI “climate change ambassador.”
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Trashy Ideas Transforming New York CityOSI Citizen Action Group, Talk Trash City, tackles climate change with innovation
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Five Years and a TransformationFor OSI, whose conservation work over the decades had added over 40,000 acres to the state’s 335,000-acre state park system, the prospect of parks closings prompted disbelief, then resolve
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Kayak Conservation Promotes Clean Water in NYCHarborLAB is an OSI Citizen Action group with an emphasis on “learning adventure boating.” It promotes environmental stewardship by providing free, water-based programming for children, underprivileged youth, and underrepresented community members.
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Going Green in OrangeOSI is protecting open space in a fast-growing community.
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Diversity in ConservationRecognizing that the environmental movement is strengthened by different perspectives and voices, the Open Space Institute launched its Conservation Diversity Fellowship in 2016.
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OSI on the Trail in and around the ShawangunksOSI is playing a big role in bringing the transformative power of trails to communities where we work.
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The Science of Watershed PlanningOSI's Delaware River Watershed Initiative Catalyst grants bring watershed science to bear on county and municipal planning to ensure scarce conservation dollars, effectively protecting water quality in the Delaware River Watershed.
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A Forest For AllSaving a tradition in New England
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Progress on the PaulinskillDyaami D'Orazio, OSI's 2017 Conservation Fellow, traveled to Sussex County, NJ, to learn more about on-the-ground initiatives around forest and drinking water protection.
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Essential IngredientsOSI’s preservation of natural lands is the key to water quality, and OSI-protected farmland is producing some of the best hops and barley in the country. The next time you raise a glass of your favorite local brew, offer a toast to conservation.
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One Mission, Two Partners, Three LandscapesOSI's mission is to make lands more accessible to all ages. Working with our partner the Butler Conservation Fund, we highlight three landscapes that are now more available to young and old.
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OSI Carries the DayUsing our experience in the Adirondacks, know-how, and taking quick action, OSI helps to resolve a long-standing land dispute.
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Places for People to RoamHarvey Forest is one of eight climate-resilient properties totaling almost 12,000 acres that OSI helped safeguard through grants and loans in 2016, including five projects in Tennessee, one in Pennsylvania, and another in New Hampshire.
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Farms and Forests ForeverOSI’s Klipper Family Fund for the Champlain Valley is using land protection to grow the local economy while saving time-honored rural traditions.
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The Art of the DealHow OSI created a serene park in the middle of a busy office complex in suburban Morris County, NJ.
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Trailblazing: River-to-Ridge TrailWhen the Smiley Road reconstruction and the new trail completed, OSI envisions a unified trail network surrounding and crossing the Shawangunk Ridge that will total 116 miles in length.
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Food and DrinkOSI’s Bayshore Highlands Fund conserves farmland to protect drinking water in the Delaware Watershed. Research shows that wide buffers of natural vegetation along springs, streams and wetlands can filter out pollutants from farming.
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Healthy Habitat for the Longleaf PineA recent Open Space Institute loan of $2.18 million to The Nature Conservancy and OSI's purchase of the Fairlawn tract, will secure more than 1,400 acres for longleaf restoration at the Talladega National Forest in Alabama.
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OSI Plays MatchmakerOSI's Transborder Fund is doing what comes naturally.
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OSI’s River-to-Ridge Trail Showcases Green Design and OperationsIn designing and managing the River-to-Ridge Trail, OSI staff have installed a series of features, including bioswales, that augment the land’s natural ability to manage the recurring floods and protect the nearby Wallkill River.
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New Open Space Institute Grant Supports More Planning to Curb New Jersey Flood Impacts
OSI's Watershed Catalyst grants are helping communities harness floodplains and wetlands to curb the effects of intense rain events. When protected, these lands can act as natural sponges and brake fast-moving floodwaters.
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Businesses Mobilize to Protect Local Water Quality
A growing and broad array of local businesses is raising funds for Sebago Clean Waters — demonstrating that companies are increasingly aware of, and committed to investing in, the woods and waters that are essential to their success.
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From Bogs to BountyAs some cranberry farmers opt to get out of the business, OSI through its Delaware River Watershed Initiative is partnering with current and former farmers to offer conservation of boglands as an alternative to development.
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Connecting to South Carolina's Black RiverSouth Carolina's Black River is one of the great natural resources on the East Coast.
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New Life for Land and Water Conservation2020 saw $900 million allocated for the LWCF
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Marveling at MinnewaskaFor over three decades, OSI and its partners have left a lasting mark on Minnewaska.
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Giving the Gift of NatureHow a Citizen Action Group pivoted during 2020
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