Kingston Land Trust has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund to expand pollinator habitat and community education across KLT-stewarded lands and green spaces.
We’re excited to share some blooming good news: Kingston Land Trust is one of 28 community organizations statewide selected for the second and final round of grants from the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund.
The $20,000 award will support the creation of new and expanded pollinator gardens throughout the Kingston area: Red Fox Ravine, The Forest Sanctuary, the Land In Black Hands Land Base, Esopus Creek floodplain land Buckley Street, and the Murray Round Food Forest and Parklet. Together, these gardens will expand habitat for native pollinators while creating more opportunities for people to learn about the relationships between plants, pollinators, and healthy ecosystems.
The New York Pollinator Conservation Fund was established through proceeds from a 2023 settlement between the New York Attorney General’s Office and Bayer CropScience and Monsanto, following allegations that the companies misled consumers about the safety of certain Roundup consumer weedkillers. The fund supports community-based projects that create, restore, and enhance pollinator habitat, particularly in communities that have historically been underserved by environmental funding.
Growing a network of pollinator habitat
Pollinators are essential to healthy ecosystems and food systems, yet many native pollinator species in New York are at risk. Creating connected pockets of habitat throughout our communities can provide food, shelter, and places to complete their life cycles.
This work builds on more than a decade of KLT’s land conservation and stewardship, including our ongoing work with Hudson Valley Bee Habitat to create pollinator habitat at the Forest Sanctuary. The existing Pollinator Sanctuary is both a beautiful garden and an outdoor classroom, welcoming community members to learn about pollinators and the ecosystems that sustain us.
The new gardens will build on that model and help expand the emerging Kingston Beeline—a network of pollinator gardens and habitats connected along the Kingston Greenline.
What will the grant support?
Kingston Wire spoke to Tom O’Dowd, the KLT’s land stewardship coordinator, who worked closely on the grant submission, about what qualifies Kingston as “historically underrepresented.”
“Too often cities where there are factories and pollution don’t get access to clear water, clean air and green spaces. Kingston Land Trust is one of many groups trying to think beyond taking care of trees and flowers and bunnies,” O’Dowd said. The land trust has made a major part of their mission beautifying Kingston’s neighborhoods and creating engaging educational social events that place nature at the forefront of the conversation.
The KLT’s Land In Black Hands Land Base, a 50+ acre property located off of Wilbur Avenue, provides land access, housing and educational opportunities for indigenous and people of color. The workshops and gatherings prioritize topics such as food sovereignty, land-based healing, youth pathways and Black agrarian traditions. It is not currently open to the public but is available for private tours.
Each new garden will feature 10 or more native plant species selected to support native pollinators throughout their life cycles. Each site will also receive an interpretive sign helping visitors understand the interconnected relationships between pollinators and the plants they depend on. At three sites, KLT will partner with Hudson Valley Bee Habitat to install constructed pollinator habitats, adding both ecological value and opportunities for creative community engagement.
The project will also bring people into the work. KLT hosts stewardship parties at each location throughout the season, inviting community members to help install the gardens and care for these spaces together. KLT stewardship staff will continue tending the gardens throughout the project, with all gardens planned for completion by the end of fall 2027.
This funding will help us transform areas that currently offer little habitat into places filled with native plants, pollinator life, beauty, shade, food, and opportunities for connection.
And that is at the heart of KLT’s approach to land stewardship: caring for people and the ecosystems that sustain us at the same time.
"We're excited to expand our work with the community, the Hudson Valley Bee Habitat team, and the plants and pollinators themselves!" — Tom O'Dowd, KLT's Land Stewardship Coordinator.
We’re grateful to the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund for investing in community-led conservation and excited to put this support into action here in Kingston.
Stay tuned for opportunities to get your hands in the soil and help these new pollinator gardens take root! Join us at an upcoming stewardship party with Hudson Valley Bee Habitat September 16 from 5 - 7pm at The Forest Sanctuary or volunteer and help support KLT in other ways.
Read more about Kingston Land Trust’s pollinator work →