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Northeast Projects

Restoring Forest Diversity Across 110 Acres at Grass Mountain in Vermont

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by Amelia ‘Melly’ Napper, RGS & AWS Vermont Public Lands Forester Grass Mountain is a stewardship project associated with the Early Successional Habitat Creation project. It is located on the only U.S. Forest Service parcel within the Taconic Mountain biophysical region of Vermont. Grass Mountain is unique within the Green Mountain National Forest, featuring a diverse mix of tree species that are less common across the forest. Regenerating red oak is a key goal of the project. While red oak is present on the landscape, heavy competition from diseased American beech sprouts has prevented successful regeneration in the understory. Without disturbance, this forest...

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RGS & AWS Receives Grant to Improve 28,600 Acres of Habitat in the Northeast

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Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) is proud to announce a major new investment in forest health and wildlife habitat across the Northeast. Through generous support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s 2025 Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund, we’ve been awarded a $274,340 grant to advance large-scale forest resilience and habitat management across 28,600 acres in northern New York and Vermont’s Champlain Valley. This work is part of a larger collaborative effort that leverages an additional $274,340 in matching contributions from partners and supporters. At a time when Northeast U.S. forests are facing mounting pressures from...

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Restoring Forests and Habitat in Central New York: 1,400 Trees and Shrubs Planted at Heiberg Memorial Forest

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by Todd Waldron, Forest Conservation Director, Northeast U.S., Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society On a cool, rainy Saturday morning in late April, the spirit of healthy forests and quality habitat came to life in Central New York through a boots-on-the-ground project at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s (SUNY ESF) Heiberg Memorial Forest. Thirty-seven volunteers, including SUNY ESF students and faculty, along with Central New York RGS & AWS chapter members joined forces to plant 1,400 native trees and shrubs across a series of restoration plots. This was more than just a tree planting event; it was a...

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Delivering land conservation in the Great Lakes Basin of northern NY:

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Private lands coordination and habitat implementation The strategic partnership between Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society and American Bird Conservancy and their partners will connect northern New Yorkers to the outdoors by funding critical habitat improvement practices which promote a mosaic of diverse forest conditions, ages, and culturally significant forest and native ecosystem benefits. Primary Funder – American Bird Conservancy Sub Award & Cooperative Agreement Funding Amount: $112,240 sub award to RGS & AWS, $16,962 non-federal match required. Project Title: Delivering land conservation in the Great Lakes Basin of northern NY: Private lands coordination and habitat implementation. Location – Northern Onondaga, Oswego, Jefferson, St...

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RGS & AWS Partners with New York DEC on Habitat Project

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By Erik Latremore and James Canevari, New York Department of Environmental Conservation Nearly a decade ago, in 2015, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) recognized that younger forests were needed to support many species being observed to have population declines. The DEC kicked off the Young Forest Program to create habitat for a whole host of wildlife species and to better the health and diversity of forests on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). Part of this initiative involved support from many cooperating partners like the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS),...

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Helderberg Forest Resiliency Initiative  US Forest Service Landscape Restoration Grant (New York)

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Primary Funder: New York Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – Conservation Innovation Grant Funding Amount: $110,000 Project Title: Helderberg Forest Resiliency Initiative  US Forest Service Landscape Restoration Grant Location: Towns of Berne, Knox, Westerlo and Rensselaerville, Albany County NY and Broome, Wright, Schoharie & Middleburgh, Schoharie County, surrounding the 6,594-acre Helderberg Bird Conservation Area which includes Patridge Run State Forest, Partridge Run WMA, Knox (Burke) WMA, and Cole Hill State Forest.  Innovation: The Helderberg Forest Resiliency Initiative (HFRI) will help launch a dynamic forest restoration block across public and private land ownerships surrounding the Helderberg Bird Conservation Area in Albany & Schoharie Counties, New...

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