CLAYTON — New York State and the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) have acquired nearly 1,000 acres in Jefferson County through 17 projects focused on protecting the region’s drinking-water sources. The partnership will have “lasting impacts” on the water quality and habitats of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said […]
CLAYTON — New York State and the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) have acquired nearly 1,000 acres in Jefferson County through 17 projects focused on protecting the region’s drinking-water sources. The partnership will have “lasting impacts” on the water quality and habitats of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said in an Aug. 13 announcement. “The St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario watersheds provide invaluable benefits to the region and New York State is making critical investments to ensure our drinking water is protected for generations to come,” Hochul said in the announcement. “The Thousand Islands Land Trust is effectively putting State resources to work by acquiring critical buffers throughout Jefferson County, which will be instrumental in continuing our progress to keep water clean and protected for New Yorkers and our environment.” The agreement is supported with more than $5.8 million in state grants through the Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program. Gov. Hochul signed the agreement on Aug. 13 while visiting the North Country. The TILT received grants from 2017 through 2021 to help acquire 988 acres in Jefferson County and protect two drinking-water sources in the region — the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Those two bodies of water serve as a drinking- water supply for a number of communities in the Thousand Islands region. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program provided the funding. The 988 acres consist of a mix of conservation easement and outright purchase of lands acting as great natural buffers for potential pollutants that could enter waterbodies through events such as stormwater runoff. “Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and their tributaries provide drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people across countless municipalities in the US and Canada. As shoreline development and habitat degradation continues at a record pace, these widely used surface water sources are becoming more susceptible to water contamination,” Jake Tibbles, executive director of the Thousand Islands Land Trust, said in the announcement. “To safeguard these waterbodies and the communities that rely on them, the Thousand Island Land Trust and its conservation partners have turned to New York State’s WQIP program to conserve some of the region’s last remaining and most sensitive riparian habitats. With Governor Hochul’s support, and through these land and easement projects, the State and TILT will be permanently protecting these invaluable natural resources now, and for generations to come.” Woody wetlands, mixed forest, and marsh land make up a majority of the land that TILT acquired, with many of the properties including shoreline frontage, Hochul’s office said. The properties will now be protected from development pressures and remain in their native vegetative states to continue to protect two “vital” drinking water resources. Protection of the source water resources also provides the co-benefits of protecting endangered species, wetlands, and historical areas on these properties.