Albany – State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash Friday announced $8 million in grants awarded under the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Program to support the development of educational, cultural and recreational programs that interpret New York’s natural heritage. “New York State is home to a large and diverse collection of rare plants, animals and sensitive ecosystems, many of which are endangered. This program provides valuable funding for organizations to develop critical educational and interpretive programs in order to raise awareness and appreciation of the importance of identifying, protecting and preserving our fragile natural heritage,” said Ash.

• Allegany Region Nannen Arboretum, Ellicottville (Cattaraugus) - $5,000.00
• Pfeiffer Nature Center, Portville (Cattaraugus)- $5,000.00
• Jamestown Audubon Society, Jamestown (Chautauqua)- $19,590.00
• Central Region Cutler Botanic Garden, Binghamton (Broome)-$6,350.00
• Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton (Broome)- $37,430.00
• Lime Hollow Nature Center, Cortland (Cortland)- $7,060.00
• Hamilton College Arboretum, Clinton (Oneida)- $5,000.00
• Utica Zoological Society, Utica (Oneida)- $40,775.00
• Council of Park Friends, Inc., Jamesville (Onondaga)- $1,510.00
• Baltimore Woods, Marcellus (Onondaga)- $13,110.00
• Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, Syracuse (Onondaga)- $166,480.00
• Rice Creek Field Station, Albany (Oswego)- $8,100.00
• Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center, Williamstown (Oswego)- $5,000.00
• Finger Lakes Region
• Tanglewood Nature Center and Museum, Elmira (Chemung) $8,675.00
• Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park, Canandaigua (Ontario)- $5,000.00
• Cumming Nature Center, Naples (Ontario)- $124,435.00
• Spencer Crest Nature Center, Steuben (Corning)- $5,000.00
• Cayuga Nature Center, Inc., Ithaca (Tompkins)- $18,000.00
• Cornell University, Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca (Tompkins)- $7,060.00
• Cornell University, Raptor Program, Ithaca (Tompkins)- $5,000.00
• Cornell University, Plantations, Ithaca (Tompkins)- $104,895.00
• Genesee Region
• Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Ctr, East Bethany (Genesee)- $7,410.00
• Wild Wings, Inc., Honeoye Falls (Monroe)- $5,000.00
• Genesee County Village & Museum, Mumford (Monroe)- $10,185.00
• Highland Park Arboretum, Rochester (Monroe)- $86,740.00
• Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester (Monroe)- $141,710.00
• Beaver Meadow Audubon Center, North Java (Wyoming) - $10,085.00
• Long Island Region
• Friends of Bailey Arboretum, Lattingtown (Nassau) - $6,350.00
• Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium, Cold Spring Harbor (Nassau)- $16,135.00
• The Garden Conservancy, Cold Spring (Suffolk)- $6,500.00
• Volunteers for Wildlife, Inc., Huntington (Suffolk)- $6,885.00
• Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research & Prevention, Riverhead (Suffolk) $45,750.00
• Sweetbriar Nature Center, Smithtown (Suffolk)- $13,615.00
• Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center, Southampton (Suffolk)- $5,000.00
• Ward Melville Heritage Organization, Stony Brook (Suffolk)- $6,560.00
• Niagara Region
• Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens Society, Inc., Buffalo (Erie)- $43,420.00
• Buffalo Society of Natural Science, Buffalo (Erie)- $119,050.00
• Zoological Society of Buffalo, Inc., Buffalo (Erie)- $185,330.00
• Aquarium of Niagara, Niagara Falls (Niagara)- $49,245.00
• New York City Region
• New York Botanical Garden, Bronx (Bronx)- $1,288,000.00
• Wave Hill, Bronx (Bronx)- $187,450.00
• Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo, Bronx (Bronx)- $2,433,000.00
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn (Kings)- $646,000.00
• Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, Inc., Brooklyn (Kings)- $65,700.00
• Wildlife Conservation Society, New York Aquarium, Brooklyn (Kings)- $722,240.00
• City of New York Parks and Recreation, New York (New York)- $217,860.00
• Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden, New York (New York)- $17,475.00
• The River Project, New York (New York)- $5,000.00
• Alley Pond Environmental Center, Douglaston (Queens)- $34,290.00
• Queens Botanical Garden Society, Flushing (Queens)- $104,515.00
• Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences, Staten Island (Richmond)- $33,800.00
• Staten Island Zoological Society, Staten Island (Richmond)- $144,230.00
• Palisades Region Black Rock Forest Consortium, Cornwall (Orange)- $14,020.00
• Hudson Highland Nature Museum, Cornwall-on-Hudson (Orange)- $23,225.00
• Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz (Ulster)- $82,960.00
• Saratoga Capital District Region
• The Nature Conservancy, New York Chapter, Albany (Albany) $277,370.00
• Friends of Five Rivers, Delmar (Albany) - $5,000.00
• Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville (Greene)- $5,825.00
• Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, Cropseyville (Rensselaer)- $5,550.00
• The Children’s Museum of Science & Technology, Troy (Rensselaer)- $14,300.00
• George Landis Arboretum, Esperance (Schoharie)- $12,085.00
• Pember Museum of Natural History, Granville (Washington)- $6,885.00
• Taconic Region Rheinstom Hill Audubon Center, Craryville (Columbia)- $5,000.00
• Innisfree Foundation, Millbrook (Dutchess) $10,085.00
• Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook (Dutchess)- $63,540.00
• Trevor Zoo, Millbrook (Dutchess)- $23,250.00
• Green Chimneys Farm and Wildlife Center, Brewster (Putnam)- $14,825.00
• Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Cold Spring (Putnam)- $2,285.00
• Manitoga, Garrison (Putnam)- $23,500.00
• Lasdon Park Arboretum, Katonah (Westchester)- $15,130.00
• Hammond Museum, North Salem (Westchester)- $5,000.00
• Teatown Lake Reservation, Ossining (Westchester)- $45,010.00
• Friends of the Rye Nature Center, Rye (Westchester)- $9,280.00
• Greenburgh Nature Center, Scarsdale (Westchester)- $32,325.00
• Thousand Islands Region
• Friends of the Nature Conservancy, Inc., Fineview (Jefferson)- $5,000.00
• Thompson Park Conservancy, Watertown (Jefferson)- $25,550.00