The Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In an effort to conserve natural resources in this region, the Highlands Conservation Act was passed in 2004, founding the Highlands Conservation Act grant program. This grant program is among the many that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers to help partners conserve an array of plants, fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Grant funding also supports states, non-governmental organizations and other conservation partners working to sustain key landscapes in the Highlands region for the benefit of both people and wildlife.

This iconic landscape is distinguished by Appalachian ridges, hills, and plateaus. It is marked by deciduous and coniferous forests, streams and lakes, and thousands of plant and animal species. It is not only ecologically diverse, but sustains forest management, working farms, nature-oriented recreational opportunities, and clean water for the many people who live in the region.

Since the passage of the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004, $48 million in federal funds, matched by $74 million in non-federal funds, have been awarded to permanently protect 16,226 acres of land. Projects supported by the Highlands Conservation Act grant program are led by state agencies and address lands that support key conservation objectives outlined in the Highlands Conservation Act such as clean drinking water, healthy forests, thriving wildlife populations, productive agriculture, and abundant recreational opportunities.

Latest Stories and Topics

Stories
Water rushes over the rocky edge of a small pond surrounded by grass and evergreen trees.
Our Partners
Highlands Conservation Act partners
Throughout the Highlands Region, there are partners in each state that help make our conservation efforts possible.
A group of people stand in front of a forest holding a ribbon while a woman cuts the ribbon with a huge pair of scissors. 
Our Partners
Room to roam in Connecticut
In western Connecticut — just a two-hour car ride from New York City — conserved areas are expanding thanks to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Highlands Conservation Act grant program and Steep Rock Association.
A small black turtle white bright orange markings on it's neck walking in grass
Endangered Species Act
Protected spaces give bog turtles a reason to come out of their shell
It may come as a surprise, but sometimes a threatened or endangered species relies on privately owned land for its survival. Across the country, the Service and our partners work to purchase private land from willing landowners for the sake of threatened species like the bog turtle.
A group of people at a conference pose for a group photo.
Our Partners
Celebrating new heights at the Highlands Summit
The Highlands Summit brought together conservationists from a variety of backgrounds to train and share resources as they looked to the future of conserving natural resources throughout the Highlands region.
a boardwalk leads into a vast marsh with rolling mountains in the distance
Adding acres multiplies opportunities
Experience the wonders of nature on an accessible walking trail or challenging hiking trail in the Highlands region of New York, where wildlife, scenic vistas and recreational opportunities abound, thanks in part to the Highlands Conservation Act.
a worker on a wooded trail wearing a helmet and using a chainsaw on a large log
Land Management
Turning an abandoned campground into a conservation opportunity
An abandoned campground in the Highlands region of southeastern Pennsylvania is undergoing massive cleanup to be open to the public for recreational use while protecting drinking water resources and wildlife habitat.
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Projects and Research

A bobolink bird sits in a shrub, its beak is open as it sings.
Image Details
Highlands Conservation Act projects in Pennsylvania
 

The Pennsylvania Highlands region encompasses Appalachian hills and valleys extending from the Allentown area in the northeast down to Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River in the southeast. Projects in the state are conserving important wildlife habitat, creating new outdoor recreational areas and protecting drinking water supplies for residents in and around Lehigh Valley, Reading and...

Highlands Conservation Act projects in Pennsylvania