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, $46 million in federal funds, matched by $72 million in non-federal funds, have been awarded to permanently protect 15,852 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.

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Stories
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.
A view of the forested hills leads to a large open body of water below
Our Partners
Connecting to nature in the Highlands Region
Meet Mark Zakutansky, director of conservation policy engagement at Appalachian Mountain Club. His childhood connections to nature turned into a career conserving the land he loves as one of the driving forces behind land conservation throughout the Highlands.
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