From our colleagues who cover state government in Albany comes the  following:

Gannett News Service
ALBANY_ The state Department of Economic Conservation Wednesday released $825,000 in grant funding to conservation-minded land trusts.
Fifty-two grants were awarded to 40 local and regional land-trust organizations to spur conservation and smart development across New York State, according to the Land Trust Alliance, a private group that works with the state to preserve open space.
“These grants are helping these community based organizations protect these lands before they are lost forever,” said Ethan Winter of the Land Trust Alliance.
A land trust is an agreement between a landowner and the state that the land will remain protected forever, Winter said.
There are a total of 90 land trusts in the state that protect 2 million acres of land, Winter said. Nationally, there are 1,700 land trusts that protect 36 million acres.
“Land trusts are an invaluable partner to state and local governments in the implementation of smart growth principles,” DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said in a statement.
The grants are distributed through the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, a public-private organization composed of Land Trust Alliance and overseen by the DEC, according to the alliance.
The partnership program was given a $1.575 million appropriation in the 2008-09 budget, according to the alliance.
Since the partnership was first funded in 2002, it has distributed more than $3 million in 200 grants to 64 land trusts, according to the alliance.

Here are some of the awards:
—Chenango Land Trust, Norwich, Chenango County: $3,500 to improve fundraising and board development.—Dutchess Land Conservancy, Millbrook, Dutchess County: $14,500 to create a natural-resource inventory and open-space maps that will help in planning and conservation efforts in Dutchess County.—Genesee Land Trust, Rochester:$7,000 to improve organization and set up a fundraising plan to accelerate the pace of land conservation in the greater Rochester area.—Genesee Land Trust, Rochester: $7,000 to improve educational materials and trails on its four primary nature preserves.—Genesee Valley Conservancy, Geneseo, Livingston County: $7,500 to increase the organization’s fundraising.—New York Agricultural Land Trust, Preble, Cortland County: $25,000 to build membership and raise money.—Putnam County Land Trust, Brewster, Putnam County: $10,000 for training courses.—Westchester Land Trust, Bedford Hills, Westchester County: $10,000 to develop new management plans.—Woodstock Land Conservancy, Woodstock, Ulster County: $25,000 for training and fundraising.—Finger Lakes Land Trust, Ithaca, Tompkins County: $14,500 for a conservation plan for Skaneateles Highlands.—Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz, Ulster County: $20,000 to improve cooperation between local land trusts to improve land conservation in the Shawangunk Valley and Ulster County.—Teatown Lake Reservation, Ossining, Westchester County: $17,000 for Teatown Lake Reservation’s Bioscape Project, a conservation partnership to improve Teatown’s 834-acre preserve.—Westchester Land Trust, Bedford Hills, Westchester County: $17,500 to  assess development trends in the Highlands region from 1995-2007.—Wallkill Valley Land Trust, Inc., New Paltz, Ulster County:$43,000 over two years for a full-time fund-raiser.—Hudson Highlands Land Trust, Garrison, Putnam County: $15,000 to sell the 27-acre Pincus Preserve with a conservation easement.—The Nature Conservancy, Central & Western New York Chapter, Rochester:    $13,000 to buy the 128-acre Goodridge parcel to expand the 313-acre Westhill Preserve.—Wallkill Valley Land Trust, New Paltz, Ulster County: $6,250 for a conservation easement on the 52-acre Harcourt Sanctuary.
Grants to improve record-keeping, all of $10,000:—Dutchess Land Conservancy, Millbrook, Dutchess County; Hudson Highlands Land Trust, Garrison, Putnam County; and Winnakee Land Trust, Rhinebeck, Dutchess County.

No, it wasn’t a cub, a bear or a bull but a cougar wandering the streets of Chicago. Police shot and killed the animal yesterday and they think it may have been an escaped or abandoned pet.

Here’s a local Fox News video of the whole thing. Stick with the video – at about 1 minute and 50 seconds, the big cat walks out of an alley and right behind an unsuspecting officer who is searching for the feline.

Here’s information on cougars in New York and in the Northeast.

And, how could I mention Chicago without a reference to these guys?

What’s in the woods? That’s a question the folks over at Teatown Lake Reservation in Yorktown are trying to answer by stringing a series of automated cameras through the woods. The cameras have infrared triggers, meaning every time a warm-blooded animal (a.k.a. mammal) passes close enough in front of them, they take a picture.

Executive Director Fred Koontz said the effort to find out exactly what was walking around out there arose from the reservation’s coyote study.

Koontz said the cameras have recorded everything from close-ups of curious hikers to kids walking by to the above-mentioned coyotes using the same trails at night that the kids used during the day.

Also spotted was a fisher, which you can see in this photo. Teatown has a recent history with fishers.

For more on “camera traps,” check out the World Wildlife Fund.

Stay tuned for an upcoming story on Teatown’s cameras.

Just about 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt called the nation’s governors to the White House to discuss conservation matters. From May 13-15, 1908, governors from 36 states and a couple of territories (New Mexico and Hawaii) converged on D.C.

The group prepared a declaration that among other things declared:

“Conservation of natural resources was a subject of transcendent importance.”

Later this week, attendees at a governors’  conference at Yale University will review state programs related to climate change and develop an approach to “combat(ing) global climate change.” From an Associated Press story:

“Organizers hope a gathering of governors this week will be as effective in addressing climate change as a similar event that launched the conservation movement a century ago.”

Westchester County is sponsoring an early Earth Day event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, focusing on making the county a cleaner, greener and healthier place to live – with some fun thrown in. Visitors will be able to listen to live music and explore environmental themes such as how to make your home Earth-friendlier, compost, alternative fuels and gardening. There will also be recycling bins for plastic bags and cellular telephones. Kensico Dam Plaza is located at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway in Valhalla. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call County Parks at (914) 864-PARK or log on to the county’s Web site

The Department of Homeland Security’s plan to erect a fence along the country’s southwest border could wall off an Audubon nature center, essentially ceding its 550 acres to Mexico. That, in the words of the center’s manager, according to this New York Times story, would be like sealing off Central Park.

The fence has also been in the news in recent days because of the federal government’s decision to bypass environmental and land-use laws when building the barrier.

Sometimes things in the natural world are aptly named. Take, for instance, a salamander with yellow spots being called a yellow-spotted salamander (or, sometimes, just spotted). I found this guy in the midst of some leaves when I was raking the edge of my yard Sunday afternoon.

Here’s a New Hampshire Public Radio report that you can listen to about the tiny, secretive creatures.

And here’s a recent story from The Boston Globe that includes my favorite lines of the day.

“Salamanders are homely but appealing creatures. With bulging eyes and mouths that turn up into permanent smiles, they look a bit like moist Muppets.”

Here’s a list of salamanders found in New York. And, how can I mention the Muppets without a YouTube clip.

Maggie Ciarcia, the licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Carmel, is now up to 11 baby squirrels. When we last left her, in Saturday’s story, she was caring for eight. Over the weekend, she also had a mother opossum with six babies come in. Mom was hit by a car and no one survived – the young were too tiny to live without mom. Opossums, if you don’t know, are North America’s only marsupial. Like a kangaroo, opossum mothers carry their young in a pouch.

After the break, there’s information from the Humane Society of the United States about dealing with young wildlife. Read to the end to learn how you can help Ciarcia and other local wildlife rehabilitators. Read more of this entry »

Did you hear about the red-tailed hawk that attacked an eighth-grader visiting Fenway Park in Boston? Apparently, the bird feared the young girl was getting too close to its nest and egg. The raptor came swooping down on her Thursday, talons extended. Check out The Boston Globe’s photos of the attack. Oh, and the girl’s name is Alexa (wait for it) . . . Rodriguez.

Looking for boating and fishing access spots along the Hudson River? The state today released maps showing 91 such spots along more than 100 miles of river, from Troy to Yonkers. The maps from the state Department of Environmental Conservation are interactive, providing information on what kind of boats can be launched there, directions, etc.

“After more than 30 years of successful environmental initiatives to reverse generations of pollution and neglect, the Hudson River Estuary is again attracting anglers, naturalists and artists to its shores,” DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. “Whether you hope to plan a trip this weekend, or for the 2009 Quadricentennial celebration, these new maps will be a helpful tool for anglers, hunters, bird watchers, boaters, history buffs and many others to enjoy the opportunities the Hudson River has to offer.”

The Quadricentennial, of course, is a reference to the 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain celebration.