Doris Duke Foundation Awards Scenic Hudson Challenge Grant

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) — The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has awarded Scenic Hudson a $2.3 million challenge grant.

The grant is for land purchases, and coordination and implementation of a conservation initiative. Scenic Hudson, which works to protect and restore the Hudson River and its landscape, is required to raise $10 million as a match to receive the grant.

Scenic Hudson's conservation strategy encompasses an 11-county area. It targets properties for preservation that will allow the region's natural areas to withstand climate stresses.

The foundation considers the valley one of the nation's most diverse ecosystems and says climate change and extreme weather already are beginning to stress the region's ecological resources.

The Hudson Valley is home to 85 percent of the state's vertebrate species despite being just 15 percent of the state's land area.

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]