Open Space Institute

Giving back is always more meaningful when we do it together.

Recently, OSI New York City-based staff organized and participated in community volunteering days at Brooklyn's Community Garden and the Ujamaa Garden in the Bronx.

From planting, weeding, and cleaning garden beds to caring for trees, spreading mulch, and picking up litter, staff helped prepare both spaces for a successful growing season.

These volunteer days were a cherished opportunity to contribute to the stewardship of these important community gardens and celebrate how shared, outdoor spaces bring people together. Thank you to Newkirk Community Garden and Ujamaa Garden for welcoming us and for the incredible work you do!

Happy Pride Month!

Pride is an amazing opportunity to celebrate the people, places, and passions that have shaped the ongoing effort for equality and justice. Among the most significant and well-known is the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising—a pivotal moment in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

OSI is proud to support the Stonewall National Monument - Gardens in Christopher Park as one of our Citizen Action groups. Their stewardship and programming help preserve and interpret the legacy of Stonewall as a place of reflection, community, and advocacy.

As we celebrate Pride Month, we're reminded that public outdoor spaces—and the stories they hold—should be welcoming for everyone!

Nearly a decade in the making, one of the most ambitious conservation initiatives in the Southern Appalachians has reached a significant milestone: OSI and Mainspring Conservation Trust have protected more than 4,400 acres spanning North Carolina's Snowbird, Unicoi, and Cheoah mountain ranges. This landmark accomplishment connects more than 1.65 million acres of protected public lands, strengthening wildlife habitat corridors, safeguarding sources of clean water, and enhancing conservation around the Appalachian Trail, Cherohala Skyway, and Snowbird Wilderness Study Area.

As the properties are transferred to state ownership, the land will ultimately be opened for recreation such as hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and more. This achievement reflects years of collaboration, persistence, and partnership—and is a major investment in the southern Blue Ridge for wildlife, clean water, and future generations.

https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/news/snowbird-1

Photo Credit: Mac Stone

Huzzah! More than 1,100 acres of forests, streams, and critical wildlife habitat in Pennsylvania's Carbon County will remain protected forever!

With support from OSI's Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund, the Wildlands Conservancy secured a conservation easement on a scenic property that will help safeguard water quality in the Upper Lehigh River watershed. The acquisition includes more than three miles of the headwaters and tributaries of Pine Run—a stream containing high-value wild trout habitat. The projects also add to a growing network of protected lands that help sustain clean water and healthy ecosystems throughout the region.
Congratulations to Wildlands Conservancy and all the partners who helped make this success possible!

OSI Supports Permanent Protection of More Than 1,100 Acres in Pennsylvania’s Carbon County Conservation easement will help safeguard exceptional-value headwaters of the Lehigh River, strengthen water quality protections, and expand connected…

We’ve logged another win for clean water, wildlife, and forests within the Delaware River Watershed!

OSI is proud to support the permanent protection of almost 100 acres in New Jersey's Paulins Kill watershed. This latest conservation success safeguards a critical limestone aquifer that contributes to regional water quality, strengthens habitat connectivity, and creates opportunities for forest restoration.

Even more exciting, this project builds on years of momentum in the Paulins Kill watershed. With this addition, OSI has now supported 12 land protection projects and conserved nearly 830 acres in this remarkable landscape.

Congratulations to The Land Conservancy of New Jersey and all of the partners helping protect the Paulins Kill watershed.

OSI Supports Continued Protection of New Jersey’s Paulins Kill Watershed Protection of 95-acre property safeguards groundwater resources and strengthens forest conservation, habitat connectivity, and future reforestation…

Environmental funding is essential to protecting clean water, wildlife habitat, public access to nature, and the open spaces that make New York special.

OSI is glad to see that New York’s recently passed 2026–27 budget maintains funding for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and key conservation programs that are foundational investments in conserving the state's natural resources.

However, OSI is concerned by changes that reduce funding for critical EPF programs, including land conservation and stewardship, while shifting resources outside the Fund. As development pressures, land costs, and climate challenges continue to grow, New York must strengthen its commitment to conservation.

OSI looks forward to working with state leaders and partners to ensure the EPF and other environmental programs continue delivering lasting benefits for all New Yorkers. Read more:

Open Space Institute Applauds Environmental Investments in New York State Budget While Advocating for EPF Integrity Statement from Erik Kulleseid, President and CEO, Open Space Institute on Environmental Funding in the 2026-27 New York State Budget:

Some trails lead to mountain summits and hidden waterfalls. Others connect communities, reveal local history, or offer a quiet place to reconnect with nature. But behind virtually every public trail is a conservation success story.

At OSI, we're proud to work with partners to create, improve, and protect the routes that let people explore the landscapes they love.

Over the past year, we've celebrated milestones ranging from the opening of South Carolina’s first-ever riverine network along 70 miles of the Black River to unveiling the new Schunnemunk Meadows Trail at Schunnemunk State Park in NY, expanding public access along Pennsylvania's Tuscarora Trail, and protecting more than seven miles of disused railbed to create a new recreational corridor outside Cleveland, OH.
As we celebrate National Trails Day, we're grateful for the partners, volunteers, advocates, and outdoor enthusiasts who help make protecting and improving these trails possible—and for everyone who laces up their boots, grabs a bike, or simply heads outside to explore.

Wherever today's path takes you, we hope you enjoy the journey.

Congratulations to OSI’s Bill Rawlyk on being recognized with D&R Greenway Land Trust's 2026 Donald B. Jones Conservation Award, an honor celebrating extraordinary personal commitment to land conservation!

Having worked at OSI for the past 15 years (and counting!), Bill’s career has been defined by a deep love of land, a gift for working with people, and an unwavering dedication to protecting the places that sustain communities and wildlife.

Professionally, he helps guide OSI’s grantmaking and technical assistance for on-the-ground land trusts as they save land throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, but bis commitment is also deeply personal. Together with his family, Bill helped permanently preserve the 118-acre farm purchased by his Ukrainian grandparents in 1926 and restored the former sod fields into a pollinator meadow and wetland habitat for birds, salamanders, frogs, and other wildlife.

👏 Congratulations, Bill, and thank you for your ongoing work to preserve landscapes that enrich lives.

Photos provided courtesy of D&R Greenway. Shown:
💚Bill Rawlyk and fellow awardee Chris Tarr, Esq.
💚Bill with sister Brenda and her husband John Wagner
💚Linda Mead, CEO of D&R Greenway, with awardee Bill Rawlyk
💚Bill Rawlyk (center) with D&R Greenway Land Trust Trustees at Greenway Meadows

What began as a bold vision is now a reality: This year, OSI, South Carolina State Parks, and local communities celebrated the opening of The Meadows at Black River State Park, the first new site in SC’s fiftieth state park and its first-ever riverine network of public parks and paddle launches along 70 miles of the Black River.

The new state park offers visitors a peaceful place to hike, paddle, explore, and connect with an extraordinary landscape. This article by the Carolina News & Reporter highlights that, for families like the Abi-Naders, a visit to The Meadows is a chance to make memories rooted in nature: https://carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu/scs-50th-state-park-provides-historical-context-peace-to-community/

OSI is proud to have helped make this vision a reality. Led by OSI’s Maria Whitehead, the Black River Initiative is bringing together communities, local leaders, tribal representatives, conservation partners, and state agencies to shape a park that protects land, honors history, and expands public access to the outdoors.

Congratulations to Commissioner Kathy Moser on her confirmation as the ninth Commissioner of NY State Parks & Historic Sites!

A former leader of OSI’s Parks and Stewardship team, Kathy has long been a champion for conservation, access to nature, and ensuring that parks and outdoor spaces are welcoming to all. Her collaborative leadership, strategic vision, determination, and ability to bring people together make her exceptionally well-suited for this position.

We're excited to continue working with Kathy in her role and seeing New York's park system thrive under her leadership.

https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/news/kathy-moser-nys-parks-commissioner-2