CORNWALL, Conn.—The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), which works to protect the natural character and environmental health of the region from the Berkshires to Long Island Sound, has been named to a cohort of the Salazar Center for North American Conservation’s Peregrine Accelerator for Conservation Impact program for 2025.
The accelerator program mentors and provides up to $20,000 in seed funding for local initiatives that work to prevent biodiversity loss and to enhance ecological connectivity. At the end of the program, each of eight teams in this year’s cohort will have developed a plan for implementation and will be eligible for additional funding.
For the HVA, the six-month program will expand the reach and effectiveness of its Follow the Forest initiative, which brings together more than 50 partners to protect and connect forests across Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont, thus promoting safe passage for wildlife from the Hudson Valley to Canada, ecosystem health and carbon storage.
“Follow the Forest is about working across natural, political and organizational boundaries to protect the connections that sustain life,” says Tim Abbott, HVA’s conservation director. “The Peregrine Accelerator is an opportunity to elevate this work and strengthen the partnerships that make it possible.”
Over the past five years, the initiative has engaged local and regional land trusts, national organizations and regional conservation partnerships in collaborative work that addresses habitat fragmentation and conserves forested areas to build a more connected, climate-resilient landscape.
The Peregrine Accelerator provides seed funding to a cohort of up to 10 teams each year. The teams dedicate two to three hours per week to activities such as workshops; one-on-one sessions with mentors, receive introductions to potential funders and participate in other curricular and networking events. Much of the content is delivered virtually but HVA staff will participate in a retreat on Prince Edward Island in early June to kick off the program.
Housatonic Valley Association is the lead organization of its accelerator team. Its project partners are the Staying Connected Initiative, Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative and The Nature Conservancy.
“This opportunity comes at a pivotal time for Follow the Forest,” said Julia Rogers, HVA’s senior land protection manager. “The accelerator will catalyze our connectivity work across the region, inspiring collaborative efforts informed by community members and scientific data.”
To learn more about HVA’s conservation work in the Northeast, visit hvatoday.org. To learn more about the Follow the Forest initiative, visit followtheforest.org.