PORT JERVIS, NY — The Port Jervis Resilient Communities group is working with the Open Space Institute (OSI) and Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County (CCEOC) as part of OSI's Resilient Communities program, which empowers residents to use nature-based solutions to mitigate environmental challenges like extreme heat, flooding, and erosion. The program aims to build local capacity for addressing the devastating impacts of severe weather. 

As part of the program, OSI and CCEOC are hosting educational workshops, facilitating discussions and providing resources to help residents and stakeholders assess and utilize community assets—including natural resources, business partnerships, government funding opportunities, and more—against environmental challenges. The group will then develop an action plan that will strengthen the community’s ability to withstand and recover from environmental changes.

Upon completion of the program, the group is eligible to apply for seed funding of up to $30,000 to implement projects and leverage additional investment. 

The Port Jervis Resilient Communities group consists of nearly a dozen residents who began the ten-month program in March. As part of the education and planning phase of the program, the Port Jervis group hosted a “community café” event in October, bringing together residents, businesses, government agencies, and other stakeholders to discuss local environmental concerns. Another event will be held on November 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at VFW Post 161 at 47 Owen Street in Port Jervis. In December, the group plans to host a panel discussion and gallery event to share its current projects and future plans. 

“Helping communities identify nature-based solutions that can reduce the impacts of extreme weather, is an important part of OSI’s work,” said Joel Houser, OSI’s Director of Capital Grants, who manages the Resilient Communities program. “After the success of the program in the Southeast, we’re ecstatic to expand to New York.”

OSI and CCEOC are jointly facilitating and mentoring the Port Jervis group. OSI provides technical assistance, including helping participants access environmental data that will inform projects. With its experience working with emerging conservation groups in Orange County, CCEOC is guiding the Port Jervis team in community engagement and helping them build peer connections.

"Building community is at the heart of most of CCE's work. It's all about making research and resources available to the communities in Orange County as they see best suits their needs. We are grateful to be part of this important work in Port Jervis and are here to support the community in building its resilience," said Dr. Julika von Stackelberg, Family and Community Resilience Educator at CCEOC.

“Since getting involved in the Port Jervis group, I’ve found that there is real power in joining with others to tackle our environmental concerns. The access to technology that we’ve been given, especially the interactive environmental data shared by OSI, has allowed our group to visualize the history of Port Jervis and plan for a better future,” said Pete Marchetto, a member of the group and a research engineer who develops environmental sensing systems. “This was the perfect opportunity to use my professional experience to benefit a community I love deeply.”

Launched in May 2022 by OSI with the Tennessee-based Thrive Regional Partnership, the Resilient Communities pilot program supported vulnerable communities in the Southeast as they plan for and respond to environmental impacts with sustainable, nature-based solutions. Four communities in Georgia and Tennessee have completed the program, with another two towns in Tennessee starting earlier this year. While each community has unique needs and challenges, the program is designed to facilitate communication among participants, enabling them to learn from one another, collaborate, and share information.

The Resilient Communities program is part of OSI’s broader effort to conserve land and cultivate community resilience to extreme weather across the 18-state Appalachian Mountain Range, a globally critical corridor for carbon absorption, clean water, and biodiversity. Since 2021, OSI has supported the conservation of more than 65,000 acres in seven states across the Appalachian Region.

The program is supported by the Rivian Foundation, which awarded OSI a grant in 2024 to expand the program to new geographies.

To learn more about the Resilient Communities program, including the projects completed or underway by the inaugural groups, visit: https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/resilientcommunities

About the Open Space Institute

The Open Space Institute is a national leader in land conservation and efforts to make parks and other protected land more welcoming for all. Since 1974, OSI has partnered in the protection of more than 2.5 million at-risk and environmentally sensitive acres in the eastern U.S. and Canada. OSI’s land protection promotes clean air and water, improves access to recreation, provides wildlife habitat, strengthens communities, and combats the devastating impacts of extreme weather.

About Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County

Cornell Cooperative Extension and its partnerships provide programs for Orange County residents on youth and family development; nutrition, health, and food safety; community and economic vitality; and agricultural sustainability through Cornell based research. Committed to Orange County, we design programs to meet local needs to enable people to improve their lives and communities.  For more information, call Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County at 845-344-1234 or visit our website at www.cceorangecounty.org. Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County provides equal employment and program opportunities.