Section 97-OO. Biodiversity stewardship and research fund

1. There is
  hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the
  commissioner of  taxation  and  finance  a  fund  to  be  known  as  the
  biodiversity  stewardship  and  research  fund  which shall consist of a
  state land biodiversity stewardship account and a biodiversity  research
  account.
    2.   The   state   land   biodiversity  stewardship  account  and  the
  biodiversity research account shall consist of all  moneys  credited  or
  transferred  thereto  from  any other fund or source pursuant to law for
  the purposes of biodiversity stewardship, research or education.
    3. Moneys in the biodiversity stewardship and  research  fund  may  be
  invested  by  the comptroller pursuant to section ninety-eight-a of this
  article, and any income received by the comptroller shall  be  used  for
  the purposes of such fund.
    4.  The  moneys  held in or credited to the fund shall be expended for
  the purposes set forth in this section, and may not be  interchanged  or
  commingled with any other account or fund but may be commingled with any
  other fund or account for investment purposes.
    5.   Moneys  in  the  state  land  biodiversity  stewardship  account,
  following appropriation by the legislature, shall be  available  to  the
  department  of  environmental  conservation, office of parks, recreation
  and historic preservation, and the New  York  state  museum  within  the
  education department for the following purposes:
    a.   To   undertake   reviews   pursuant  to  section  3-0302  of  the
  environmental conservation law and subdivision seventeen of section 3.09
  of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law.
    b. To identify lands of ecological significance that are candidates to
  recommend to the governor and legislature for dedication  to  the  state
  nature  and historical preserve trust pursuant to section 45-0113 of the
  environmental conservation law or designation as park preserves or  park
  preservation  areas  pursuant  to section 20.02 of the parks, recreation
  and historic preservation law. Such  moneys  may  be  spent  to  conduct
  surveys of state property boundaries.
    c.  To complete natural resource inventories and scientific studies to
  identify,  study  and  monitor  occurrences  of  plants,   animals   and
  ecological communities that are rare in New York state.
    d.  To  develop  and  implement  stewardship  activities  designed  to
  conserve and enhance plants, animals and ecological communities that are
  rare in New York state, on state-owned lands including, but not  limited
  to,  lands  dedicated  to the state nature and historical preserve trust
  pursuant to section 45-0113 of the environmental  conservation  law  and
  lands  designated  park preserves or park preservation areas pursuant to
  section 20.02 of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law.
    e. To conduct studies and inventories of  environmentally  significant
  state-owned   underwater   lands,   including   lands  now  or  formally
  underwater, currently under the jurisdiction of the  office  of  general
  services  to  facilitate  the  proper management and, where appropriate,
  transfer of such lands to the department of  environmental  conservation
  or the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation pursuant to
  section seventy-five of the public lands law.
    f.  To  support  and  administer the New York natural heritage program
  created pursuant to section 11-0539 of  the  environmental  conservation
  law.
    6.  No  more than two-thirds of the moneys deposited in the state land
  biodiversity stewardship account may be used for personal service  costs
  incurred  by  the  department  of  environmental conservation, office of
  parks, recreation and historic preservation,  and  the  New  York  state
  museum  within  the  education  department for the purposes set forth in

  subdivision five of this section. The remaining moneys deposited in  the
  account may be utilized to support projects undertaken by contracts with
  non-profit  conservation  organizations,  scientific  institutions,  and
  other  qualified entities for the purposes set forth in subdivision five
  of this section.
    7.  Moneys   in   the   biodiversity   research   account,   following
  appropriation  by  the  legislature,  shall be available to the New York
  biodiversity research institute for  biodiversity  research,  education,
  and  information  transfer  programs as set forth in section two hundred
  thirty-five-a of the education law.
    8. The expenses of the  executive  committee  and  scientific  working
  group shall be charged to the respective accounts equitably.
    * NB There are 2 § 97-oo's