* § 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