Mass Audubon has received the largest federal grant in its 128-year history — $25 million to protect 10,000 acres in the Connecticut River watershed, which will include projects in Pioneer Valley municipalities up and down the river.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture comes as part of $1.5 billion provided to 92 conservation projects across the country selected by the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Among the cities and towns that will benefit from projects funded under the grant are Amherst, Easthampton, Belchertown, Agawam, Chicopee, Deerfield, Greenfield, Hatfield, Hadley, Holyoke, Northampton, South Hadley, Springfield, Sunderland and West Springfield.

Using this grant funding, Mass Audubon and its partners plan to protect carbon-rich and biodiverse forests and wetlands near the Connecticut River while also working with landowners in the watershed to restore forest habitats through projects such as the removal of dams, the restoration of floodplain forests and other restorative land management practices.

“The goal is really to protect 10,000 acres of riparians and forested land … and restore at least 100 acres of these riparians and forested areas,” said Jocelyn Forbush, Mass Audubon’s chief conservation officer.

Forbush said Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties make up a large portion of the land that Mass Audubon and its partners will be focusing on in these conservation and restoration projects.

As a part of these efforts, the Center for Geospatial Solutions at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a conservation nonprofit, plans to develop a measurement and monitoring strategy to aid private landowners in evaluating conservation outcomes from individual projects. This initiative will use various technologies including satellite imaging and artificial intelligence to monitor the benefits of protecting and restoring this land.

Mass Audubon plans to partner with four conservation groups, land trusts among them, and two Connecticut River-focused organizations to work with landowners on conservation and restoration projects throughout the state’s Connecticut River watershed. Collaborations among local partners and landowners will be integral to the success of protection and restoration efforts.

“There’s a good number of these projects that are already in conversation with landowners who have either reached out to Mass Audubon or our partners,” said Forbush. “This has really been a regional effort.”

Forbush said an official list of local partners is not yet available, but that forging connections with local partners has been a focus in planning for conservation efforts that involve landowners.

Landowners interested in taking part in a conservation or restoration project can reach out to Mass Audubon or local river conservation agencies and land trusts to find out how to get involved, according to Forbush.

In addition to this funding, $20.8 million from the USDA grant program was awarded to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to further conservation across Massachusetts, working toward the goal of protecting 30% of the state’s land by 2030. These grants follow the launch of Mass Audubon’s $75 million “30x30 Catalyst Fund,” which is intended to accelerate land protection efforts in Massachusetts to reach this goal.

Forbush said the 10,000 acres of protected land will also help tremendously in achieving both the “30 by 30” goal and Mass Audubon’s own conservation missions.