Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month

“The mission of the Dutchess Watershed Coalition is to promote awareness and active participation of the community in the stewardship of the land and water resources of Dutchess County through educational and recreational events.”

The following organizations are members of the Dutchess Watershed Coalition. For more information about the coalition please contact Carolyn at 845-677-8223 or by email at cak97@cornell.edu.

Casperkill Watershed Alliance
The Casperkill Watershed Alliance (CWA) formed in early 2008. It is a partnership between the Vassar Environmental Research Institute, Cornell Cooperative Extention Dutchess County (CCEDC) and Casperkill Watershed residents, civic officials, and other interested parties. In February of 2009, the CWA, Vassar Environmental Research Institute and CCEDC produced an assessment document of the Casperkill, “Health of the Casperkill, Dutchess County, New York.”  In addition to containing a full report on the stream health throughout the watershed, the assessment document outlines a vision statement with watershed protection and restoration objectives. Some of our objectives include: improve stream water quality from Class B to Class C, maintain a 25 ft vegetated buffer throughout the length of the creek, create at least one park or prominent public access area along the creek, develop and implement regular education programs and campaigns about the historical, cultural and ecological significance of the Casperkill. The CWA uses the objectives from the assessment document to guide our actions; some or our projects include stream-side plantings, creek-cleanups and educational watershed walks. The Casperkill Watershed Alliance meets every 1-2 months, typically the last week of each month.  Please visit our Yahoo! Groups page for more information or contact CWA member Emily Vail at emvail@vassar.edu.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Cornell Cooperative Extension links research, experience and technology to the needs of people. The mission of Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County(CCEDC) is to strengthen Dutchess County through community involvement action and Education. CCEDC has four main program areas: Agriculture & Horticulture, Family & Consumer Sciences, 4H & Youth Development and the Environment. Through education, research and partnerships, the Environment Program empowers individuals and municipal groups to expand their knowledge and actions to protect, restore and enhance the environment of Dutchess County for future generations. The CCEDC Environment Program works to protect our county’s rich water resources by offering workshops, conferences and demonstration projects on topics that help prevent pollution of local lakes, rivers, streams and drinking water supplies. Examples include care and maintenance of septic systems, well protection, stormwater management, and landscaping for water quality. We also work to provide technical resources and support of local watershed organizations. For more information about CCEDC and its programs visit their web site or call 845-677-8223.

Fall Kill Watershed Committee
The Fall Kill Watershed Committee, formed in 2002, is a coalition of community groups, educational institutions, businesses, local governmental officials, environmental groups, social services groups, and interested community individuals living and working in the Fall Kill watershed.  The Committee concentrates on protection and revitalization of the historic Fall Kill Creek and its surrounding watershed.  The efforts of the Committee have focused on goals laid out in the 2006 Watershed Management Plan that is based upon two years of research and water quality monitoring.  These goals include:  improving water quality to the point that the stream can be upgraded from Class C to Class B, capable of supporting swimming and other forms of contact recreation; protecting open space along the creek to provide habitat for fish and wildlife as well as places where humans can interact with the natural world; providing more public access to the creek and increase recreational opportunities for the public to enhance a sense of community ownership and caring; and developing educational programs to inform the public and policy makers about the ecological and historical significance of the creek. For more information about the Fall Kill Creek Watershed Committee, contact Jen Rubbo at jen@clearwater.org.

Fishkill Creek Watershed Association
The Fishkill Creek Watershed drains approximately 190 square miles within the Hudson River Basin of Dutchess and Putnam Counties. The Fishkill Creek Watershed Associations (FCWA), formerly the Fishkill Creek Watershed Committee (FCWC), is a volunteer, non-profit, non-advocacy organization that works for the protection of the natural environment within the watershed. The FCWA primarily uses local volunteers but also collaborates with other organizations to protect the watershed. In 2004 the FCWC completed a visual assessment of the Fishkill Creek. This study, called the Fishkill Creek Streamwalk 2004, investigated 16 miles of the creek from its mouth to its headwaters. In 2007 we collaborated with several other organizations to conduct a similar study of Jackson Creek. In 2005 a Natural Resource Inventory and Management Plan was published for the watershed. The committee also collaborated to create curricula for in-stream activities consistent with NYS High School Regents Biology and Earth Science courses. These reports and the curricula are posted on our web site. For the last few years we have also been collaborating with Dr. Stuart Findlay (CIES) on his study of chloride concentrations within the watershed. Other committee activities have included streamside riparian plantings (along with NYSDEC), stream trash clean-ups, canoe trips on the creek and educational displays at community events. Information about watershed issues have been distributed to the public through our website and list-serve, by interviews on local TV stations, by public talks, by articles in local newspapers and by various printed material. For more information, email info@fishkillcreekwatershed.org

Friends of the Great Swamp
Friends of the Great Swamp is a community group comprised of concerned citizens, public agencies, and local businesses and organizations. Since 1990, it has been an active voice for protection of the functions, values and integrity of the Great Swamp. FrOGS is organized into three committees — scenic and research, education and tourism, and steering — all of which work together to collect and share information, promote education programs, encourage wise land-use decisions, and assist in watershed protection planning.

The mission of the organization is to undertake activities “to conserve, protect, and promote the functions, values and integrity of the Great Swamp wetland and its watersheds in Putnam and Dutchess Counties, New York”. The strength of FrOGS is the active, dedicated volunteers who organize and run the activities and events. For more information about frogs call (845) 855-1917, email them at info@frogs-ny.org or visit their web site.

Housatonic Valley Association
The Housatonic Valley Association, founded in 1941, works to conserve the natural character and environmental health of our communities by protecting and restoring the lands and waters of the Housatonic Watershed for this and future generations. For more information on HVA’s work in New York, contact Tonia at toniahva@hotmail.com or visit their web site

Hudson River Clearwater Sloop
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc is a tax exempt non-profit member supported corporation whose mission is to preserve and protect the Hudson River, its tributaries and related bodies of water. Clearwater conducts innovative environmental programs, advocacy and celebrations to inspire and energize the next generation of environmental leaders. Clearwater, founded in 1969 by music legend and environmental activist, Pete Seeger, began with the launch sloop Clearwater – a majestic replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 106-foot-long tall ship was among the first vessels in the U.S. to conduct science-based education aboard a sailing ship, virtually creating the template by which such programs are conducted around the world today. Clearwater has become America’s Environmental Flagship, and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 for its role in the environmental movement. Today, Clearwater is partnering with schools and community leaders to raise the bar of environmental education again. This time the health of the Hudson River must go hand in hand with a sustainable world of green jobs in a green economy. For more information on Clearwater, visit their web site at http://www.clearwater.org.

Hudson River Watershed Alliance
The mission of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance is to protect, conserve and restore the water resources of the Hudson River Basin through collaborative outreach, education, networking, research, information sharing and technical assistance by and for the stakeholders of the region. For more information about the Hudson River Watershed Alliance contact Katy Dunlap at katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556. Please visit the HRWA web site to learn more about current events, news and opportunities related to the Hudson River watershed.

Stream Alliance of Northern Dutchess
The Stream Alliance of Northern Dutchess (SAND) is an all-volunteer community organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the streams of the Hudson River Direct Watershed. These streams, including Landsman Kill, Rhinebeck Kill, Stony Creek, Indian Creek, the Sawkill River, Crum Elbow Creek, are found in northern Dutchess County, chiefly in the towns of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Milan, Clinton, and Hyde Park. SAND works with local conservation advisory committees, land preservation organizations, and community groups to act as a watchdog and advocate for the water resources within the watershed. SAND also assists local government and organizations with grant applications, landowner and community education projects, stream monitoring, and stream cleanups. For more information, contact Sheila Buff at sheilabuff@frontiernet.net.

Vassar Environmental Research Institute
The Environmental Research Institute (ERI) is a research and public outreach wing of Vassar’s Environmental Studies program. Its mission is to provide opportunities for faculty and students to conduct research on Earth’s environmental systems, to promote fieldwork, and to foster engagement with the local community. To meet these goals, the ERI promotes and funds multidisciplinary research and education, hosts educational events and conferences, and acts as a bridge to the larger Hudson Valley community on environmental concerns.

Since the spring of 2006, members of the ERI have been working on the Casperkill Project: a team of faculty and students from the departments of Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science and Geography, and Urban Studies have established a long-term research study on the health of the Casperkill Creek and its watershed. Student and faculty researchers have conducted water quality monitoring, assessing such parameters as the amount of road salt in the stream; dissolved oxygen, nutrient, bacteria, and heavy metal levels; stream water pH; the extent and species composition of streamside vegetation; and the state of aquatic organisms. The goal of the project has been to determine what the overall health of the stream is, to identify sources of pollution, and to work with local residents and government officials to improve water quality.

Wappinger Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council
The Wappinger Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council, organized in 2000, has a mission “to cooperatively address common issues that may affect the quality of the watershed.” Some of these common issues include: preventing non-point source pollution to the watershed, the remediation of existing pollution sources, education and information exchange related to watershed issues, the preservation of open space and natural resources, and the expansion of economic activities that are consistent with protecting the watershed environment.