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October 2024

WATERSHED DIGEST
monthly newsletter

Update from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance

Annual Watershed Conference: Registration Now Open!

Our 2024 conference theme is Drinking Water: Source to Tap


This year’s Annual Watershed Conference will share science, policies, and strategies to protect clean drinking water, considering a watershed approach. Registration and more information is available on our website.


Our Annual Watershed Conference will have two components:


Wednesday, October 16, 1-3 pm: virtual session via Zoom webinar

This session will provide an introduction to drinking water protection, including key context for the in-person session.


Confirmed speakers include:

  • Susan Van Patten, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
  • NYS Department of Health (invited)
  • Joseph Degiovine, Facilities Manager; Steve Mercier, Communications Coordinator, and Amy Walsh, Forester and Watershed Manager, Albany Water Department

Tuesday, October 22, 9 am to 3 pm: in-person session at the Henry A. Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, NY

This session will focus on science and strategies to protect drinking water, from source to tap. The day will include presentations on groundwater, planning to protect sources of drinking water, emerging contaminants including PFAS, policy opportunities, and a panel discussion with watershed groups that are actively working on drinking water issues in their communities.


Confirmed speakers include:

  • Russell Urban-Mead, LaBella Associates - groundwater and hydrogeology
  • Shannon Roback, Riverkeeper - surface water and emerging contaminants
  • Maureen Cunningham Environmental Policy Innovation Center - lead pipes
  • Watershed Group Panel Discussion with Hollowbrook Water Watch, Saw Kill Watershed Community, Quasssaick Creek Watershed Alliance, and the Hudson 7

Breakout session presentations include:

  • Planning: - Jessica Casey, NYS DEC, Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2); - Anna Palmer, Hudson River Estuary Program, environmental justice; - Hudson Highlands Land Trust, using connectivity plans to protect drinking water
  • Policy: - Dan Shapley, Riverkeeper, state drinking water policy overview
  • PFAS: - Robert Hayes, Environmental Advocates NY, federal and state PFAS policies; - Jennifer Rawlison, Newburgh Clean Water Project, PFAS in Newburgh

Additional speakers are being confirmed, and a full agenda is coming soon.

Conference Registration

Thank You to our Conference Sponsors!

Watershed Sponsor


River Sponsor

Biohabitats, Inc.


Creek Sponsors

Bard College Center for Environmental Studies and Humanities

Gordon & Svenson LLP

Hudson Valley Waterworks Conference

LaBella Associates

Pace University

Restaino Design Landscape Architecture, PC

Rockland County Soil & Water Conservation District

SLR Consulting


Stream Sponsors

American Dairy Association North East

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C.

Fuss & O’Neill

Insite Engineering, Surveying, & Landscape Architecture, P.C.

MJ Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Land Surveying, P.C.

Riverkeeper

Tighe & Bond

Water Action Compliance Assistance & Planning LLC


Brook Sponsors

Center for the Urban River at Beczak

Common Ground Consulting, LLC

eDesign Dynamics

Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (Hudson 7)

Planning4Places, LLC

Resilience Communications & Consulting, LLC

Shadbush Consulting, LLC

Upstate GIS

Wallkill River Watershed Alliance

Fran Dunwell

Anonymous

Sponsor the Annual Watershed Conference

Your sponsorship funds the conference proceedings and supports individuals and groups in need of financial assistance to attend. We anticipate strong participation from watershed communities from throughout the Hudson River watershed. In 2023, our virtual and in-person conference sessions reached about 200 people.


More details are on the Conference Sponsorship Form and on our website.

Conference Sponsorship

Breakfast Webinar: Health Effects Associated with Drinking Water Contaminated with PFAS

Thursday, October 10

8:30-9:30 am


Register here


Dr. Erin Bell is the Dean of the College of Integrated Health Sciences at the University at Albany. She is the co-Principal Investigator with the New York State Department of Health of a cohort study to recruit and enroll participants into a prospective cohort of adults and children to examine the long-term health effects associated with consumption of drinking water contaminated with per and poly alkyl substances (PFAS).


Given the strong correlation between excess exposure to environmental contaminants, poverty and racial inequalities, her research and community service have more recently expanded into exploring the health outcomes related to these disparities. Dr. Bell will share her work to understand the health effects of exposure to PFAS through drinking water, along with cumulative health burdens.

Photos: the Newburgh Clinic Team, courtesy of the Multi-Site PFAS Health Study

New Opportunity: Land Use Assessment for Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network Members

Rondout Creek flooding in the City of Kingston, December 2023

In 2025, a cohort of municipalities participating in the Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network will have the opportunity to use the Resilience Implementation and Strategic Enhancements (RISE) Local Assessment Tool. This tool was developed by FEMA and the US EPA to help municipalities assess and refine local laws and policies to improve resilience and achieve desired community outcomes. These municipalities will participate in a Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) training with the Pace University Land Use Law Center to work through the assessment together, thanks to funding support from the Hudson River Estuary Program.


The Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network connects local governments who are committed to taking actionable steps to manage flood risk. The Hudson River Watershed Alliance is co-facilitator of the Network, along with New York Sea Grant and other partners. We’ll have more information on the details of this program in the coming months and at our the next Lunch & Learn. If your municipality is interested in participating, join the Flood Resilience Network.


Lunch & Learn: Local Land Use Policies for Flood Resilience 

Tuesday, October 8

12-1 pm via Zoom meeting


Tiffany Zezula and Jessica Bacher from Pace University’s Land Use Law Center will share how local land use policies provide an important set of tools for municipalities to improve flood resilience in their communities. They will discuss their work to date using the RISE Local Assessment Tool with municipalities in the Hudson Valley. Julie Noble, Sustainability Coordinator from the City of Kingston, will share her experience working through the RISE tool with the Land Use Law Center and incorporating recommendations into their Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP).


This meeting is for FRN Members and Partners. To register, join the Flood Resilience Network.

Thank you for celebrating at our Office Opening!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped celebrate our office opening in Kingston on September 24! What a warm welcome from our Kingston and watershed community.


This is Hudson River Watershed Alliance's very first office, in our 14-year history of uniting and empowering communities to protect our shared waters. With our own dedicated workspace, we're so looking forward to continuing the collaborations and conversations that make this work possible.


We had a wonderful gathering, and so appreciated all the well-wishes from those who weren't able to join.


Photos by Gloria Waslyn

Welcome to our new Operations Manager!

Please give a warm welcome to our new Operations Manager, Jennifer Cohen!


With over 15 years of expertise in business management within the arts and nonprofit sectors, Jen brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for environmental causes and sustainability.


Originally from France, she holds a BA in Business Management from Sorbonne then moved to New York to pursue her Master’s degree in Arts Administration at New York University. She relocated to the Hudson Valley in 2024 to join the Hudson River Watershed Alliance as Operations Manager.

Opportunities

GRANTS & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:


Laura Jane Musser Fund: Rural Initiative

Deadline: October 3

More information 

Through the Rural Initiative, the Laura Jane Musser Fund encourages collaborative and participatory efforts among residents in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions and offers Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations (organizations with fiscal sponsors are not eligible) and Local units of Government project planning grants up to $5,000 and project implementation grants up to $25,000. Eligible counties include Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.


Laura Jane Musser Fund: Intercultural Harmony Initiative

Deadline: October 16

More information

Through the Intercultural Harmony Initiative, the Laura Jane Musser Fund supports projects that promote mutual understanding and cooperation between groups of community members of different cultural backgrounds and offers project planning grants up to $5,000 or implementation grants up to $25,000 to Nonprofit 501(c)(3) and Local units of Government. Eligible counties include Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.


River Network: Rooting Resilience Request for Applications

Deadline: October 23

More information

River Network is thrilled to release a funding opportunity for urban and community forestry projects led by community-based non-profits and federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations/villages, Tribal organizations, organizations working in Tribal communities. The Rooting Resilience Program will provide funding and technical assistance to community-based projects that build resilience and enhance communities’ abilities to plan and carry out forestry projects. This opportunity is available for projects located in federally designated disadvantaged communities, including urban, suburban, and rural communities in the United States and its territories. 


Partners for Climate Action: Ecological Restoration Grant Program

Deadline: October 25

More information

Funding is now available for projects addressing at-risk pollinator habitat and forest health. Awards of $1,000 to $50,000 will support the creation of wildflower meadows, native habitat plantings, forest restoration, deer impact mitigation, and more! Applicant organizations and project sites must be located in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Ulster, Putnam, or Orange Counties, and be one of the following: a municipal or county-level government; a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization or project supported by a fiscal sponsor; a public or independent school, college or university; a public library; or a faith-based institution. 


‘Energize the Environment’ Grant Program

Deadline: October 30

More information

Quadratec invites applications for its Energize the Environment grant program, which will award a grant of $3,500 to an individual or group currently working on a program or initiative designed to benefit the environment in their community. Examples of projects include trail building or restoration, park beautification events, litter prevention initiatives, Earth-study missions, sustainable land management activities, community environmental educational projects, and youth educational engagement events. Any individual, group, or organization in the United States can apply for the program.


Hudson River Valley Greenway: Hudson River Valley Greenway Grant Program

Deadline: November 1

More information

Community Grants: Greenway Communities are eligible to receive up to $10,000 to develop plans or projects consistent with the five Greenway criteria: natural and cultural resource protection, economic development, public access, regional planning, and heritage and environmental education. Higher amounts are awarded for intermunicipal projects.

Conservancy Trail Grants: dedicated to funding recreational trail projects. Special consideration is given to projects that seek to implement the goals of the Greenway Trail Program. The application emphasizes connections to the Empire State Trail.  


NYS DEC: Regenerate New York Forestry Cost Share Grant Program

Deadline: November 6

More information

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced $500,000 in funding available for the fourth round of the state’s Regenerate New York Forestry Cost Share Grant Program. The grant program assists private landowners with growing the next generation of resilient forests to mitigate climate change, provide wildlife habitat, protect air and water quality and supply a critical renewable resource. Funded projects will enhance efforts made through Gov. Hochul’s ambitious 25 Million Trees Initiative to restore and sustain New York’s natural landscapes.


US EPA: Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program

Deadline: Rolling, November 21

More information

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for approximately $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges.


Land Trust Alliance: New York State Conservation Partnership Program

Deadline: December 23

More information

The Land Trust Alliance, with support from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, offers up to $3,075,000 of land trust grants through the New York State Conservation Partnership Program. This public-private partnership is funded through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Alliance, in coordination with DEC. This funding will be available for the 2024-2025 round of grants.

JOB POSTINGS


Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies: Research Technicians - Hudson River Ecosystem Study (Millbrook, NY)

More information


DEC: Biologist (Albany, NY)

More information


Gordon & Svenson LLP: Lawyer (Poughkeepsie, NY)

More information


Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs: Streamside Restoration Technician (New Paltz, NY)

More information


Hudson River Sloop Clearwater: Education Director (Beacon, NY)

More information


Keep Rockland Beautiful: Part-Time Cleanup Campaign Assistant (Rockland County, NY)

More information


NEIWPCC: Environmental Engineer, PE (Albany, NY)

More information


Riverkeeper: Development Database Specialist (Ossining, NY)

More information


Sleepy Hollow Lake APO: Association Manager (Athens, NY)

More information

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance unites and empowers communities to protect our shared waters.

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