August 2020
WATERSHED DIGEST
monthly newsletter
Update from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance
Save the Date for our online conference!
Kick-off panel: October 26
Plenary session: October 27
Workshop sessions: October 28, 29, 30
Happy hour closing: October 30
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance's annual conference is moving online! We want to keep everyone as safe as possible, while we continue to unite and empower communities to protect local water resources. This year’s conference will take place from October 26 to 30, during the afternoons. 

Our 2020 conference will focus on the needs of watershed groups. In 2019-2020, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance conducted a needs assessment of our local watershed partners. This year's conference will share our findings and provide trainings to meet those needs.

We will have a plenary session the afternoon of October 27, with a series of three interactive workshop sessions to follow on October 28, 29, and 30. We’ll kick things off with an introductory panel on October 26, and close with a happy hour on October 30. 

Registration details to come. We hope to see you there!

Interested in sponsoring the watershed conference? More information here.
Stream & Buffer Protection Webinar Series
Wednesday, September 9, 16, 23, and 30, 1-2 PM


Protecting a healthy vegetated buffer area around streams is an important step to protect the overall health and water quality of the stream itself. However, buffer protection can be challenging to implement.

In this 4-part webinar series, we will discuss the science behind stream buffers, current regulations, and what communities can do to protect streams and their buffers.

Speakers include Dr. Peter Groffman (CUNY & Brooklyn College), Corbin Gosier (NYS DEC), Beth Roessler (NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program), Mark Carabetta (SLR Consulting), Nava Tabak (Scenic Hudson), and Emily Svenson (Law Office of David K. Gordon).

Sign up for individual sessions or the whole webinar series here.
Sponsored by the Hudson River Estuary Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, in cooperation with NEIWPCC.
Breakfast Lecture: What Cost, Water?
Thursday, September 10, 8:30-9:30 AM


Our breakfast lecture series is back! Every 2nd Thursday from 8:30-9:30 AM, Hudson River Watershed Alliance presents a breakfast webinar on a water topic. Kicking off the 2020-2021 season is Dr. David Strayer, Emeritus, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

It can feel odd to put a dollar value on a river, but the surge of interest in ecosystem services has forced ecologists, environmental advocates, and natural resource managers to confront the challenge of valuing rivers and other natural resources. Why would we want to put a dollar value on a river? What elements contribute to the value of a river? What are important pitfalls in setting a value on a river? How can those of us who work on the Hudson help society at large better value rivers? Dave Strayer retired recently from a life’s work on and around the Hudson River, knowing its ecological resources intimately. Please join us as Dave Strayer presents one ecologist's thoughts on such ecosystem value questions.
Sponsored by the Hudson River Estuary Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, in cooperation with NEIWPCC.
Watershed Highlight
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps members assessing culverts this summer
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps members
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps service project to restore a Native American artifact site
Rockland Conservation & Service Corps members assessing culverts this summer
Kim Burgos, assistant project coordinator at Rockland County Youth Bureau and Rockland Conservation & Service Corps alum
The Rockland Conservation & Service Corps is a program of Rockland County Youth Bureau. Each summer, the program provides hands-on service-learning opportunities for young people and students in the greater Rockland County area.

Their mission is to build Rockland pride through service, and to collaborate with other local organizations to beautify, protect, and preserve open spaces in Rockland County. The Rockland Conservation & Service Corps started in 2000, and celebrated their 20th year this summer. 

Corps members do meaningful work to make a difference in their communities, while also gaining experience in the environmental field. The program typically offers 25 full-time positions, paid with a stipend. Each Corps member is placed with a host site, which include municipalities, agencies, and nonprofits.

They spend most of their time working with their host site on specific projects, but also receive training and provide community service. Training topics include water quality monitoring, public speaking, team-building, and trail-building. Service projects can include trash clean ups, civic engagement workshops, and more. One of this summer’s service projects was restoring a Native American artifact site and reducing its disturbance. 

Social distance precautions due to COVID-19 made this summer challenging, but it was still a successful 20th year. Corps members worked on a variety of projects related to water quality with their host sites this year:

  • Rockland County Soil & Water Conservation District: inspecting culverts and monitoring local streams through NYS DEC’s WAVE program;
  • Town of Ramapo: inspecting stormwater outfalls with the Department of Public Works;
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension Rockland County: education and outreach on the Hudson River Fish Advisory program, including library programs through Zoom;
  • Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: research on connecting people with the Hudson River;
  • Rockland County Drainage Agency: reporting and removing blockages to reduce flood impacts; and
  • Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources: building trails and maintaining parks.

Corps members are empowered as the next generation of environmental leaders. The program offers opportunities to explore potential careers.

Kim Burgos was a Corps member in 2016, and worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension Rockland County on the Hudson River Fish Advisory program. She was hired by Rockland County Youth Bureau in 2018, and now helps run Rockland Conservation & Service Corps as the assistant project coordinator.  

The work of Corps members also helped start the Minisceongo Creek Watershed Alliance. In summer 2017, four Corps members with the Village of West Haverstraw helped lay the foundations for the group. That summer, all Corps members also participated in a Trees for Tribs project to plant trees along the Minisceongo Creek. The Minisceongo Creek Watershed Alliance now includes three alums of the program as members, each working for different departments at Rockland County. 

You can keep up with the Rockland Conservation & Service Corps by following them on Facebook and Instagram (@rcconservation). 
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance unites and empowers communities to protect their local water resources
This newsletter is supported in part by the Hudson River Estuary Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.