This year’s Annual Watershed Conference theme is “Anatomy of a Success Story.”
The conference will have two components:
The pre-conference webinar on Wednesday, October 21 from 1-3 pm via Zoom will showcase inspiring stories of four watershed groups from across the country, breaking down elements of their successes into valuable lessons learned. We will focus on the “anatomy of a success story,” paying close attention to what steps each watershed group took to set themselves up for effective project implementation and high impact in their watershed communities.
The in-person conference on Tuesday, October 27 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at the Henry A. Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, NY includes plenary presentations, interactive breakout sessions, and lots of opportunities for conversations and networking.
The conference features three impactful, collaborative projects as plenary case studies. Different partners will share their roles, expertise, and perspectives from each. We’ll consider what success means in the context of each project, and hear about the kinds of systems that support effective watershed work.
Plenary session topics at the conference include:
Quassaick Creek Greenway: This session will focus on how the long-time vision for improved access to the Quassaick Creek is becoming a reality, through thoughtful science, planning, partnerships, and community activation.
Housing & Conservation: This session will share the Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation’s collaborative work to connect affordable housing and land conservation goals, with specific case studies of projects and planning from the Columbia Land Conservancy and the Town of New Lebanon.
Oakdale Lake Community Science, Planning, and Management: This session will discuss an ongoing community-led project to understand, improve, and envision the future of Oakdale Lake, a beloved 4-acre lake and public swimming beach in the City of Hudson.
Registration is available below for one or both of the conference components.
More photos from the 2025 conference by Ava Battinelli are available in our Flikr album.
Sponsor the Annual Watershed Conference
Interested in sponsoring the watershed conference? Your sponsorship will fund the conference proceedings and support the attendance of individuals and groups in need of financial assistance. More details are available in the form here. If you’d like to pay for sponsorship by credit card, you can use our online form (also available below).
We anticipate strong participation from watershed communities from throughout the Hudson Valley. Over 150 people participated in our hybrid conference in 2025. (An example of last year’s conference format and agenda is available here.)
Thank you to our sponsors!
Watershed Sponsors
River Sponsors
Anne & Fred Osborn III / The EASTER Foundation
Hudson River Valley Greenway
Hudson Valley Regional Council
SLR Consulting
Creek Sponsors
American Dairy Association North East
Capital District Regional Planning Commission
Delaware Engineering, D.P.C.
Gordon & Svenson LLP
KARC Planning Consultants, Inc.
MHE Engineering, D.P.C.
MJ Engineering
Riverkeeper
Rockland County Soil & Water Conservation District
Scenic Hudson
Strong Outcomes, LLC
Tighe & Bond
VHB
Brook Sponsors
Adams Fairacre Farms
CDPHP
Common Ground Consulting, LLC
Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, LLC
Planning4Places, LLC
Shadbush Consulting, LLC
Upstate GIS
Wallkill River Watershed Alliance