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Watershed Groups

Watershed group members in kayaks

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance works with local watershed partners throughout the Hudson River watershed, including community-based volunteer groups, inter-municipal councils, initiatives of agencies and organizations, and local advocates. Within our work, we convene watershed groups to share resources and experiences, and provide technical support and capacity building for watershed groups within the Hudson River Watershed.

Watershed groups take on a variety of forms and roles. In general, these groups convene stakeholders around common water issues, share information, coordinate projects, educate residents, and promote stewardship of their watersheds through projects like tree plantings and stream cleanups. Many groups are actively monitoring water quality to understand conditions, partnering on research with academic institutions, and helping to write and implement watershed management plans. 

The Work on Watersheds report shares the accomplishments of 32 watershed groups, highlighting the diverse ways they make a difference.  The 2016 paper, Strengthening and Supporting Watershed Groups in the Hudson River Watershed explores the unique and critical Watershed groups play in protecting local tributaries, their watersheds, as well as the Hudson River watershed more broadly.

See below for a list of local community-based watershed groups, in alphabetical order.

Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program
Website | Facebook

Battenkill Conservancy
Contact: Lorraine Merghard Ballard, Executive Director
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Bronx River Alliance
Contact: Christian Murphy
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Bronx River Memorandum of Agreement

Casperkill Watershed Alliance
Contact: Jen Rubbo, Environmental Cooperative at Vassar College
Health of the Casperkill Creek (2009)

Catskill Creek
Contact: Audrey Kropp, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia & Greene Counties
Website | Fact Sheet
Catskill Creek Watershed Plan (2020)

Dutchess Watershed Coalition
Contact: Carolyn Klocker, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Website | Facebook

Fall Kill Watershed Coalition (part of the Northside Collaborative)
Contact: Kate Phipps, Scenic Hudson
Website | Facebook
The Fall Kill Plan (2011) | Watershed Management Plan for the Fall Kill (2006) | Fall Kill Memorandum of Agreement

Fishkill Creek Watershed Association
Contact: Sergei Krasikov and Brent Feldweg
Website
Natural Resources Management Plan for the Fishkill Creek Watershed (2005)

Friends of the Great Swamp (FroGS)
Watershed: Great Swamp, East Branch Croton River, Swamp River
Contact: Laurie Wallace, Secretary/Treasurer
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Friends of the Kayaderosseras
Website | Facebook

Friends of Lake Algonquin
Contact: John Hoekstra, President
Website | Facebook

Greater Stockport Creek Watershed Alliance
Watershed: Stockport Creek Watershed including Kinderhook and Claverack Creeks
Contact: Fran Martino, River Haggie Outdoors
Website

Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA)
Contact: Arianna Collins, Executive Director
Website | Facebook | Instagram

Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (The Hudson 7)
Contact: Gary Bassett, Village of Rhinebeck
Website

Hudson River Estuary Program
Contact: Scott Cuppett, NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program
Website
Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda 2015-2020 (2015)

Kromma Kill Watershed
Contact: Kate Meierdiercks, Siena College
Website | Fact Sheet

Lower Esopus Watershed Partnership
Contact: Mary McNamara and Amanda LaValle, Ulster County Department of the Environment
Website | Facebook | Fact Sheet
A Journey Through Lower Esopus Creek (2011) | Lower Esopus Creek River Reconnaissance Report & Appendices (2009)

Minisceongo Creek Watershed Alliance
Contact: Brianna Rosamilia, Rockland County Soil & Water Conservation District
Website
Town of Haverstraw, Village of Haverstraw & Village of West Haverstraw: Community Resilience Building Workshop Summary of Findings (2017)

Mohawk River Basin Program
Contact: Katherine Czajkowski, NYS DEC Mohawk River Basin Program
Website | Fact Sheet
Draft Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda for 2018-2022 (2018)

Mohawk Watershed Alliance
Contact: John Garver, Union College
Website | Facebook
Mohawk River Watershed Management Plan (2015)

Monhagen Brook Watershed
Contact: Kevin Sumner, Orange County Soil & Water Conservation District
Monhagen Brook Watershed Conservation and Management Plan (2019)

Moodna Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council
Contact: Simon Gruber (Chairman), Jay Beaumont (Vice Chairman), and Johanna Kiernan (Secretary)
Website | Facebook | Watershed Fact Sheet | Council Fact Sheet
Moodna Creek Watershed Conservation and Management Plan (2010) | Lower Moodna Creek Watershed Flood Mitigation Assessment Report (2018)

Newburgh Clean Water Project
Watershed: Washington Lake, Brown’s Pond
Contact: Deborah Brown
Website | Facebook | Instagram

Patroon Kill Watershed
Contact: Kate Meierdiercks, Siena College
Website

Pocantico River Watershed Alliance
Contact: Michael Finewood, Pace University
Website | Fact Sheet

Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance
Contact: Jack Caldwell and John Gebhards
Website | Facebook
Quassaick Creek Watershed Management Plan (2014)

Ramapo River Watershed Intermunicipal Council
Contact: Janet Burnet
Ramapo River Watershed Intermunicipal Council Memorandum of Understanding

Roe Jan Watershed Community
Watershed: Roeliff Jansen Kill
Contact: Kaare Christian
Website | Instagram

Rondout Creek Watershed Alliance
Contact: Laura Finestone
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Lower Non-Tidal Watershed Management Rondout Creek Watershed Management Plan (2010)
Tidal Rondout Creek Watershed Management Plan (2015)

Saw Kill Watershed Community
Contact: Karen Schneller-McDonald , chair, and Lindsey Drew, Bard Water Lab
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Saw Kill Watershed Source Water Protection Scorecard Recommendations (2019) | Saw Kill Watershed and Flood Mitigation Assessment (2018)

Sawkill Creek (Woodstock)
Contact: Maxanne Resnick, Woodstock Land Conservancy
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Sawkill Creek Stream Corridor Assessment Report (2007)

Saw Mill River Coalition
Contact: Kathalene Lamboy, Center for the Urban River at Beczak
Website | Instagram
Stewardship Map | State of the Saw Mill River Watershed (2019)

Shawangunk Kill Watershed Alliance (part of Wallkill River Watershed Alliance)
Website | Facebook

Sing Sing Kill
Contact: Gareth Hougham, Hudson Valley Stream Conservancy
Website

Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance
Contact: Jim Elling, Chair
Website | Facebook | Story Map

Tin Brook Watershed Alliance (part of Wallkill River Watershed Alliance)
Website | Facebook

Tracing the Tannery Brook
Contact: Emily Vail, Hudson River Watershed Alliance
Website | Facebook

Upper Hudson Watershed Coalition
Contact: Allison Gaddy, Lake Champlain – Lake George Regional Planning Board
Website
Upper Hudson River Watershed Revitalization Plan (2020) | Upper Hudson River Watershed Coalition Priority Issues and Actions (2014)

Wallkill River Watershed Alliance
Contact: Jillian Decker, Chair
Website | Facebook
Wallkill River Watershed Conservation and Management Plan (2007)

Wappinger Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council (WIC)
Contact: Sean Carroll (Coordinator), Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County and Dick Thurston (Chair), Town of Wappinger
Facebook
Watershed Characterization and Recommendations Report for the Wappinger Creek Watershed (2022) | Natural Resource Management Plan for the Wappinger Creek Watershed (2001)