Participate with dutchesswatersheds.org

CCEDC's Environment Program and the Vassar College Environmental Research Institute have created a new interactive, community watershed website that will help members of local watershed groups, municipal officials, youth and teachers, and researchers learn about and protect the water resources in Dutchess County, NY.

The Duthesswatersheds.org website was created to allow for greater community involvement with work to protect the watersheds in Dutchess County, New York.  The website will allow residents to find and share information on community events, watershed facts and research data, and multimedia materials for education.  The interactive website contains eight major sections, including:

- Interactive Homepage: allows visitors can login to create an account in the community forum, and post information about upcoming meetings, events, animal sightings; etc.

- Watersheds Section: contains detailed information on each of the major watersheds in the county, including geology and maps, major threats and local watershed groups;

- For Kids Section: with information, games, coloring pages geared toward elementary aged youth;

- Research Section: where researchers can share results of their scientific research on streams in Dutchess County, and members of the community can learn more about the research being conducted;

- News and Events Section: provides details of upcoming watershed meetings and events, while the “Dutchess WAM” (or Watershed Awareness Month) section provides information on the July 2010 month-long series of events in Dutchess County; and

- FAQs and Resources Sections: provide more information and links for members of the community, on issues such as streambank restoration, watershed management plans, groundwater protection, etc.

There are four major watersheds in Dutchess County, including the: Hudson River Direct Drainage watershed, Wappinger Creek Watershed, Fishkill Creek Watershed, and Tenmile River Watershed.  In Northern Dutchess County, the Roeliff Janssen watershed also passes though Dutchess County before entering the Hudson River in Columbia County, while the Croton watershed originates in southern Dutchess County before flowing into Putnam and Westchester Counties. 

A watershed, also referred to as a drainage basin, is defined as all of the land area, divided by high ridges, that “sheds” water to a particular outlet, such as a stream, river, or other body of water.  As water flows downhill it moves over the land. Along the way, the water picks up many different particles and sediments that can have a negative effect on water quality, including eroded soil, excess fertilizers and pesticides, and motor oil.

By creating the new website, CCEDC and Vassar are hoping to educate the community and increase awareness of the importance of watershed protection.  Everyone lives in a watershed and everything we do on our property and in our communities can have a negative impact on the quantity and quality of the water that we all rely upon.  Since the majority of homeowners in Dutchess County rely on well water for their drinking water, it is critical that we all work to protect our water resources.

The project was funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation and the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the NYS DEC.  The dutchesswatersheds.org website was developed by Josh de Leeuw, using the Joomla! Content Management System; the beautiful graphic/web design was created by Debby van Dongen at www.Conk.nl. 

For more information, please visit the website at http://www.dutchesswatersheds.org, or contact the CCEDC Environment Program at 845.677.8223, or the Vassar College Environmental Research Institute at 845.437.7000.