Cornell Cooperative Extension

Dutchess County
Bog turtle

Bog turtle - endangered in NY state

Golden-winged warbler

Golden-winged warbler - species of special concern in NY state

Floodplain forest/wetland

Floodplain forests and wetlands are important habitat for wildlife

Indiana bat

The federally endangered Indiana bat

Jefferson salamander

Jefferson salamander

Biodiversity & Habitat

The Hudson River Valley and Dutchess County are blessed with extremely rich biodiversity, defined as the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or the entire Earth. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems. It is extremely important to protect our rich biodiversity, because it provides numerous benefits to humans and our environment, including maintaining clean and abundant drinking water supplies and healthy air quality, providing economic benefits of tourism and recreation, and improving our overall quality of life.

Last updated January 7, 2016

Natural Resources

Resources

There are many tools available to the public and municipal officials to protect biodiversity.

  • Hudsonia, Ltd.- Hudsonia provides biodiversity education, research and mapping. Hudsonia has completed town-wide habitat maps for nine towns in Dutchess County (Amenia, Beekman, East Fishkill, Hyde Park (northern section), Pine Plains, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Stanford, and Washington), and is working on habitat maps for Dover, Clinton, and Woodstock.