Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month
June 27, 2010 by admin
The ‘watershed spirit’ cut the ribbon at Friday’s Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month kick-off event at the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. Members of the Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor of the City of Poughkeepsie, and various councilmen from the City of Poughkeepsie were also in attendance.
July is Watershed Awareness Month and the Dutchess Watershed Coalition, in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension and several other local environmental organizations, has organized over 40 events including creek clean-ups, film screenings, history walks, birding walks, rain barrel building workshops, and science workshops. All of these activities are aimed at increasing public awareness of watershed issues.
What is a watershed?
Watersheds are tracts of land in which all of the water that falls onto the land (i.e. rain, sleet, snow, etc.) drains into a single outlet, often a stream or river. A healthy watershed provides recreational opportunities and critical ecosystem services, including reducing the intensity of floods, recharging groundwater aquifers (which provide water for groundwells), and supporting biodiversity. Everyone lives in a watershed and the actions we take on land impact the water quality of our streams, rivers, and lakes. To learn more about watersheds in Dutchess County, and to find out which watershed you live in, please visit http://www.dutchesswatersheds.org.
There will be several Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month events in Poughkeepsie to celebrate the Fall Kill and Casperkill watersheds:
– Thurs., July 1, 7:00 pm. Film screening of “the Lorax” and “Swim for the River” at the Children’s Media Project (20 Academy St., Poughkeepsie).
– Tues., July 13, 4:00 pm. A walk along the Fall Kill to the Walkway over the Hudson with City Assistant Engineer Joe Cheiner and local historian Harvey Flad. Meet at the corner of Washington St. and Brookside Ave., Poughkeepsie.
– Thurs., July 15, 7:30 pm. Film screening of “Flow” and selections from “A Journey in the History of Water” at Café Bocca, 14 Mt. Carmel Place, Poughkeepsie.
– Fri., July 16, 5:30 pm. A walk and discussion with archaeologist Lucy Johnson about the Native American presence in the region and the importance of tributaries and springs. Meet at Maple Grove Historic Site, 24 Beechwood Ave., Poughkeepsie.
– Sat, July, 8:00 am. Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club Walk at Vassar College Farm and Ecological Preserve.
– Sat, July 17, 1:00 pm. Rain Barrel Building Workshop at the Fall Kill Partnership Gardens (29 North Hamilton St., Poughkeepsie). Rain barrels capture runoff from rooftops during storms to use later to water your lawn or garden. There is a $15 fee and spaces are limited—if you are interested contact Vicky Buono at vcb4@cornell.edu or (845) 677-8223 x153
– Any time in July. Adopt-a-spot! Organize a clean-up in your neighborhood. Creeks, parks, parking lots, and schools are all good spots to adopt. Contact Stephanie Cabey at Stephanie.Cabey1@marist.edu if you are interested, and she will provide you with cleaning supplies and Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month t-shirts.
– TBA. Oral History of the Casperkill night at Vassar College. A walk with the Oral History of the Casperkill team to discuss the history of the Casperkill watershed.
For a full list of events, check out the Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month website: http://dutchesswam.com.