In this Issue: Staying Busy in January; Pick Your Favorite Ashokan Rail Trail Photo; Join WPP for Tea; New Environmental Laws; Appreciating Winterberries; and Volunteer of the Month

Starting Out Strong with Multiple Events

Have Your Registered for these Programs?

"Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time."

- Edwin Percy Whipple, American literary critic

Have you read Drinkable Rivers: How the River Became My Teacher? The first of two virtual discussions of this year's Conversations in Conservation book selection will be Jan. 22. Grab a copy of the book from The Golden Notebook, the Woodstock Library or a friend and register to be a part of the discussion.

Drinkable Rivers follows author Li An Phoa to Canada on a canoe trip, where she is thrilled to learn the river water is so clean she can scoop it up and drink it. Only three years later, however, she returned to learn the Rupert River had been contaminated by mining. The fish, wildlife and humans who depended on the clean water were now suffering from its toxicity.

Li An's experience drinking directly from the river led her on a global journey across four continents to learn what is lost when the rivers can no longer sustain us and what it would take to make them healthy again. She introduces her readers to people who live along the waterways, researchers who are testing the water and travelers like herself who are creating lasting relationships with water.

Can we drink directly from our own watershed? What would it take to clean up the local waterways in order to do so? Let's learn together Jan. 22.

After chatting about Li An's experience and how it relates to the Sawkill and the Hudson, join us for a free screening of "Our Blue World" Jan. 26. It's the first event in the 2026 Film & Discussion Series, co-sponsored by WLC, Woodstock NY Transition and the Woodstock Jewish Congregation. Click here to get all the details and register if you want to join virtually.

If you'd like to see what other events WLC has scheduled for January and February, click here to visit our Programs & Events webpage. We can't wait to see you at one or more of our offerings. Invite your friends, and let's start the year by spending time together.

There's Still Time to Submit Art of the ART

Enter the Happy Trails Photo Contest

In celebration of the sixth anniversary of the Ashokan Rail Trail (ART), we are inviting you — our community of walkers, joggers, birdwatchers, outdoor-meeting-takers, native-plant-lovers, cross-country-skiers, cyclists, insect identifiers, stewards, weekenders and neighbors — to help us show our common love for the ART with your art!  

We can’t wait to see all the gorgeous images you’ve captured on your trail adventures and look forward to celebrating all the ways the ART enriches our community. The Happy Trails Photo Contest ends Jan. 31, so start looking through your favorite photos. 

Please upload your submission by clicking the button below. One submission per category. Need more information? Click here for all the details. 

The contest is organized by WLC and KAT in partnership with the CPW.

Woodstock Pollinator Pathway Invites You to Tea

Free Afternoon Event, Jan. 18

The Woodstock Pollinator Pathway team is calling all pollinator lovers, garden dreamers and curious neighbors of Woodstock to join together for a cozy afternoon of tea as WPP kicks off the new year.

Team members will share what’s blooming for 2026, sip something warm and explore ways you can get involved that fit your interests and energy.

Whether you’re new to pollinator gardening or deeply rooted, there’s a place for you. The tea is this Sunday (Jan. 18) from 1-3 p.m. Share the joy in the gentle, radical act of making our community more pollinator friendly. Please RSVP by clicking here.

WLC is a proud partner of the WPP.

New Laws Protect New York's Environment

More Protections Proposed in Legislature

New environmental protections that were passed in last year's legislative session took affect Jan. 1, and the state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) posted an update to remind businesses, organizations and individuals about the new rules.

“New York State’s efforts to reduce polystyrene foam and single-use plastics continue to be success stories for preventing plastic pollution and improving recycling,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton was quoted as saying on the department's website. “Expansion of these restrictions will further benefit New York State residents and the environment and will encourage a switch to container and packaging options that are reusable, recyclable and compostable.” 

New York extended its ban on polystyrene foam. "No covered food service provider, manufacture or store will be allowed to sell, offer for sale or distribute expanded polystyrene foam containers ... that are not wholly encapsulated or encased within a more durable container, and are designed or intended to be used for cold storage, including, but not limited to, coolers and ice chests," the DEC website noted. "New York State’s foam ban prohibiting the sale or distribution of polystyrene foam disposable food service containers — including cups, bowls, plates and trays — as well as polystyrene foam packing peanuts has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2022."

The state also expanded its existing ban on personal care products in plastic bottles to small hotels, motels, boarding houses and apartment hotels with fewer than 50 rooms. "The new provision will prohibit these entities from providing any small plastic bottle containing less than 12 ounces of a hospitality personal care product," the website explained. "A hospitality personal care product is any product intended to be used on the human body for cleansing, conditioning or moisturizing."

Following Governor Kathy Hochul's State of the State address yesterday, there will be renewed interest in legislative and budgetary protections for the environment. Several bills that have been introduced in previous sessions will be reintroduced, including the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Better Bottle Bill.

Winterberries Provide Critical Food Source

Late-Season Shrub Feeds Birds, Small Mammals

Geologist and science communicator Becky Nesel was born and raised in the Hudson Valley, leaving only to attend SUNY Oswego for her degree. She uses that expertise to educate others about the geological treasures in the area, and WLC is thrilled she uses that expertise when she volunteers with us.

Becky is a big fan of Snake Rocks Preserve, having recently made an Instagram video extolling its unique features. "I think it's so interesting how an abandoned quarry can be so full of biodiversity while also preserving its historical human past of bluestone quarrying in the area," she said. "I think a lot of people don't realize that abandoned places can be biodiversity hotspots, especially if they're taken care of and preserved by wonderful organizations like WLC." 

Becky is particularly interested in geoconservation, the concept that explains how the bedrock in a given area sets up the conditions for the habitat above the soil. It's an example of the interconnectedness of science and how observing those connections can help us think about conservation in a new light.

"A lot of us grew up learning subjects in school as silos separated from each other: biology, chemistry, earth science, physics," Becky noted. "But, in reality, everything in nature is interconnected, with nothing existing on its own. Once you start to look for these connections, it becomes impossible not to see them everywhere you look."

It's impossible for us not to see how much we appreciate Becky's perspectives, her love of the outdoors and her ability to share our work with a new audience through her exemplary educational videos. We're pleased Becky Nesel is our Volunteer of the Month.

If you'd like to volunteer with WLC, please email us here for more information.

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