May 2025

WATERSHED DIGEST
monthly newsletter

Update from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance

Join us in celebration at the WaveMaker Awards Benefit!

Wednesday, June 11 from 6:00-8:30 pm

The Falcon, Marlboro, NY

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance will hold our annual celebration of the Watershed WaveMaker awardees and the outstanding efforts of all watershed volunteers on Wednesday, June 11 at the Falcon in Marlboro.


The WaveMaker Awards Benefit celebrates our WaveMaker awardees, the vast network of rivers and streams that flow to the Hudson River, and the communities that work to protect them. The benefit raises critical funds for the Hudson River Watershed Alliance to unite and empower communities to protect our shared waters.


The event starts at 6 pm, with live music, hot and cold appetizers, and opportunities to connect with attendees on the deck overlooking the waterfalls of the Lattintown Creek. Each ticket includes one complementary drink, with a cash bar to follow. The awards ceremony will run from 6:45-7:45 pm, and include a presentation of the Watershed WaveMaker awards and a panel discussion to learn insights from this year’s awardees. At 7:45 pm, we’ll have another set of live music and more time for conversations and connecting. The event features live music from the Broken Heartstrings Trio, who perform traditional and postmodern Django-style jazz manouche.


Tickets are now on sale!

More information about the event and registration here.

Congratulations to the 2025 Watershed WaveMakers!

2025 Watershed WaveMakers, from left to right:

Beth Roessler, John Gebhards, Groundwork Hudson Valley, and Kate Meierdiercks.

Each year, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance recognizes Watershed WaveMaker awardees from a variety of backgrounds to represent the diversity of successful watershed work in the region. This year, we’re honoring the work of:


Beth Roessler from the Hudson River Estuary Program: in recognition of Beth's leadership of the Trees for Tribs program to protect and restore healthy vegetated buffers along rivers and streams. Since 2011, Beth has led planting projects at 322 sites, working with almost 8,000 local volunteers to plant over 56,700 trees, shrubs, and live stakes along rivers and streams throughout the Hudson River estuary watershed.


John Gebhards from the Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance: in recognition of John's 30+ years of leadership to protect open space and clean water in Orange County and the Quassaick Creek watershed. As John steps down from his long-time role as Executive Director of the Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance, we recognize the significant impact that he has had, both locally and regionally.


Groundwork Hudson Valley from Yonkers: in recognition of Groundwork Hudson Valley's inspiring, community-centered work across all program areas, including improving the Saw Mill River watershed, supporting climate and flood resilience in Yonkers, developing youth leadership and career opportunities, and more.


Kate Meierdiercks from Siena College: in recognition of Kate's collaborative work to improve watershed science and coordination across the region, provide valuable opportunities for students, as well as her leadership as an outgoing Hudson River Watershed Alliance board member after over 9 years of volunteer service.

Celebrate with us at the WaveMaker Awards Benefit

Sponsor the WaveMaker Awards Benefit


This event is made possible through the generosity of our sponsors. Your sponsorship helps fund the program and enables more of our hard-working volunteers to attend and be recognized. More broadly, your support allows us to provide more direct assistance to watershed groups, convene communities to support flood resilience, develop innovative educational programming, and equip our new watershed workspace in Kingston.


More information on sponsorship opportunities is available on the slide deck here.

Sponsor the WaveMaker Awards Benefit

Thank you to Our Sponsors!


Watershed Sponsors

River Sponsors

Anne & Fred Osborn III / The EASTER Foundation

Gordon & Svenson LLP


Creek Sponsors

CDPHP

Delaware Engineering, DPC

Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, LLC

Riverkeeper

SLR Consulting

Strong Outcomes, LLC


Brook Sponsors

Adams Fairacre Farms

Common Ground Consulting, LLC

Hudson River Valley Greenway

Planning4Places, LLC

Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance

Wallkill River Watershed Alliance

Water Action Compliance Assistance and Planning

Breakfast Webinar: Does Policy Sink or Swim?

An Overview of Watershed Management Plans from Three US Regions

Thursday, May 8, 8:30-9:30 am | Register online here

Join the Hudson River Watershed Alliance and Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy (CEP) graduate students for the May Breakfast Webinar showcasing successful watershed projects from across the United States, with a focus on the Northwest, Northeast, and Great Lakes regions.


The graduate students will share their research of innovative strategies and best practices from communities. As part of their "Politics of Solutions" course, they interviewed stakeholders from these three regions and compiled lessons learned.


Key takeaways from across the regions will include approaches for new and classic watershed issues such as water pollution, flooding, drought, and recreation. The presenters will share insights and updates into project funding, community partnerships, policy initiatives, and governance styles.


This program is supported by funding from the Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, in cooperation with NEIWPCC.

Recording Available: Lessons Learned from Community-Led Efforts to Improve Climate Resilience in the Bronx River Watershed

A recording of the breakfast webinar from April 10 is available on the Hudson River Watershed Alliance's YouTube channel here. Christian Murphy, Ecology & Education Manager from the Bronx River Alliance, presented on the recently updated Bronx River Intermunicipal Watershed Management Plan, which will serve as a guidebook for the next ten years of projects and plans for the Bronx River corridor.


Since the first watershed plan was published in 2010, the Bronx River watershed began suffering the impacts of climate change more frequently and with greater severity. The Bronx River Alliance convened a diverse group of stakeholders from along the full 23.5 mile length of the Bronx River. Their input was used to distill the major concerns and top priorities, and culminated in a list of priority actions to address climate risks and restoration opportunities in the most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities along the Bronx River.

This program is supported by funding from the Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, in cooperation with NEIWPCC.

Watershed Group Capacity-Building Technical Assistance

Participants in th Wallkill River Watershed Alliance's visioning session.

This spring, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance is excited to be working one-on-one with four watershed groups to support stronger, more sustainable organizations. With support from the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, this new technical assistance program provides tailored support to help watershed groups grow and succeed.


Work is currently underway with our cohort of watershed groups:

 

With facilitation from Shadbush Consulting and Strong Outcomes, each group has reviewed elements of organizational development and participated in a visioning session. The final product of this process will be a strategic workplan for each watershed group, which will outline key actions for the next 2 years.


By strengthening internal structures, improving capacity, and planning for the future, watershed groups will be better positioned to protect and restore their local waters. More information on the program is available on our website.

Visioning sessions with Fall Kill Watershed Coalition (left)) and Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance (right)

This program is supported by funding from the Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, in cooperation with NEIWPCC.

Opportunities

GRANTS & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:


DOC NOAA Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities

Deadline: May 12

More information

This funding supports opportunities for tribes, and/or tribal entities, and underserved communities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities. Funding will prioritize capacity building, meaningful engagement, and restoration project activities that enhance resilience of tribes, tribal entities, and underserved communities and have the greatest potential to lead to habitat restoration in coastal, estuarine, marine, and Great Lakes areas. 


Funding Futures: Together We Decide

Deadline: May 23

More information

Partners for Climate Action will train four Funding Futures Fellows on how to work with their communities to set ecological goals and find funding for them. Grants of up to $22,000 are available to cover costs of staffing, events, and communications.


Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

Deadline: Rolling through May 30, 2025

More information

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund provides New York State eligible applicants financial assistance for planning, design, and construction of eligible projects including projects for publicly owned treatment works, stormwater/non-point source projects, construction, repair, or replacement of decentralized wastewater treatment systems that treat municipal wastewater or domestic sewage, or emerging contaminates.


Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)

Deadline: Rolling through May 30, 2025

More information

The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund provides New York State eligible applicants financial assistance for eligible projects including investments to upgrade or replace infrastructure addressing noncompliance with federal or state health standards, prevent future violations of such standards, and provide the public with safe drinking water.


Resilient Watershed Grant Program

Deadline: June 6

More information

The Resilient Watersheds Grant (RWG) program is a competitive, statewide grant program open to local governments, Indian Nations, County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, State agencies, and not-for-profit corporations. The overall goal of the RWG program is to implement projects that build community resilience to extreme weather events, promote flood risk and ice jam reduction and/or restoration, enhance flood and climate resilience, implement natural and nature-based feature construction, or ecologically sustainable projects while supporting healthy riparian habitats.


Coastal Rehabilitation and Resilience Projects Program

Deadline: June 6

More information

$20 million will be made available through the Department of State (DOS) for coastal communities. The program prioritizes projects using nature-based solutions to enhance community resilience while also delivering environmental, economic and social benefits. There are three main project categories: habitat/ecosystem resiliency and restoration, climate resiliency and risk reduction, and stormwater management.


Inland Flooding and Local Waterfront Revitalization Implementation Projects Program

Deadline: June 6

More information

$15 million will be made available through DOS for implementation projects that improve waterfront and watershed resiliency and reduce climate impacts, particularly flooding. Projects should address restoration and flood risk reduction which implement a complete or substantially complete Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), or a complete or substantially complete relevant LWRP Component (including a watershed management plan funded by Department of State).


Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund

Deadline: June 26

More information

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals for the Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund (NFRF) to restore and sustain healthy rivers, forests and grasslands that provide habitat for diverse fish and wildlife populations. The program will advance this goal by investing in projects that restore the quality and connectivity of stream and riparian habitats, improve management of forest blocks to enhance age and structural diversity, and promote hayfield management that allows for successful grassland bird breeding.


Acres for America

Deadline: May 20

More information

Acres for America is the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) premier land conservation program and was established to provide urgently needed funding for projects that conserve important large-scale habitats for fish, wildlife, and plants through voluntary land acquisitions and perpetual conservation easements. This Request for Proposals (RFP) will collect pre-proposals from around the nation, from which NFWF will select a small number of applicants to submit a more detailed full proposal.


Fordham University’s Flourishing in Community initiative

Deadline: June 30

More information

The FIC Grantmaker offers funding, technical support, capacity development, programs, and research opportunities to projects led by community organizations, nonprofits, and other entities championing environmental justice initiatives in New York.


Green Resiliency Grant

Deadline: August 16 More information

This is a competitive grant program designed to support flood-prone communities in implementing transformative green infrastructure projects that combat the effects of extreme weather.


Septic System Replacement Fund

Deadline: Rolling; county dependent

More information

This program provides funds to counties to help homeowners replace cesspools and septic systems that are adversely impacting designated water bodies. Eligible projects include replacement of a cesspool with a septic system, installation, replacement, or upgrade of a septic system, or installation of enhanced treatment technologies.


Source Water Buffer Program

Deadline: Rolling

More information

Approximately $5M was made available to support the purchase of conservation easements and the implementation of buffer systems to protect the water quality of NYS’s aquifers, watersheds, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and streams.


Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program

Deadline: Rolling

More information

EPA announced $6.5B in New Funding Available for Water Infrastructure Projects and released notices of funding availability for the agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program and the State Infrastructure Financing Authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) Program. Letters of interest will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are expended.


FY 2023 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program

Deadline: Rolling

More information

Through this Disaster Supplemental Program, EDA will award investments in regions experiencing severe economic distress or other economic harm resulting from Hurricanes Ian and Fiona, and of wildfires, flooding, and other natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2021 and 2022.

JOB POSTINGS


DEC: Aquatic Biologist (Albany, NY)

More information


DEC: Assistant Land Surveyor (New Paltz, NY)

More information


DEC: Assistant Engineer Water (Albany, NY)

More information


DEC: Biologist Fish and Wildlife (Albany, NY)

More information


Hudson Taconic Lands: Forest Conservation Corps Lead Staff (NY - hybrid)

More information


Hudson Valley Regional Council: Resilience and Adaptation Coordinator (Newburgh, NY)

More information


Riverkeeper: Senior Director - Development (Ossining, NY - hybrid)

More information


SWIM Coalition: Program Manager (New York, NY - hybrid)

More information

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance unites and empowers communities to protect our shared waters.

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