Land and Water Stewardship
Land and Water Stewardship Solutions
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According to Cornell Cooperative Extension, there are more than 2.8 million acres of home lawns in New York State. By transitioning these to more low impact lawns, we can conserve water, reduce runoff and encourage greater biodiversity in our neighborhoods.
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According to the DEC, watershed planning focuses on the relationship between land use and land cover, the movement and storage of water, and water quality. Many water quality problems are best addressed on a watershed basis, especially where watersheds cross political boundaries and involve more than one community.
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Wastewater is often dumped down the drain, never to be used again. However there are many mechanisms that are able to purify wastewater for non-potable use.
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By focusing on community-based participation, placemaking seeks to improve and cultivate local assets, and results in the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people's health, happiness, and well being.
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Green infrastructure includes the creation of low-impact landscape and design strategies that manage stormwater, runoff and floods — while also providing benefits such as cooling and visual appeal.
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The social and relational, and the role of public spaces in building neighborhood scale resilience. While public agencies properly concentrate on major areas of environmental risk like shorelines and floodplains, there is an urgent need to help communities plan to withstand climate stresses including storms, floods and heat waves.
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Water supply is affected by many factors such as infrastructure, water sources, purification systems, and crate of consumption.
Regional Strategy: Invigorate the movement for smart growth and regenerative land use by local governments, institutions, and property owners at all scales by raising up demonstration projects, articulating multiple benefits, demonstrating the costs and disadvantages of sprawl, educating and activating a new generation of advocates. Coordinate regional watershed and water quality/ conservation planning interests to infuse climate considerations into the management of water resources including watershed planning, water resource conservation and efficiency, wastewater treatment and flood management.
Who Cares? A Partial List of Stakeholders:
Hudson to Housatonic Partnership
Native Plant Network c/o Hilltop Hanover Farm
https://www.hilltophanoverfarm.org
NY Department of State, Local Waterfront Revitalization Program
https://dos.ny.gov/2022-2023-local-waterfront-revitalization-program
New York Land Trust Atlas
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=25a45f5272de4cdf8e4f9c3d3eef60f1
New York Planning Federation
Planting Westchester
https://www.plantingwestchester.org
Scenic Hudson
Northeast Carbon Alliance
https://www.northeastcarbonalliance.org/
Hudson River Valley Greenway
https://hudsongreenway.ny.gov/
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Hudson River Watershed Alliance
https://www.hudsonwatershed.org
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Estuary Program
https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html
New York Water Environment Association
Riverkeeper
Rockland Water Coalition