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The Hudson River Estuary Program Biodiversity Outreach And Technical Assistance Program

Planning with Nature in Mind

dragonfly
The white-faced dragonfly is commonly found around ponds throughout the Hudson Valley.

Open space and wildlife habitat in the Hudson Valley is being consumed at a much faster pace than the population is growing. This is placing increasing pressure on the plants and animals that live here. By guiding development patterns now, towns can conserve the sensitive wildlife habitats that support the Valley's plants, animals and unique places. At the same time, they can realize the many benefits of planning with nature.

Local land use decision-makers have an essential role in protecting our natural heritage for future generations, but they may not have the information and tools they need to do so. Recognizing this need, the Hudson River Estuary Program sponsors three programs that provide Hudson Valley communities with science-based information, land use tools, and technical assistance for biodiversity conservation. Assistance is available to all towns, cities, and villages in the counties that border the Hudson from Troy to New York City.

DEC works with its partners to help communities protect the Valley's natural resources. Each of the partners listed below uses a science-based approach to conservation:

Metropolitan Conservation Alliance - A Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society
The WCS/MCA partnership works to develop tools to conserve biodiversity as part of the local land use planning process. They work closely with communities to apply those tools locally.

Hudsonia, Ltd.
Hudsonia works with local agencies to collect new habitat information and develop skills in biodiversity assessment and habitat mapping. Both 10-month and three-day training is based on the Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor.

New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University
DEC's partnership with Cornell helps towns understand and make use of existing biological information for land use planning to conserve sensitive habitats.

What Your Community Can Do to Protect Nature

Turtle
The Hudson River Valley has 12 species
of native turtles, ranking in the top five
of river drainages worldwide. Bog turtles
are the rarest turtle in our area. Though
many federal and state programs help
this turtle, local government action is
key to its survival.

By planning for better growth, Hudson Valley communities can support nature conservation. DEC's partners in outreach can help you find natural resources information for your area, train you to create new information, and help you find tools to protect those resources that work in your particular community.

Communities can support conservation with slight modifications to on-going land use planning efforts. For example, many Hudson Valley communities are updating their comprehensive plans (also called master plans). Because these plans are the basis for future land use planning decisions, it is an ideal time to address the importance of nature in your community, include specific biological information, and recommend actions the community can take to conserve nature for future generations. Nature can also be considered in an open space plan or wetland and waterbody ordinance.

Fact Sheets and Publications to Get You Started

Several fact sheets and publications are available from the Estuary Program and its partners. For more information about any of the resources listed below or to obtain a hard copy, please contact the Hudson River Estuary Program Biodiversity Outreach Coordinator.

From the Hudson River Estuary Program

  • Basics of Land Use Practice
  • Ground Rules: Answers to Common Smart Growth Questions
  • Local Environmental Strategies
  • Local Environmental Ordinances
  • Environmental Review of Land Use Projects
  • Intermunicipal Land Use Cooperation

    From Hudsonia, Ltd.

    In 2001, DEC published the Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor with Hudsonia, Ltd, one of our partners in outreach. The Manual is the basis for 3-day and 10-month trainings we offer and is available for purchase from Hudsonia at 845-876-7200.

    From the Wildlife Conservation Society's Metropolitan Conservation Alliance

    Presentations and Workshops for Your Community

    Estuary Program biodiversity outreach partners regularly give presentations to communities throughout the Hudson River Estuary Watershed. Those listed below can be given on relatively short notice. Custom presentations can be developed to meet your community's needs.

    • Nature in your comprehensive plan: roadmap to your community's future
      This presentation covers some of the basics of incorporating natural resources into your comprehensive plan. 15 minutes
    • Biodiversity and land use in New York's Hudson River Valley
      A general presentation that covers basic biodiversity concepts, why it is threatened in the Hudson Valley and what communities can do to conserve it. 20 minutes.
    • What is biodiversity assessment training?
      A presentation by Hudsonia, Ltd that covers the basics of Biodiversity Assessment for communities interested in 10 month training. 30 minutes.
    • Biodiversity assessment short course
      A condensed version of the 10-month training normally offered by Hudsonia, Ltd. Over three days, you will learn the basics of map assessment and field checking. The skills can be applied to your own community. Offered twice a year.
    • The Wildlife Conservation Society/Metropolitan Conservation Alliance will be offering a variety of workshops starting in 2004. Past offerings included: tools for protecting biodiversity at the local level, vernal pool assessment, management, and protection, impacts of stormwater on biodiversity and strategies to avoid those impacts, and the focal species approach: using more than threatened and endangered species for land use planning.