Conservation and Land Use Webinars

The Hudson River Estuary Conservation and Land Use Team created this webinar training series to provide a foundation in conservation and land use planning for members of Hudson River estuary watershed conservation advisory councils/boards and environmental commissions, as well as members of planning and zoning boards, elected officials, and interested citizens. Participants will learn about biodiversity, conservation principles, best practices, and tools to identify and conserve important habitat and water resources within New York's home rule system.
Webinar attendees will receive an email confirming attendance, which may be submitted locally for municipal planning or zoning board training credit.
Note: Webinars are held using the WebEx platform. You can join a WebEx event from your computer, mobile device, or phone. Download the WebEx app (leaves DEC website). Get WebEx troubleshooting advice (leaves DEC website).
Upcoming Webinars:
Conserving Nature is Climate Smart
Register via Webex for webinar on April 25, 2023, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Nature is an integral part of climate solutions - but what does that mean for local governments? Natural areas store and sequester carbon, cool temperatures, and buffer storm surges and floods. New York's Climate Smart Communities Program supports local governments in adapting to climate change, building community resilience, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Participating communities benefit from free technical assistance and access to grants. This webinar will focus on climate smart actions related to land-use planning and protecting nature.
This webinar will cover:
- key roles natural areas play in climate resilience;
- an overview of the Climate Smart Communities Program;
- an introduction to climate smart actions for planning, zoning, and protection of natural areas; and
- a case study of climate smart conservation and land-use policy from the Town of New Paltz
Speakers:
Christine Vanderlan, Hudson River Estuary Program/Cornell
Ingrid Haeckel, Hudson River Estuary Program/Cornell
Eleanor Peck, Hudson Valley Regional Council
Neil Bettez, Town of New Paltz
Amanda Gotto, Town of New Paltz
Note: Webinars are held using the WebEx platform. You can join a WebEx event from your computer, mobile device, or phone. Download the WebEx app (leaves DEC website).
Past Webinar Recordings
Note: Use the WebEx Network Player Playback function to stream webinar recordings to your computer. It may take some time for the recording to open. All links to recordings in this section leave the DEC website. Presentation slides are available in PDF format upon request.
- Conservation Subdivision (March 16, 2023, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript
- Introduction to Hudson Valley Habitats and Biodiversity Conservation (March 2, 2023, webinar recording | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Amphibian Migrations & Road Crossings Project Volunteer Training (February 28, 2023 webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- The Culvert Connection: Reconnecting Our Streams (January 12, 2023, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Planning for Connected Natural Areas: Two Hudson Valley Plans (November 9, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- The New York Protected Areas Database: Mapping Conservation Lands and Uses in Municipal Planning (October 25, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Wetland and Watercourse Protection: Lessons from Three Hudson Valley Towns and Historic Changes to New York State Wetland Policy (September 14, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Habitat Assessment: A Tool for Conserving Biodiversity During Site Design (June 9, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF) | Model Habitat Assessment Guidelines (PDF) (leaves DEC website)
- Next Steps in New York's Climate Leadership: The Draft Scoping Plan (May 5, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Seeing the City for the Trees: Urban Tree Canopy Trends and Local Strategies (April 28, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Conservation Overlay Zoning (March 23, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Amphibian Migrations & Road Crossings Volunteer Training (February 22, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Vernal Pool Habitat Conservation (February 15, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Amphibian Migrations: Case Studies in Reducing Mortality at Road Crossings (February 1, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Introduction to Vernal Pools (January 25, 2022, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Plants and Animals of Conservation Concern: An Introduction to New York State Species Designations (January 20, 2022, webinar recording)
- Protecting Wildlife Habitat through Land Use Planning (December 7, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Headwater Streams: Values and Threats (November 3, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Headwater Streams: Mapping and Planning (November 10, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Headwater Streams: Protection (November 17, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Headwater Streams: A Virtual Field Trip in the New Paltz Mill Brook Preserve
- Online Tools for Conservation Planning in the Hudson Valley (July 20, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Scenic Resource Protection in the Hudson River Valley (June 15, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF) | Scenic Resource Protection Guide
- Wetlands: Values and Threats (May 5, 2021, webinar recording)
- Wetlands: Mapping, Identification, and Field Verification (May 12, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Wetlands: Regulatory Status and Local Protection Strategies (May 19, 2021, webinar recording) | Webinar transcript (PDF)
- Wetlands: A Virtual Field Trip in the New Paltz Mill Brook Preserve
- Model Local Laws to Increase Resilience (April 20, 2021) - webinar recording Part 1 (Intro to the Community Risk and Resiliency Act) | webinar recording Part 2 (Model Local Laws) | Model Local Laws Guidance (leaves DEC website)
- Critical Environmental Areas (Mach 23, 2021, webinar recording) | CEA Fact Sheet
- Open Space Inventories and Plans (February 23, 2021, webinar recording)
- Natural Resource Inventories (January 26, 2021, webinar recording)
- The Solar Mapping Tool: Supporting a Responsible Renewable Energy Future for the Hudson Valley (December 9, 2020, webinar recording)
- Streams 101 (July 23, 2020, webinar recording)
- Best Practices for Local Environmental Reviews (June 17, 2020, webinar recording)
- Hudson Valley Forest Condition Index (May 20, 2020, webinar recording) | Forest Project data and resources (leaves DEC website)
- Natural Heritage Important Areas (April 15, 2020 ,webinar recording) | Important Areas data and resources (leaves DEC website)
- Wetland Conservation (March 18, 2020 ,webinar recording)
- Stormwater Management (February 26, 2020, webinar recording)
- Biodiversity Conservation (November 20, 2019, webinar recording)
- Introduction to Habitats of the Hudson Valley (October 24, 2019, webinar recording)
- Conservation Advisory Councils and Boards (September 25, 2019, webinar recording) (leaves DEC website).