UPCOMING EVENTS
May is Schoharie Watershed Month!
Schoharie Watershed Month (SWM) is our annual, month-long celebration of the waterways that flow across the Schoharie Reservoir Basin, as well as the 315 square miles of land that feed them. We enthusiastically invite you to participate in this year’s SWM programs that will be offered throughout the month of May.
Schoharie Watershed Month 2024 offerings include:
- May 1 - May 31: The Schoharie Reservoir Watershed BioBlitz (more information below)
- Wednesdays: The Watershed Wednesdays Webinar Series (more information below)
- Saturday, May 4: The opening of the Flowing Impressions art show (more information below)
- Saturday, May 18: Schoharie Reservoir Paddling Adventure (more information coming soon)
- Saturday, May 25: The Mountain Top BioBlitz Celebration featuring a performance by Arm-of-the-Sea Theater (more information coming soon)
We hope you'll join us!
Have a great idea for an event? Send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!
All events are FREE and made possible through partnership between GCSWCD & DEP.
Schoharie Reservoir Watershed BioBlitz
Celebrate Schoharie Watershed Month with a biodiversity hunt across the Reservoir's drainage basin! Throughout the month of May, community members and visitors are welcome (and encouraged!) to log their biodiversity sightings into a community science project on the iNaturalist mobile app.
iNaturalist is an online network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. It's also a crowdsourced species identification system! You can use it to record your own observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect this kind of information for a common purpose, or access the observational data collected by iNaturalist users.
Click here to review and join the Schoharie Reservoir Watershed iNaturalist Project.
On Saturday, May 25th, the BioBlitz will culminate in a celebration at the Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville, NY. The day will feature walks and talks lead by local environmental professionals, a watershed craft station, and a performance by Arm-of-the-Sea Theater!
Watershed Wednesdays Webinar Series
Beginning on Wednesday, May 1, we have the return of our Watershed Wednesdays Webinar Series! We're very excited for the lineup and we hope to "see" many of you there.
- May 1, Session 1, A Brief History of Glacial Processes and Glacial Lakes in the Schoharie Watershed with Dr. Andrew Kozlowski
This talk focuses on the fascinating and complex glacial events that lead to the development of substantial glacial Lakes in the Schoharie Valley and Mohawk River Valleys at the end of the last Ice Age.
Dr. Andrew Kozlowski’s research focus utilizes geologic mapping of surficial deposits, primarily glacial in origin, to better understand the natural history and societal and land use issues. His work directing the geologic mapping program in the New York State Museum has focused on understanding sediment-landform relationships to address geologic hazards such as landslides, water quality & resources, and aggregate resources, etc.
Click here to register for Session 1!
- May 8, Session 2, Messy Rivers are Healthy Rivers: The Role of Spatial Heterogeneity in Sustaining River Ecosystems with Dr. Ellen Wohl
Perceptions of river health are strongly influenced by expectations regarding a natural river. Many observers expect clear water, a slightly sinuous river with pools and riffles, and some riparian trees. River health, however, is much more complicated and multifaceted. The physical appearance of a river, for example, depends strongly on geomorphic context and river history. Dr. Wohl uses mountainous headwater rivers in Colorado to examine the influence of physical complexity on river health. Complexity can be described with respect to the stream bed, banks, cross-sectional form, and planform of the river and floodplain. The configuration of each of these components of a riverine system has implications for habitat abundance and diversity, sensitivity and resilience of the river to natural and human-induced disturbances, retention of water, sediment and nutrients, and connectivity within the riverine system and between the river and adjacent uplands. Effective, sustainable river restoration involves (i) characterizing the magnitude of different forms of physical complexity naturally present in a particular river segment, (ii) understanding the effects of physical complexity on river ecosystem function, and (iii) assessing the degree to which this level of physical complexity can be restored or mimicked. An important part of this process may be education regarding the importance of physical complexity – messiness – in healthy rivers.
Dr. Ellen Wohl received a BS in geology from Arizona State University and a PhD in geosciences from the University of Arizona. She is a professor in the Department of Geosciences at Colorado State University and a University Distinguished Professor. Her research focuses on physical processes and forms in river channels and floodplains, and how these interact with biogeochemistry and ecological and human communities. She has conducted field research in diverse environments around the world.
Click here to register for Session 2!
- May 15, Session 3, Flood Watch NY: Documenting Local Floods Through Community Science with Jess Kuonen
Flood Watch NY is a statewide community science program for collecting and analyzing photos of floods and storm impacts through the MyCoast NY app and website. Photos are placed on a map, posted to a public website, and linked to environmental data from the closest weather station and river gauge. Come learn more about the program, how the photos are being used, how to get involved, and what we’ve learned from 2 years of data collection.
Jess Kuonen is an Extension Specialist for New York Sea Grant, serving the 10 counties that border the tidal Hudson River estuary. Jess develops and delivers programming for a variety of stakeholders related to coastal hazards, climate resilience, and overall environmental health.
Click here to register for Session 3!
- May 22, Session 4, Unraveling the Gordian Knotweed: Management of Japanese Knotweed in the Catskills with Dan Snider-Nerp
Japanese knotweed is exceedingly difficult to manage. In this presentation, Dan Snider-Nerp of the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP), will cover current best management practices, experimental methods, and the future of Japanese knotweed biocontrol. Knotweed is a common streamside and roadside invader that can reproduce from a tiny root fragment, which has led to its spread along many Catskill rivers and streams. Knotweed displaces native vegetation due to its aggressive growth and dense thickets. It lowers the quality of habitat for fish and wildlife and can contribute to streambank erosion.
Dan Snider-Nerp is the Terrestrial Invasive Species Manager at the CRISP. He has worked at CRISP managing priority invasive species for 9 years and is a licensed pesticide applicator.
Click here to register for Session 4!
- May 29, Session 5, Wetlands of the Catskills and NYC West-of Hudson Watershed: Ecology and Characteristics with Frank Parisio
In this wetlands talk, freshwater wetland ecologist, Frank Parisio, will share findings from his studies in and around the Schoharie Reservoir basin.
Frank Parisio is a lifelong naturalist and a professional freshwater wetland ecologist for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. His areas of research and monitoring have focused on wetland plant community diversity (particularly within the sedge genus Carex), amphibian health and breeding habitat usage, and wetland hydrology.
Click here to register for Session 5!
Flowing Impressions Show Opening, Saturday May 4
As a new addition to Schoharie Watershed Month, we are excited to have collaborated with The Main Street Community Center in Windham, the Mountain Top Library in Tannersville, and the Windham Arts Alliance to present an all-ages art show called Flowing Impressions.
For this show, we invited all – regardless of artistic background – to submit artwork inspired by the lands and waterways of the Schoharie Reservoir watershed. This event provided community members the opportunity to make art while exploring new locations, or focusing on their favorite natural space.
The art show features two openings – both on Saturday, May 4th:
- All youth artwork will be on display at the Mountain Top Library (6093 Main St. Tannersville, NY), and the opening event will be held 10:30AM to 1:30PM, coinciding with the Mountaintop Earth Day Celebration.
- All adult artwork will be on display at the Main Street Community Center (5494 State Route 23 Windham, NY). The opening event will be held from 1PM to 5PM and feature a Watershed geology talk by Robert and Johanna Titus at 2:30PM (registration is encouraged for this presentation, click here to register today). The presentation will be followed by music from local musician, Nick Spinetti.