Program Goals

The overall goal of the CSBI is to inform and assist landowners in better stewardship of their riparian (streamside) areas through protection, enhancement, management, or restoration. DEP and Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District will assist private, riparian landowners throughout the Schoharie watershed by providing:

1) Riparian Corridor Management Plans to create awareness about riparian management issues specific to individual properties.

2) Best management practice design and/or prescriptive measures and installation to encourage positive riparian stewardship.

3) Educational materials and activities as needed by landowners to understand the critical role of their buffer and how to maintain it in optimal functioning condition.

 Before: Taken in early spring of 2012, the above photo shows a future CSBI planting site in the Schoharie watershed.

CSBI Accomplishments in the Schoharie Basin

Since the inception of the CSBI in 2009, there have been numerous landowner CSBI plantings in the Schoharie Basin.

 After: Taken in summer 2017, the above photo shows the same site five years after a planting from the CSBI program.

Program Eligibility

Any watershed landowner with property within a riparian buffer area can receive technical assistance and a Riparian Corridor Management Plan. Landowners should contact Laura Weyeneth, the Schoharie Basin CSBI Coordinator, to find out if they own property within the riparian area and to schedule a site visit. Upon completion of a Plan, the landowner is eligible to apply to the CSBI for funding to implement plan recommendations.

Program Documents

• CSBI brochure
• CSBI program guidelines
• CSBI application materials

Application Procedures and Participation Requirements

Applications are available here and at the GCSWCD office in Cairo. For assistance with the application, or general information about the program or participation requirements, please contact Laura Weyeneth, the Schoharie Basin CSBI Coordinator, by e-mail (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or phone (518-622-3620).

CSBI Partner Organizations

The CSBI is led by a core team of six CSBI Coordinators– five working from County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices in the West of Hudson Watershed, and led by one overall program manager from DEP in Kingston, New York. The CSBI is a functional unit of the DEP Stream Management Program (SMP), and as such the six coordinators will be supported by technical teams established through the SMP at each SWCD as part of their contracts to implement stream management plans. Please contact your local CSBI Coordinator to discuss your riparian project: