Hudson RiverNet
News from the Hudson River Estuary Program

In This Issue:

• Protecting Water Quality and Aiding Climate Smart Certification in Gardiner
• Protecting Drinking Water for Disadvantaged Communities
• Disadvantaged Communities Criteria for New York State

DEC's Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs (TFT) works with communities and landowners to protect and restore streamside buffers. Recently, two large plantings helped protect source water for drinking in the Town of Newburgh and helped improve water quality on the Wallkill River, an impaired water body, in the Town of Gardiner.

Protecting Water Quality and Aiding Climate Smart Certification in Gardiner

Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs (TFT) is helping local partners from Climate Smart Gardiner and the Gardiner Trail Alliance plant native trees and shrubs along the Wallkill River in Riverbend Park. Last spring, volunteers planted 300 native trees and shrubs along the river. Two weeks ago, 50 volunteers planted an additional 370 tree and shrub seedlings, more than doubling the vegetated area to approximately 1.7 acres in the floodplain. The project has multiple benefits. Already, Gardiner has received 4 points toward their Climate Smart Communities Certification by completing the action to “revegetate a riparian buffer”. The trees also will provide shade and diverse native plants along newly established walking and biking trails in the park. Streamside plantings help reduce erosion, provide habitat for wildlife, and protect and improve water quality. This is particularly important on rivers such as the Wallkill which is listed as an impaired waterbody.

[Credit for the Drone photo of the Gardiner planting at the end of this bulletin goes to Laszlo Andacs.]

Protecting Drinking Water for Disadvantaged Communities in Newburgh

Trees for Tribs teamed up with the Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance to help protect drinking water supplies in the Town of Newburgh. On May 22, community volunteers planted 140 seedlings along the Quassaick Creek. These native trees and shrubs will intercept pollutants that would otherwise wind up in the Chadwick Lake Reservoir, which is the source of drinking water for several disadvantaged and environmental justice (EJ) communities in the town.

Disadvantaged Communities Criteria for New York State

New York’s Climate Act recognizes that climate change does not affect all communities equally. The Climate Justice Working Group has developed draft disadvantaged communities criteria to ensure vulnerable and historically underserved communities benefit from the state’s historic transition to cleaner, greener sources of energy, reduced pollution and cleaner air, and economic opportunities. To learn more, including dates of upcoming public hearings on the draft criteria used to identify disadvantaged communities, visit the Climate Act website. The public comment period ends July 7, 2022.