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NATURAL RESOURCES
Depending on how we use them, natural resources can include soil, water,
flora and fauna and we continue to work to preserve the natural resources of the
Hudson Highlands.
Below are some useful reports and maps that begin to identify natural
resources throughout the Hudson Highlands.
REPORTS
Philipstown Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan is the product of a four-year process in which the residents of Philipstown came together to agree upon a common vision for their future, and the Comprehensive Plan Special Board shaped that vision into this action-oriented document.
Visit the *new* Town website at www.Philipstown.com
Natural Resources Committee Scoping Document
Water Quality in the Hudson River Basin New York and Adjacent States
1992-95 US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey - Circular 1165.
In the summer of 2004, the Hudson Highlands Land Trust worked with volunteers from the community to complete habitat assessments along select stream segments in Philipstown. The assessment focused on the physical and biological characteristics of 4 major streams in Philipstown; Foundry Brook, Indian Brook, Philipse Brook and Clove Creek. The analysis was designed take a “snapshot” of the current conditions. This baseline information can be used to track future changes and measure the impacts of those changes.
State of the Tributaries, Tidal Influenced Portions of Three Tributaries Philipstown NY
This document provides an overview of the tidal areas of three tributaries on the east shore of the Hudson River in Putnam County, New York. The mouths of Hudson River tributaries are poorly understood habitats, but to observers they are the interface of the animals of freshwater and those of the estuary and are active areas where birds feed and fishes spawn. They can include habitats for rare plants, fish and invertebrates, and are very important for migratory fish spawning. Threats to these rich habitats include dams that block fish passage and urbanization (Schmidt, 1996). Much of the area has been designated by the New York State Department of State as a Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat and a Scenic Area of Statewide Significance.
This document provides an overview of two Hudson River tributaries that serve as a drinking water source for thousands of residents - Peekskill Hollow Brook and Foundry Brook. The Peekskill Hollow Brook contributes to the drinking water supply for the City of Peekskill and Foundry Brook is the drinking water supply for residents in the Villages of Nelsonville and Cold Spring. The analysis was designed take a “snapshot” of the current physical, chemicals and biological conditions of Peekskill Hollow Brook and Foundry Brook. This baseline information can be used to track and measure the impacts of future changes.
Since 1972 the Stream Biomonitoring Unit has been using benthic macroinvertebrate communities to monitor and assess water quality in New York State streams . The 20th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and of the Stream Biomonitoring Unit in 1992 provided the impetus for the first examination of temporal water quality trends in New York State. “20 Year Trends in Water Quality of Rivers and Streams in New York State based on Macroinvertebrate Data”, published in 1993, provided a comprehensive summary of findings on rivers and streams of New York State and examined temporal trends in water quality from 1972 to 1992. The present effort, a companion to the 1993 report, follows up on that document and examines water quality trends in the State from 1992-2002.
Biodiversity Assessment of the North Highlands
Completed in 2003, the report is collaboration between the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Philipstown Comprehensive Plan Board and the Putnam County Soil and Water District.
Putnam County Groundwater Protection and Utilization Plan
This investigation, prepared by the Chazan Companies for the Putnam County Legislature focuses primarily on available quantities of groundwater throughout the County..
Highlands Regional Study Report
The New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Assessment Update addresses the implications of continued land use change for natural resources of the Highlands. The Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis (CRSSA) at Rutger's University focused on the assessment of land use/land cover change; forest and watershed integrity; hydrologic systems; biodiversity; recreation and open space; population trends and projected growth. Investigators utilized and integrated digital geo-spatial technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing for these applications.
The NY Natural Heritage Program is a partnership between the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and The Nature Conservancy. Their mission is to enable and enhance conservation of rare animals, rare plants, and significant natural communities (which are basically different types of forests, wetlands, grasslands, etc.) and is accomplished by combining thorough field inventories, scientific analyses, expert interpretation, and the most comprehensive database on New York's distinctive biodiversity to deliver the highest quality information for natural resource planning, protection, and management.
Hudson River Estuary Action Plan
The heart of the Hudson River Estuary Program is the Hudson River Estuary Action Plan, a set of twenty commitments intended to protect and conserve the estuary's natural resources and ecosystem health, clean up pollution and other impairments, and promote public use and enjoyment of the river. Since its release by Governor George Pataki in May 1996, the Action Plan has been the blueprint for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's [DEC] management of the estuary
New York's Open Space Conservation Plan serves as the blueprint for the State's land conservation efforts, which during the past several years, has conserved more than 394,000 acres of land across the State with an investment of $378 million in Environmental Protection Fund and Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act funds
The Hudson River Valley Greenway is an innovative state sponsored program created to facilitate the development of a voluntary regional strategy for preserving scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources while encouraging compatible economic development and maintaining the tradition of home rule for land use decision-making.
NATURAL RESOURCE MAPS
Water/Public Health
Surface and Groundwater Resources
Biodiversity
Community Character
Scenic Ares of Statewide Significance
