Upper Delaware River (UDR) Network Newsletter

Hello!

It’s been a beautiful fall season in the Upper Delaware Region, and it reminds us of the special place we live in and the importance of the work we all do to protect and restore our watershed.

The Upper Delaware River on a beautiful fall day.

Thank you to everybody who attended the first annual Upper Delaware River (UDR) Rendezvous at the Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, NY.

The Rendezvous successfully brought together numerous New York based non-profit organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, elected officials, and watershed residents, all of whom are engaged in some aspect of watershed protection.

FUDR’s Executive Director Jeff Skelding giving the opening speech at the 2024 UDR Rendezvous.

Rendezvous participants learned about: 

-Important work to advance our scientific knowledge about the watershed on issues like water quality, habitat protection, and wildlife.

-Funding programs available to municipalities, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations that can help support their work to protect public health, improve water quality and habitat conditions, and build climate resilient communities.

-Federal and state policy issues that have a direct impact on the ability of watershed practitioners to secure resources and maximize their effectiveness.

- The importance of understanding and considering how diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion issues are factors in everybody’s work to protect the Upper Delaware River.

A group of attendees listening to a breakout session presentation at the 2024 UDR Rendezvous.

Watershed protection requires diverse partnerships, meaningful collaboration, and energetic unity to ensure clean water, safe and resilient communities, and strong local economies. The Rendezvous created a new watershed wide gathering place for expanded networking opportunities, an incubator for innovative ideas and strategies, and the seeds of a new collaborative spirit that we hope will continue to grow!

If you weren’t able to attend the Rendezvous, you can access presentations and plenary sessions at the following link: https://www.udrwatershed.org/2024-rendezvous

A group of attendees learning how to fly fish on one of the field trips after the 2024 UDR Rendezvous.

Featured Watershed Partner - Delaware Highlands Conservancy

In this edition, we are featuring one of our most effective watershed partners, The Delaware Highlands Conservancy (DHC).

Their work to identify places in the landscape that deserve special protection and to skillfully navigate often complex relationships and procedures is both admirable and essential. Thank you DHC for everything you do to protect this very special watershed!

The Delaware Highlands Conservancy logo.

“The Delaware Highlands Conservancy is an accredited land trust working in the Upper Delaware River region of Pennsylvania and New York. Since the organization was founded in 1994, we have protected nearly 19,000 acres of working farms and forests, clean waters, and wildlife habitat. The Conservancy is dedicated to conserving the natural heritage and quality of life in the Upper Delaware River region in partnership with landowners and communities and offers year-round quality educational programs to connect people to the land and support a sustainable local economy.

The 144-acre Van Scott Nature Reserve in Beach Lake, Wayne County, PA is the headquarters of the Conservancy and a welcoming, accessible place for people of all ages to learn about, explore, and enjoy nature. The Reserve features three miles of publicly accessible walking trails through the forest, wildflower meadows, and wetlands, and is home to our educational programming.

Programs like Women and Their Woods, the Green Lodging Partnership, and Eagle Watch help to foster connections to nature while ensuring that the region’s local farm, forest, and eco-tourism economies are supported by residents and visitors. With the support of our members and volunteers, we conserve the precious agricultural and forest lands vital to healthy local foods, clean drinking water, biological diversity, outdoor recreation, and to the overall beauty and quality of life we enjoy in the Upper Delaware River region.”

For more information visit https://delawarehighlands.org/ and follow DHC on Instagram (@dhconservancy) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DelawareHighlandsConservancy).

The Delaware Highlands Conservancy headquarters in Pennsylvania at the Van Scott Nature Reserve.

Thanks for taking a moment to read the UDR Network Watershed Newsletter! We hope it helps you gain a broader understanding of all the work happening in the watershed and provides you with an opportunity to meet new partners, learn new strategies, and identify opportunities to strengthen your watershed work! 

If there is an activity or event that your organization would like featured in the next newsletter, please email info@fudr.org. To learn more about the UDR Watershed Network, visit our website https://www.udrwatershed.org.

-The UDR Watershed Network Team

Activities and Important Dates