Biodiversity Education
Public education is central to the mission of Hudsonia. Our Biodiversity Resources Center provides Biodiversity Assessment Courses and produces Biodiversity Resource Materials to inform and educate people involved in land use decision-making in the Hudson Valley.
| News & Events | Courses | Materials |
We are currently developing our schedule for Biodiversity Education programs in 2013. To see the types of programs we offer in a typical year, view our Education Brochure or continue reading below. To be informed of programs as they become available, join our Biodiversity Education email list.
 Participants in the September 2012 Biodiversity Assessment Short Course admire a buttonbush pool |
 Wild columbine along the Appalachian Trail in the Trout Brook watershed, Orange County |
Biodiversity Education Program
| The Biodiversity Education Program instructs community leaders in science-based principles and techniques for biodiversity conservation. Through hands-on laboratory and field exercises, participants learn the value of biodiversity in their communities, how to recognize habitats of ecological significance, and how to protect important resources through sound planning and site design . The Biodiversity Education Program has been funded by the Hudson River Estuary Program of NYSDEC, the Educational Foundation of America, the Dyson Foundation, and the Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation. |
 The map above shows all the municipalities that have participated in Hudsonia’s 10-month, 3-day, and 1-day Biodiversity Assessment courses. Click on the map to enlarge. |
| Six-Month and Ten-Month Biodiversity Assessment Training A community group of 5-8 volunteers representing municipal agencies, watershed councils, land trusts, and similar organizations attends monthly or semi-monthly 4-hour laboratory and field training sessions, provided free-of-charge. The team is introduced to principles of biodiversity conservation and techniques for recognizing important biological resources. Participants use the Biodiversity Assessment Manual to learn to predict the occurrence of important habitats using map analysis and aerial photo interpretation, and to verify the presence of those habitats in the field, assessing a selected study area of several thousand acres in their home community. They prepare a habitat map and report describing the habitats and providing conservation recommendations.Participants learn about the kinds of habitats used by rare and declining species of plants and animals, the importance of spatial relationships among habitats in the landscape, and how best to protect habitat complexes that support local biological diversity. We are concerned with a broad array of common and rare habitats important to biodiversity such as upland meadows, upland forests, woodland pools, fens, kettles, and carbonate crests. We have worked with over 180 participants throughout the ten-county Hudson River Estuary in the 10-month program, and we provide continuing technical assistance and follow-up grants to past trainees. |
 Participants in a 2009 10-month program practice using stereoscopes and air photos to map habitat types remotely |
 Gretchen Stevens teaches participants to recognize plant indicators of specific habitats in a 2008 10-month course |
| Three-Day Biodiversity Assessment Short Course |
| The Short Course is a condensed version of the 6- or 10-month Biodiversity Assessment Training. Participants are introduced to many of the skills and techniques taught during the longer course. Outdoor sessions teach field identification of habitats and indicators of habitat quality, and indoor lectures and exercises focus on map analysis, aerial photo interpretation, habitat prediction, and incorporating biodiversity conservation into town-wide planning and site-specific environmental reviews. |
 Participants in a 2012 Short Course use soils maps, topography maps, and aerial photos to make a habitat map of Norrie Point. |
| One-Day Biodiversity Workshops |
We offer one-day workshops on specific topics related to biodiversity conservation. The topics vary from year to year, but past and prospective topics include:
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 Walking fern (left) and ebony spleenwort (right) are two plants that indicate calcium-rich environments in the Hudson Valley |
 Participants determine biological constraints in a site design plan in a 1-day Biodiversity Assessment workshop |
| Biodiversity Conservation Roundtable All past participants in our Biodiversity Assessment programs are invited to the annual Biodiversity Conservation Roundtable, a half-day event that brings people together to discuss common problems and learn from each other about successful solutions. Attendees feel energized knowing that conservation progress is being made in many places throughout the Hudson Valley.In addition to discussions and updates from past participants, each Roundtable also focuses on a particular conservation issue. Past Roundtables have highlighted topics such as wetland ordinances, GIS information and training, and communicating the benefits of biodiversity to the public. The 8th annual Biodiversity Conservation Roundtable was held October 19, 2012 at the SUNY New Paltz campus, focusing on how to take the “next steps” in open space protection. Case studies, tips, and new ideas were presented by experts and past Biodiversity Education participants. |
Biodiversity Resource Materials
In New York State, as in many other states, municipal agencies (e.g., town councils, town planning boards) have substantial authority for land use planning, for environmental reviews, and for issuing regulatory approvals for development projects. Most such decisions, however, are made without the benefit of good biological information or knowledge of potential impacts to biological resources. Consequently, biodiversity resources are disappearing at an accelerating rate in the rapidly developing Hudson Valley due to loss, fragmentation, and other degradation of habitats. The prospect of regional biological impoverishment was a primary impetus for creating the Biodiversity Assessment Manual and other resources for biologists and for the non-biologist members of town agencies, land trusts, and others whose land use decisions will shape the ecological landscape for the foreseeable future.
- Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor
Written by Hudsonia scientists and published in 2001 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Manual profiles 38 ecologically significant habitat types of New York’s Hudson Valley, discusses the plants and animals of conservation concern each habitat may support, and provides recommendations for protecting the biodiversity values of those habitats. The Manual is the centerpiece for our Biodiversity Assessment courses. Hudsonia has distributed the Manual free of charge to municipal conservation commissions, land trusts, and public libraries throughout the region. While hard copies of the Manual are no longer available, you may order a CD version by contacting Hudsonia. - Guidebook for Biodiversity Assessment
This companion to the Biodiversity Assessment Manual guides readers through the process of assessing habitats using map resources for biodiversity conservation planning. - Habitat maps created by Biodiversity Assessment Training groups
Several of the habitat maps created by groups who have completed the 10-month Biodiversity Assessment Training program can be viewed on Google Earth. - Persuasive Biodiversity Facts
Why should we be concerned about biodiversity protection? This document, created in conjunction with the Hudson River Estuary Program, describes the links between biodiversity and Lyme disease, West Nile Virus, wildlife-generated income, and other facets of ecology and human welfare. We encourage the free download and distribution of this document. - Habitat Fact Sheets
Created with the assistance of the Hudson River Estuary Program, these documents highlight the characteristics and sensitivities of ten common and uncommon ecologically important habitats in the Hudson Valley and provide recommendations for conservation. We encourage the free download and distribution of these fact sheets to landowners, developers, and land-use decision makers. - Plant Indicator Guides
Each guide describes and illustrates plants that can be used as indicators of ecologically significant habitats in the Hudson Valley, including calcareous wet meadows, calcareous crests, fens, and swamps. We encourage the free download and distribution of these guides to anyone interested in learning how to recognize habitats that may be unfamiliar. - Conservation Planning
This suite of resources is designed specifically for land-use planners wishing to implement local biodiversity conservation. It includes summaries of conservation recommendations for certain habitats, as well as a series of worksheets with suggestions of ways municipal planners can use comprehensive planning, pre-application meetings, zoning, SEQR, and other processes to incorporate biodiversity protection into their day-to-day work.
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Hudsonia, a tax-exempt not-for-profit corporation of the State of New York, classified 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service, relies on the generous, tax-deductible contributions from members of our community to sustain our research and education. We appreciate your support of our work.