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.

Our programs vary from year to year. To see the types of programs we offer in a typical year, continue reading below. To be informed of programs as they are scheduled, please SUBSCRIBE to 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

. The Biodiversity Education Program instructs community leaders in science-based principles and techniques for conservation of biological and water resources. 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.

2020 Workshops on Identification and Conservation
of Biodiversity and Water Resources

Wetlands: Values, Threats, and Protection
Webinar, Mon-Wed, 21-23 September 2020 3:00pm – 4:30pm each day

See flyer here

This event has passed but click here to view webinar recordings (leaves Hudsonia website)

Despite some protections in federal and state wetland regulations, wetlands are still being lost and degraded.

In three 1.5 hour sessions, we will discuss the ecological and water resource values of wetlands; how to identify unmapped wetlands on site plans and other maps using online tools and in the field; the status of state and federal regulatory programs for wetlands; and how to extend local protections to these important resources.

Municipal training credits will be available to attendees. Note: The program is free-of-charge, but pre-registration is required. Space is limited. Registration will be open until 14 September. Applicants from Hudson Valley municipal or county agencies, conservation or watershed organizations, and others involved in local land use planning or decision-making will be given priority to attend. In addition, applicants who can attend all three sessions will be prioritized. You will be notified by Lea Stickle if accepted to the webinar.

Best Practices for Environmental Reviews
Webinar, Wednesday, June 17, 2020 12:00pm – 1:00pm

This event has passed but click here to view webinar recording or click here to view webinar presentation slides (leaves Hudsonia website)

See below for additional materials from the webinar

• Fact Sheet: Biodiversity Conservation & Review of Development Proposals
• Fact Sheet: Pre-Application Meeting
• Fact Sheet: Using SEQR to Protect Nature in Your Community
• General Conservation Measures
• Habitat Assessment Guidelines
• Sample Checklist for Site Resource Assessment

Headwater Streams: Identifying and Protecting an Essential Resource
Webinar, Mon-Thu, 3-6 August 2020 3:00pm – 4:00pm each day

This event has passed but see below for recordings (links leave Hudsonia website):

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Virtual Field Trip

Small headwater streams are often unnamed and unmapped, and unprotected by state or federal regulations. Yet these streams support distinctive biological communities, play ecological roles important to the surrounding landscape, and are essential sources of water, organic materials, and organisms for the larger downstream systems.

We will discuss the ecological values of small streams; how to identify them remotely and in the field; threats to stream habitats and water quality; the status of state and federal regulatory programs for small streams; and how to extend local protections to these important resources.

Certificates for six hours of municipal training credit will be available to attendees.

View past webinars and other resources posted by the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5094.html (link will leave Hudsonia website)

Topics vary from year to year, but past and prospective topics include:

• Short Course on Habitat and Water Resource Assessment for Land Use Planning
  This is a two- or three- day course in which participants are introduced to ideas and techniques for recognizing and protecting biodiversity and water resources. Outdoor sessions teach field identification of habitats and indicators of habitat quality, and indoor lectures and exercises focus on conservation principles, map analysis, aerial photo interpretation, and incorporating biodiversity conservation into town-wide planning and site-specific environmental reviews. Check back here for details and registration information on future Short Course workshops.

We are often able to offer one-day workshops on specific topics related to biodiversity conservation.

• Habitat and Water Resources Assessment for Land Use Decision-Makers
  A one-day session on the topics covered in the Short Course on Habitat and Water Resources Assessment
• Habitat Assessment Guidelines
  Introducing guidelines that will help planning boards and land use applicants gather information about sensitive resources on proposed development sites, and design projects in ways that minimize impacts on those resources
• Biodiversity Conservation and Site Plan Review
  How a planning board can help applicants incorporate biodiversity conservation into their site plan design
• Field Skills for Reviewing Land Use Proposals: Basic skills for interpreting the landscape, recognizing sensitive areas, and assessing biological impacts of land development proposals
• Incorporating Biodiversity Conservation into Local Ordinances and Procedures
  How to incorporate biodiversity protection into comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, the SEQR process, or local reviews of land development projects
• Plants as Indicators of Ecologically Significant Habitats
  A field workshop identifying plants that are indicators of certain ecologically significant habitats such as calcareous wet meadows, fens, and calcareous crest, ledge, and talus
• Habitat Requirements for Plants and Animals of Conservation Concern
  The geological, structural, and biological characteristics of habitats for rare and vulnerable plants and wildlife, and measures for effective conservation

Walking fern (left) and maidenhair spleenwort (right) are two plants that indicate calcium-rich environments in the Hudson Valley

Participants identify biological constraints in a site design plan in a 1-day Biodiversity Assessment workshop

The Biodiversity Education programs outlined above are conducted in partnership with the Hudson River Estuary Program, with funding from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.

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 digital 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. This document is provided to all participants in the 6-month or Short Course programs. You may order a digital or hard copy of the Guidebook by contacting Hudsonia.
• Habitat maps created by Biodiversity Assessment Training groups
  Several of the habitat maps created by groups who have completed the 6-month or 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 documents with suggestions for how municipal planners can use comprehensive planning, pre-application meetings, zoning, SEQR, and other processes to incorporate biodiversity protection into their day-to-day work.

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.