Looking for something fun and educational to do this summer? If you are, the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) is planning Ashokan Watershed Weekend over several weekends this summer starting July 9–10, 2020.
AWSMP is offering a variety of events where Ashokan Watershed residents can learn more about the watershed’s creeks and streams, how they behave, and what we can do to benefit (and benefit from) them. These events are open and free to any resident of the Ashokan Watershed, and you can look at this map to see if you are a watershed resident.
July 9th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm is Municipal Officials Day. The event is offered online and all municipal officials and agency staff working in the Ashokan Watershed are encouraged to attend. A certificate of training for those seeking municipal education credit will be offered. The first presentation is “Streams 101” which will cover a basic understanding of how streams function. The second presentation is “Get to Know Your Stream Management Program” which will share what the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program offers to landowners, municipalities, and water users.
July 10th is Youth and Family Day. The first event will be the “Kanape Brook Stream Walk” from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. This is a hike along the beautiful Kanape Brook in West Shokan, NY. We will talk about stream ecology and physical features, and streamside vegetation. We will also spend time near a large North American Beaver lodge complex and learn more about these amazing mammals. The hike will be about 3 hours long and about 4 miles. There will be two groups, one leaving at 9:00am and one leaving at 10:00am. Each group will only have 10 participants, so make sure you register early!
The second event of Youth and Family Day on July 10th will be the premier of the “Love Your Stream Video Project” from 4:00 pm‑5:00 pm. To show how much we love our streams in the Ashokan Watershed, AWSMP will be compiling a collection of videos about activities taking place on the streams in our watershed. Families or individuals are invited to submit a short video (no more than 5 minutes) of you doing an activity that you love by or on your stream. You are also invited to submit photographs or original artwork. Please read the Submission Guidelines. All submissions are due by Friday, July 8, 2020. Contact Brent Gotsch at bwg37@cornell.edu to submit your work. The video compilation will be shared at an event streamed online at 4:00pm on July 10th. After we share the videos, AWSMP staff will be on hand to answer any questions you have about stream management.
For more detailed information on Ashokan Watershed Weekend and for links to registration please visit AWSMP’s website devoted to Ashokan Watershed Weekend.
Stay tuned for more Ashokan Watershed Weekend events this summer! They will be focused on the needs of streamside landowners in the Ashokan Watershed.