Take a unique historical walking tour, Waterways of Woodstock, along the banks of our town creeks with Amanda LaValle, Coordinator of the Ulster County Department of the Environment and Woodstock native. Enjoy a rare opportunity to hear a leading local water expert speak about the significance of our water through the years, affected by land use choices, and also the changes in our weather patterns. This special program is part of Woodstock Land Conservancy’s “First Saturdays on the Trail” program series and the 16th Annual Lark in the Park and is scheduled for Saturday, October 5th, 10 am – Noon.

Ms. LaValle will be weaving together the complex storied history of this important natural resource with the challenges we currently face due to our changing climate. She will touch on topics including the impacts of industrialization, municipal water supply, infrastructure projects, and the waterways; scenic character treasured by many over the years.

Since 2008 Amanda LaValle has been Coordinator of Ulster County’s Department of the Environment, where she has successfully overseen Ulster County Government becoming carbon neutral in its energy usage; implemented electric vehicle charging stations in an ever-expanding network where the County’s electric vehicle fleet has the opportunity to recharge; and opened a 2.36 Mw utility-scale solar array on former landfill in Town of Ulster. Her great depth of knowledge of water issues, including water quality; water flow and flood resilience stems from her nearly four-year work as Coordinator of the Watershed Conservation Corps, a stream-science internship program at SUNY Ulster, preceded by her tenure as an Environmental Scientist; and a Wetland Ecology Research Assistant at Cornell University, from which she graduated with a BS in Biology & Society in 2000. She also has a Master of Arts from SUNY Empire.

Changes in land use have had dramatic impacts on our most important natural resource. The clear cutting of once densely forested areas for pasturing livestock drastically increased the intensity of runoff. The emergence of tanneries and other streamside industries impacted the quality of our drinking water. The emergence of the Art culture in Woodstock elevated the scenic importance of the waterways. The evolution of modern-day infrastructure such as road stream crossings, sewer systems and municipal water service has also played a very important role in the aquatic life of our streams, as well as changed our relationship, perhaps making these waterbodies less familiar to us. Ms. LaValle will address these relationships while helping us better connect to this most valuable natural resource and better understand our role in protecting it. The protection and care of this resource is paramount for future generations.

There are limited spaces available for this program. Pre-registration is required.

Event Duration: 1 mile, 2 hours

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Leader(s): Amanda LaVelle

Bring: light fall layers, water

Registration required by: 10/04/2019

Fee:  No

Dogs allowed:  No

Questions about this event can be directed to:  Ellie Reese, ellier.wlc@gmail.com, (845) 616-4770

Driving Directions: Starting location will be provided upon registration.

After you press “Submit” below the registration form, you will see a screen that says “Your registration has been submitted”. If you do not, an error has occurred. Please resubmit, being sure to complete all fields. You should receive a message from the leader acknowledging your registration.