• Hillsdale Natural Resources Inventory (NRI)

Hillsdale Natural Resource Inventory - Published in 2020, the NRI illustrates and describes the town’s natural resources (e.g., soils, farmland, streams, ponds, groundwater, habitats, plants, animals, and scenic areas) and their significance to the Hillsdale community. A printed copy of the NRI is viewable in the main meeting room of the Hillsdale Town Hall. The CAC has sold copies of the NRI at the Copake-Hillsdale Farmers Market during the summer, and a few remaining copies are available for purchase from the Town Clerk at Town Hall.

A grant from the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (funded by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund) enabled the CAC to obtain the services of consultants Nan Stolzenburg (Community Planning and Environmental Consultants) and Rick Lederer-Barnes  (Upstate GIS) to help prepare the NRI.

• Thinking of Building a New House?

In 2021, the CACs of Hillsdale, Ancram, New Lebanon and Taghkanic obtained a small grant for the production of a brochure informing prospective buyers of land about some of the environmental factors to consider when siting and building a new house. Brochures are available here [ link to Brochure] and on racks at Town Hall.

• Taghkanic Creek Watershed Plan

In 2021 and 2022, the Columbia Land Conservancy worked with consultants and a team of volunteer  representatives from the towns of Claverack, Copake, Hillsdale, and Taghkanic to develop a plan for protecting the land areas in the Taghkanic Creek headwaters area that are most important for protecting the water quality and habitat quality of the Taghkanic Creek. Hillsdale CAC chair David Lewis represented Hillsdale in this effort.  The Taghkanic Creek rises in the northwest corner of Hillsdale and its watershed occupies much of the west side of the Town. The watershed was chosen for this project because of its importance to the ecosystems and people of the four towns and also because the stream is a major drinking water source for the City of Hudson. The Taghkanic Creek Watershed Plan was published in 2022 and can be found here; it will be of particular interest to residents of the area in the southwest quadrant of the Town (see Figure 8 of the NRI).

The Plan identifies the forests, wetlands, and other natural areas that are especially important for protecting water quality and wildlife within the headwaters region. It describes the threats to natural areas of the watershed, from both from human activities and climate change, and outlines ways to achieve protection of the Creek and its watershed area. The primary recommendations are for public education, community science carried out by volunteers, formal land protection (e.g., through conservation easements or acquisition), local legislation and decision-making by local governments, and improved land management by landowners.

• Town of Hillsdale Road Stream Crossing Management Plan

Inadequately sized or incorrectly installed culverts, where streams cross town, county, can be a threat to survival of aquatic species by obstructing the natural flow of organisms, material, nutrients and energy along river systems, and particularly affect vulnerable species such as the native eastern brook trout, American eel, and river herring. In addition, culverts that are too small pose threats of flooding and erosion that may damage infrastructure along roads. The Road Stream Crossing Management Plan is a collaboration of the Town of Hillsdale, Trout Unlimited, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission,

the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the DEC Region 4 Fisheries Department, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene County, the NYS Water Resources Institute at Cornell University, and the Housatonic Valley Association. The project was funded by the NYS Environmental Protection Fund through grants from the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and the Hudson River Estuary Program.

The project surveyed 143 road crossings in Hillsdale, 96 of which were on town roads. It identified a large number of crossings that pose significant or severe barriers to aquatic organisms or that pose a high risk of flooding, or both, and identified four crossings as the highest priorities for replacement. Hillsdale residents may be interested in determining whether any of those road crossings are adjacent to their property.  The Hillsdale Road Strem Plan can be viewed Here.

• Hillsdale Groundwater Plan

Groundwater, which is water lying beneath the soil surface in sediments and rock fissures and seams, supplies drinking water to nearly all of Hillsdale’s residences, farms, and businesses. The CAC engaged  the New York Rural Water Association to conduct a townwide groundwater study and prepare a conservation plan. Published in 2009, the Hillsdale Groundwater Plan  maps and describes the groundwater resources of Hillsdale, identifies potential sources of contamination and the vulnerability of groundwater to pollutants, discusses sources of drinking water, evaluates the susceptibility of groundwater resources to land development, and outlines potential strategies for protection. The study was the basis for enactment in 2016 of the Aquifer Overlay District, see Hillsdale e-code §245-28 (E) (2)(1), that seeks to protect the unconsolidated aquifers of the town from uses that might pollute or otherwise compromise the availability of clean water to Hillsdale residents.

unconsolidated aquifers of the town from uses that might pollute or otherwise compromise the availability of clean water to Hillsdale residents.

Hillsdale Groundwater Study

• Sections 1-8
• Appendices  A-D

• Habitat Fact Sheets

Habitat Fact Sheets (prepared by Hudsonia Ltd.) offer brief descriptions of some of the common and less-common habitats that occur in Hillsdale, how to identify them, some of their ecological values and associated plants and animals of conservation concern, and some recommendations for conservation. We encourage landowners, developers, town agencies, and others to view, print, and distribute these to anyone who may want to learn more about the natural areas all around us.

• Guidelines for Conservation Analysis

The CAC prepared these guidelines to help a land use applicant and the Planning Board assess and mitigate potential impacts of proposed land development projects on important biological and water resources.

• Hillsdale Habitat Summary

Staff of the Hudson River Estuary Program (of NYSDEC) prepared this document which identifies major natural features and important biological resources, including species of conservation concern, based on information in the public domain.

• Spongy Moth Article, 2022 

A brief piece about the spongy moth (formerly called the gypsy moth) in Hillsdale and what you can do to protect trees in your yard.

• Best Management Practices for Priority Invasive Plants in the Lower Hudson Valley

Information on the ecology of fifteen common invasive plant species in the region, and techniques for non-toxic management (prepared by Hudsonia Ltd.).