1. Watershed conservation!
February 2, 2008!
Teatown Lake Reservation!
Board of Trustees retreat!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

2. Leo A. W. Wiegman!
About this slide show
Etothefourth.com!
Environmental communications!
Croton-on-Hudson, NY!
Slide Show on Croton River Gorge for Teatown Board of Trustees, February 2, 2008
The slide show is a visual tour of the Croton River Gorge and its watershed from the dam upriver in winter to the estuary at the
Hudson River down river in summer.
Teatown Lake Reservation < www.teatown.org > is the largest nonprofit nature preserve an environmental education center
in Westchester County. Teatown Lake Reservation is embarking on an ambitious outreach to become an environmental and
educational resource for the five county Hudson Hills to Highlands region.
Under executive director, Fred Koontz, Ph.D., Teatown has secured funding for a multi-year program, “Environmental Leaders
Learning Alliance,” (ELLA) to train local conservation councils and environmental boards in the 39 towns and villages of the 900
square miles of the mid Hudson area. Teatown’s ELLA program will hold its kickoff meeting in mid-2008.
Simultaneously and separately, Westchester County and several communities, led by Croton-on-Hudson near Teatown, are
launching an effort to save the Croton River Gorge and its watershed that drains into the Croton Bay estuary. The estuary is a
federally designated essential fish and wildlife habitat on the Hudson River. The resulting study sets forth a specific Action Plan
of policy recommendations for each of the five municipalities in the watershed to consider. Find the quot;Indian Brook-Croton
Gorge Action Planquot; at < www.westchestergov.com/planning/environmental/>.
Sometimes, it is best to let the pictures tell the story.
# # #
Use of images from this slide show in any other format requires permission: contact wired@etothefourth.com
To cite this slide show, please use: Wiegman, L (2008) Slide Show on Croton River Gorge for Teatown Board of Trustees,
February 2, 2008 Etothefourth.com

3. Can you locate these
Croton River gems?
MAPS: USGS (1943) http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/

4. TEATOWN!
PHOTO:GOOGLE; (C) 2008 NASA
The Hudson Highlands surround the Hudson River, a remarkable waterbody,
that may be the most studied river system in the world. !

5. TEXT!
Thousands of residents who live, work, and play in Croton River Gorge share its
3.5 miles and 3,000 acres with bald eagles.!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

6. Activism by Croton
residents in the 1970s
(Bob Boyle, Joel
Gingold, Ed
Rondthaler, Dan
Salzburg, etc) led to
adequate water flow
year round in the
river. !
The New Cornell Dam as its bridge was under repair and water was being
drawn from the depths of the reservoir (chutes on the right), as well as from
flow over the gorgeous, stone step spillway on the left (2005).!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

7. Croton Gorge Dam Park bridge is under renovation in 2007-8. !
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

8. Each spring, the DEC stocks the Croton River with 1,200 rainbow & brown trout.
Striped bass and shad arrive from the ocean to breed. !
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

9. Croton-on-Hudson’s well-fields are located in an aquifer 100 feet below this
section of the river under a bed of glacial till and clay. !
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

10. The low head dam at Black Rock Park is a favorite for anglers year round. !
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

11. Halfway to the Hudson, the upstream tip of
Firemen’s Island splits the Croton River, as it
falls down to its tide-influenced lower section. !
The Croton River was the site of 2007 STream water quality monitoring: !
it has a “B” rating.!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

12. Daily tides push no higher upstream than lower end of Firemen’s Island, !
a popular Paddler’s spot.!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

13. The “Lower” Croton River is influenced by the tides up to Firemen’s Island,!
1.5 miles inland from the Hudson.!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

14. In the 100 acre Croton Bay we find shad and striped bass in spring, and !
largemouth bass, brown bullhead, carp and panfish in summer.!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

15. “Cork in the
Bottle” or!
“Drain in the
Tub”!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
The Croton Gorge is the “ Cork in the Bottle” For Croton watershed !
in the Hudson Highlands.!

16. Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
The 5 municipalities of the Watershed: !
Cortlandt, Croton, New Castle, and both Ossinings.!

17. Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
Land uses in the Croton Gorge-Indian Brook Watershed.!

18. Teatown drains to the
Croton River via the
Indian Brook
Reservoir headwater.!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
The watershed’s Croton River has 5 tributaries.!
Indian Brook is the largest & most important.!

19. Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
*Indian Brook is Ossining’s water supply. !
**Croton Gorge surrounds Croton’s well-fields.!

20. One-third of the
watershed contains
steep slopes,
especially sensitive
to erosion.!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
Steep Slopes (dark Red here) dominate the gorge.!

21. Wildlife corridors
in the watershed
Croton Bay is the
dining room &!
the Hudson and
Croton rivers are the
chefs that fill it. !
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
WIldlife Corridors also tie Teatown to the Croton/Indian brook watersheds.!

22. 64 BIRD SPECIES breed in
the Croton Gorge & Indian
Brook watershed.!
American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, Baltimore
oriole, Barn swallow, Black-and-white warbler, Black-capped chickadee, Black-
throated green warbler, Blue jay, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Blue-winged warbler, Brown-
headed cowbird, Canada goose, Canada warbler, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing,
Chipping sparrow, Common grackle, Common yellowthroat, Downy woodpecker,
Eastern bluebird, Eastern kingbird, Eastern phoebe, Eastern towhee, Eastern wood-
pewee, Field sparrow, Gray catbird, Great crested flycatcher, Hairy woodpecker, House
finch, House wren, Indigo bunting, Kentucky warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, Mallard,
Mourning dove, Northern cardinal, Northern flicker, Northern mockingbird, Northern
rough-winged sparrow, Northern waterthrush, Ovenbird, Pileated woodpecker, Prairie
warbler, Red-bellied woodpecker, Red-eyed vireo, Red-tailed hawk, Red-winged
blackbird, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Scarlet tanager, Song sparrow, Swamp sparrow,
Tree swallow, Tufted titmouse, Veery, Warbling vireo, White-breasted nuthatch, Wild
turkey, Wood duck, Wood thrush, Worm-eating warbler, Yellow warbler, Yellow-billed
cuckoo Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

23. Crazy Quilt
Example
In 2006 - 2007, erosion, denuded slopes, garbage, overcrowding,!
parked cars & a drowning converge. Who is in charge? !
Map Source: Village of Croton-on-Hudson NY 2006

24. By Fall 2006, Charlie
Kane & Croton River
Compact Committee had
begun to raise
awareness. !
Source: Journal News 2006

25. In the summer, 200-300 visitors may be using the pools between Firemen’s &
Paradise Island on the Croton River at any given hour.!
PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

26. ➡ The Action Plan calls
for stronger protections
in all 5 surrounding
communities.!
➡ Implementation is next.!
➡ Teatown can help.!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

27. The Action Plan details!
➡ Existing Conditions for each
municipality!
➡ Recommendations for each
municipality!
➡ Intermunicipal Agreements
everyone signs!
Teatown can help educate and bring
everyone together.!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

28. ➡ 1. Protect natural resources, wetlands, and
groundwater drinking sources.!
➡ 2. Manage stormwater to improve water quality.!
➡ 3. Develop sustainable land use and
environmental regulations.!
➡ 4. Preserve fish, and wildlife habitat.!
➡ 5. Educate the Public.!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

29. #1. Conduct Streamwalks in the Croton Gorge Basin.!
#5. Restore Degraded Wetlands.!
#10. Maintain/Restore Forested Stream Buffers.!
#26. Design Croton Aquifer & Indian Brook Overlay
Zone.!
#29. Protect Open Space. !
Red= Teatown is doing this already!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

30. #30. Adopt new Environmental Ordinances.!
#31. Prepare a Biodiversity Plan for the Watershed.!
#32. Investigate Croton River Flow Fluctuations.!
#34. Develop Community Resource Mgt. Programs.!
#33. Require Board/Committee Member Stormwater
Training.!
Red= Teatown is doing this already!!
Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

31. PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

32. PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

33. PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

34. SOURCES
TEXT!
Credits: Photo of solar powered remote sensing device (above): www.thebeaconinstitute.org
Map of Hudson River (left) : hudsonriverestuary.pbwiki.com 2007