Soil and Water Conservation Districts are local governmental sub-divisions created under state law to carry
out a program for the conservation, use and development of soil, water, and related natural resources.
Established along county boundaries, Soil & Water Districts have received National Recognition for
achieving a myriad of conservation projects throughout the United States during the last 50 years.

With a guiding principle of "hands on implementation", and a desire to promote stewardship through education,
coupled with strong field level technical capabilities and an ability to accomplish conservation projects on
private lands, have all served to forge strong bonds between Districts and their local communities.
The motto "think globally, act locally" has never been more true than in describing
Soil & Water Conservation District work in the second half of the twentieth century

While the work of individual Districts is of the utmost importance, it is but a building block in a larger sense.
Realizing that meaningful water quality improvements can only be achieved on a watershed wide basis
and that a coordinated local effort is needed to protect this regions most valuable natural asset,
the Hudson River, the Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation Districts (LHCCD)
was formally established in 1999. Comprised of 11 County Soil & Water Conservation Districts
encompassing the entire Hudson River Estuary, the LHCCD uses the existing local program delivery infrastructure
to facilitate cooperative, multi-county efforts in assessment, planning, and implementation of projects to preserve,
protect, and enhance the natural resources of the Hudson River Estuary and Hudson Valley.
Furthermore, the LHCCD actively seeks collaborative relationships with other agencies and organizations
with similar goals.

Since 1999, the LHCCD has worked toward unifying efforts among its members SWCD's. The diverse
scope of services provided by individual Districts has made this collaborative effort challenging.
Despite this, the LHCCD has been building momentum and making valuable contributions
to the Lower Hudson Watershed.

Recently, the LHCCD has published an assessment of non-point source pollution for each of the sub-watersheds
of the Lower Hudson River. This document, not only recognizes the efforts of each individual Soil & Water Conservation District, it also identifies local partners and makes recommendations for future watershed-based efforts. The assessment provides information on many small watersheds that previously had little documented information pertaining to them.
It is a dynamic document, and funding permitted, will be updated periodically.

In June 2001, the LHCCD hosted its first regional storm water conference. The conference was held in
Fishkill, New York and reached over 130 participants. This was a two-day event, which provided valuable information
to both municipal officials and technical experts. The event was an unqualified success, receiving rave reviews from all participants and provided LHCCD with statewide recognition. Plans for the second Southeast New York Stormwater Conference are currently underway. This event will be held in Rockland County in October 2002.

The LHCCD has also hosted several regional workshops. In March of 2001the LHCCD hosted a workshop on Soil Bio-engineering and have continued to assist and participate in training for Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC). In the upcoming year, the LHCCD plans to continue its education efforts by providing additional workshops on Stormwater Management, focusing on those communities that will be affect by the NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) Phase II regulations

For the past year, the LHCCD has been actively seeking funds to begin a community-based stream assessment program. this program will educate and involve local citizens at the grassroots level, and will provide much needed information on tributary health. If funding is approved, the program will begin by piloting the initiative in eight sub-watersheds of the Lower Hudson.