Catskill Creek Watershed

The Catskill Creek

The Catskill Creek is a beautiful and vibrant stream that runs through the mostly rural landscape of the Catskill Mountains’ northern foothills. The Catskill Creek is approximately 36 miles in length and is a major tributary to the Hudson River Estuary. The creek begins in the FranklintonVlaie in the Town of Broome, Schoharie County, and meets the Hudson River at the Historic Catskill Point in the Village of Catskill.

Upstream reaches of the Catskill Creek are considered prime trout habitat; portions of the stream are classed as supporting trout spawning by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The lower 1.5 miles of the creek are influenced by the Hudson River’s tides and provide spawning grounds for many species of fish, including herring.

Catskill Creek Watershed

The Catskill Creek watershed is 416 square miles in size and is located in 14 towns in the four counties of Schoharie, Albany, Greene and Ulster. Located in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, the Catskill Creek watershed comprises 927 miles of tributary streams, making it the third largest contributor of water to the Hudson River Estuary.

Catskill Creek Watershed Awareness Project

The Catskill Creek Watershed Awareness Project (CCWAP) was started by Cornell Cooperative Extension in 2008 with support from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program. CCWAP has a mission "to foster appreciation and understanding of the Catskill Creek Watershed through outreach to regional stakeholders to promote protection, conservation and stewardship of our natural environment for the benefit of all.”

The members of the Catskill Creek Watershed Advisory Committee invite you to get involved with clean water stewardship in your community. There are several projects underway that require the help of volunteers and we’d love to have you participate!

Catskill Creek Watershed Advisory Committee Meetings – Held at 6:30 pm on the third Monday of each month at the Agroforestry Resource Center. Come to an Advisory Committee meeting to get updates on our latest projects, help decide the action agenda for the Catskill Creek and meet others who care about clean water.

Stream Spotters Program – Stream Spotters are the “eyes of the watershed” - they keep watch on what’s going on out there and report their findings to share with others. Stream Spotters can do a variety of things to help watch over the Catskill Creek Watershed. They may look at the physical characteristics of the stream and note changes they see. Stream Spotters can measure the stream to see how wide it is and how deep it is. Some Stream Spotters may take an inventory of the aquatic vegetation they find in the stream. Others may record information about the aquatic insects found in the stream or chemical aspects of the water, such as the level of dissolved oxygen.

RiverKeeper Enterococcus Sampling – The Catskill Creek Watershed Awareness Project is cooperating with RiverKeeper to test the levels of Enterococcus bacteria in portions of the Catskill Creek. Each month from May to October, volunteers collect water samples and deliver them to the RiverKeeper patrol boat for testing. If you’d like to help with this project, contact us!

To sign up for our email list for quarterly updates on events, educational programs and activities of the CCWAP contact Liz LoGiudice, Extension Educator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Visit our facebook page and “like” us for more frequent updates on the CCWAP https://www.facebook.com/CatskillCreekWatershed .

Acknowledgements:

Cornell Cooperative Extension wishes to acknowledge our funders and volunteers for their support of the CCWAP. Funders include the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and the Bank of Greene County.

 Volunteers include:

Catskill Creek Watershed Advisory Committee

Rachel Anderson, Teacher, Greenville High School

Joel DuBois, Greene County SWCD; resident Town of Catskill

Larry Federman, Audubon New York; Town of Catskill Planning Board Member

Brian Kehoe, Certified Planner, Village of Catskill Board Member

Audrey Kropp, Biologist and Landowner; Town of Rensselaerville

Elizabeth LoGiudice, CCE Greene Educator; Farmer, Town of New Baltimore

Fran Martino, Hudson Basin River Watch; Columbia Greene Trout Unlimited

Guy Newbury, Motel owner, Town of Durham

Peter Nichols, Schoharie County SWCD

Rebecca Platel, Landowner, Town of Rensselaerville

Mark Vian, Landowner, Town of Catskill