Research Topics

The topics section is where we will be highlighting various research projects involving watersheds in Dutchess County. The articles here will be updated periodically, so be sure to check back soon.

Watershed Stakeholders

By Margaret Kurth, Cornell University
Published: July 22, 2011
The Wappinger Creek Watershed drains about one-third of Dutchess County into the Hudson River below Wappingers Falls. The watershed has a diverse landscape ranging from forest and agricultural land-uses in the rural north to residential areas in the central region and urban. . .
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Long-Term Stream Monitoring

By Will Jobs, Vassar College
Published: April 25th, 2011
Long-term stream monitoring is an important way to track the health of a watershed. While establishing a baseline of data to follow changes in stream quality, it also provides a way to see how land use changes, restorative actions, and application of chemicals throughout . . .
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The Eel Project

By Laurel Walker, Vassar College
Published: June 30, 2010
With increasing human impact on the environment, ecosystems are daily facing more and more serious challenges. Citizen science plays an important role in helping to face the threats humans pose to ecosystems through education and outreach. . .
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Turtle Habitat Management

By Andrew Meyer, Hudsonia, Ltd.
Published: July 21, 2010
Wetland loss, habitat fragmentation, and the degradation of existing habitat have led to declines in many turtle species in recent decades. In fragmented areas, breeding females are at great risk when they travel long distances in search of suitable nesting habitat. . .
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Rain Gardens

By Emily Vail, Vassar College
Published: May 7, 2010
Stormwater runoff is the water that flows across the ground’s surface when precipitation falls on impervious surfaces, such as roads, driveways, parking lots, or rooftops. Although runoff also naturally occurs in forests and other vegetated areas, there is significantly more. . .
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Flashy Streams

By the Casperkill Assessment Group, Vassar College
Published: February 18, 2010
Flooding is a natural process that occurs in all streams, whether the watershed is in a forested or an urban landscape. However, flooding occurs more frequently and more rapidly in heavily developed watersheds. In healthy watersheds, most rainwater will infiltrate into the soil, where it. . .
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Archived Research Topics

• Sewage in the Stream
  By Emily Vail, Vassar College
  Published: December 9, 2009
  Fecal coliform bacteria in water samples can indicate if sewage or fecal matter from animals is present in a stream. While coliform bacteria aren't necessarily harmful, they often indicate the presence of other pathogens that can result in human illness. Since many streams in. . .
• Creatures of the Benthos
  By the Casperkill Assessment Group, Vassar College
  Published: December 9, 2009
  Biological assessments can help determine the water quality of streams. One helpful group of organisms to study is benthic macro-invertebrates, or BMIs. They are “benthic” because they live in the sediments of streambeds for part or all of their life cycle. . .
• Salting the Earth
  By Mary Ann Cunningham & Stuart Belli, Vassar College
  Published: December 9, 2009
  Salt is a necessary ingredient in our diets, and in small amounts it certainly isn’t toxic. However, just as it might not be healthy for our bodies to consume too much salt, it isn’t healthy for the environment either. . .
• Taking Out the Trash
  By Ellen Schramm, Vassar College
  Published: February 18, 2010
  We've all seen areas littered with trash, but many people don't realize that much of the trash we see lying on the ground eventually ends up in streams and waterways. Trash reduces water quality and creates the appearance that the stream is a suitable dumping ground. . .