Dutchess Land Conservancy
Wednesday, March 4, 6:00 PM EST Online Event
Join Ingrid Haeckel & Anna Boutsikaris of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Isabelle Stinnette of the Hudson River Foundation for a fascinating look at key indicators and environmental trends in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary and its watersheds.
Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes, and everybody lives in one. Here in the Hudson Valley, many of us live within the Hudson River Watershed, and we are fortunate to have numerous local agencies and organizations that study and monitor the health of the watershed and provide guidance for our conservation, restoration, and management goals.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Hudson River Foundation recently released the 2025 State of the Estuary Report, presenting key indicators and environmental trends across the Hudson-Raritan Estuary and its watersheds. The report was created through a joint effort of DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Management Program and the Hudson River Foundation’s NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program, and compiles decades of monitoring data and research to highlight progress, challenges, and changing conditions.
This presentation will walk through the interactive report and its findings on how the Hudson-Raritan estuary has improved, where progress has slowed, and what new challenges are emerging. Presenters will share highlights from the report’s five central goals—Water Quality, Habitat and Ecological Health, Contamination, Public Access, and Community Engagement. Together, these indicators offer a roadmap for sustaining the estuary and guiding future conservation, restoration, and management.
Ingrid Haeckel is Manager of the Hudson River Estuary Program at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, working with partners to conserve and ensure a resilient estuary and watershed. She oversees the program’s interdisciplinary outreach, grant funding, and research focused on river habitat restoration, watershed management, conservation and land-use planning, climate resilience, education, and river access. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Columbia University and an M.A. in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin.
Anna Boutsikaris (pronounced BOO-tsi-KAIR-iss) works with regional partners to protect surface drinking water supplies in the Hudson Valley. Her work includes supporting the implementation of Drinking Water Source Protection Program plans and leading water quality monitoring and assessment activities in the Hudson River Estuary Program area. She also helped with the coordination and completed two analyses for the 2025 State of the Estuary. Anna holds an M.S. from Ohio University and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from SUNY Purchase.
Isabelle Stinnette is an ecologist with over a decade of experience in ecological research, restoration, and project management across diverse ecosystems. Currently serving as Senior Scientist for Ecological Restoration with the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation, Isabelle Stinnette leads strategic initiatives in habitat restoration, including the innovative Aquatic Connectivity Through Climate-Ready Infrastructure project, coordinates inter-agency workgroups, and conducts environmental assessments such as the State of the Estuary Report. With an MS from Stony Brook University, Isabelle is dedicated to advancing resilient ecosystems through research, collaborative outreach, and data-driven environmental practices.
The DLC's Earth Matters webinar series is sponsored by LaBella Associates, Mutual of America, and Structure Works Construction.
© Dutchess Land Conservancy. All Rights Reserved.
