See the Saw Kill: Its Beauty, Its Power, and Its Spirit
Join the Saw Kill Watershed Community on October 17, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., for a free guided walk along the Saw Kill at Montgomery Place Campus of Bard College. Meet at the visitors center: 55 Montgomery Place, Red Hook.
Our route will hug the shoreline besides the Middle and Lower Falls that powered 18th- and 19th-century lumber, grist, and fulling mills. We’ll observe the remnants of the 20th-century hydroelectric plant that provided power to the local community for over 40 years. This stretch of the Saw Kill was the basis for the first environmental protection pact in our nation and was the site of a key event of the American Revolution.
This is a moderate hike of approximately 1.5 wooded miles over some uneven and hilly terrain. Our pace will be set to accommodate everyone in the group, but it is not wheelchair accessible. Please wear sturdy shoes and long sleeves. The walk will be canceled in the event of heavy rain or threat of lightning.
WaveMaker Award from Hudson River Watershed Alliance
The Saw Kill Watershed Community is honored to be a recipient of a 2026 WaveMaker award from Hudson River Watershed Alliance! These awards are given to community members and organizations who represent successful watershed work in the region and was awarded to SKWC for “10 years of accomplishments, building strong stewardship programs and science-based advocacy, and the leadership of Karen Schneller-McDonald, who has just stepped down as chair after 10 years of service.” Please click here if you’d like to read more about the awardees and see photos from the WaveMaker ceremony!
2026 Amphibian Migration Program
SKWC AMP Volunteer Coordinator Amy Shein shared an incredible video from one of this year’s migration nights, providing a glimpse into what vernal pools look like when species successfully migrate.
Now Live: The Saw Kill Watershed Database
“The Saw Kill Watershed Database is a collection of water quality and watershed data dating back to the 1800’s. This community-facing database and visualization platform is designed to help us understand and explore the Saw Kill watershed together. The database and it’s capabilities will continue to expand as Saw Kill Watershed communities engage with and create data about our home. These data have been collected by hundreds of local volunteers, artists, community leaders, researchers, students, and municipal workers. This database has been created through a partnership between Saw Kill Watershed Community and the Bard Community Sciences Lab , with support from the Hudson River Foundation . The goal is to provide publicly accessible, actionable watershed data to community members, to keep them informed on the health of their local watershed, and to answer community questions and concerns.”
SKWC and the Open Space Institute
As of 2026, the Saw Kill Watershed Community is fiscally sponsored by the Open Space Institute, Inc. as part of its Citizen Action Program. See our flyer below for more detail and please consider donating if you are able!
