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Lower Esopus Watershed

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  • About
  • Watershed
    • Overview
    • Watershed Booklet
    • Water keeps time
    • Maps
    • Esopus Flyover 2007
    • Esopus Flyover 2021
    • Reconnaissance Report
  • Subwatersheds
    • Plattekill
    • Sawkill
    • Esopus Estuary
    • Sub-basins of the Lower Esopus Watershed
    • Sub-basin Map Series
  • Stream Gages
    • Tidal Zone
    • Mount Marion
    • Lomontville
    • Ashokan Reservoir East
    • Water Alerts
  • Explore
    • Recreation
    • Local Food and Farms
    • Culture and Education
    • Citizen Science and Stewardship
  • Library
  • Gallery
  • Contact

Recreation

Esopus Creek Sites

  • Saugerties Lighthouse
  • Tina Chorvas Waterfront Park
  • Saugerties Village Beach
  • Esopus Bend Nature Preserve
  • Town of Ulster Orlando Street Park
  • Sandy Road Launch
  • O & W Rail Trail – Northern Trail
  • Town of Marbletown Recreation Park

Sawkill Sites

  • Comeau Property
  • Zena Cornfield, Big & Little Deep
  • Thorn Preserve

Plattekill Sites

  • Platte Clove Preserve
  • Huckleberry Point Trailhead

Outfitters

  • Saugerties Marina
  • I Paddle NY

Maps

  • Ulster County REConnect (website)
  • Lower Esopus Recreational Access Map (PDF)

Overview

The Esopus Creek is a watershed divided into two parts by the Ashokan Dam. The area above the dam is commonly referred to as the Ashokan Basin. Below the dam is the Lower Esopus Watershed. The Lower Esopus is generally cut off from the watershed above the dam except for reservoir releases and spillway overflow. Read more...

Stream Management Plan

The Lower Esopus Stream Management Plan (SMP) identifies a set of actionable, community-driven projects that aim to promote long-term, sustainable management for a healthier, more resilient watershed.

Access the Plan:
https://loweresopussmp...

Ashokan Reservoir Information

  • Release Channel Volume & Turbidity: http://www.nyc.gov...
  • Ashokan Reservoir East info from National Weather Service
  • Current Reservoir Levels: www.nyc.gov/dep

Watershed booklet

"A Journey through Lower Esopus Creek" booklet about the history and ecology of the watershed:

Open booklet (PDF)

Recreational Access Map

Esopus Creek Watershed Sites

Open Map (PDF)

Water Keeps Time

The history and community of Saugerties, New York, interpreted through its relationship to the Esopus Creek and Hudson River.

Upcoming Events

November 7, 2026
  • How is the Sawkill? Part 1: Woodstock’s Drinking Water Source Protection Program November 7, 2026  1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (28 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY 12498)

    Learn about Woodstock’s DWSP2 and the work being done to better understand and protect our local drinking water system. Find out what the DWSP2 plan means for you, your family, and your neighbors. Explore the ways you can become involved.

    See more details
November 8, 2026
  • Mapping The Sawkill: The Many Voices of the Sawkill with Zaneta ( Woodstock Land Conservancy) November 8, 2026  10:30 am - 1:00 pm 45 Comeau Drive, Woodstock, NY 12498, USA

    RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mapping-the-sawkill-the-many-voices-of-the-sawkill-with-zaneta-tickets-1991424503297?aff=oddtdtcreator

    See more details
November 14, 2026
  • How is the Sawkill? Part 2: Stream Steward Program November 14, 2026  1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (28 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY 12498)

    After walking five sections of the Sawkill this summer and fall with stream scientists Beth Reichheld, Mark Vian, and Telemark Olson, the Stream Stewards will share their experiences and what they learned along the way.

    Explore ways to get involved and bring your Sawkill Watershed stories to share!

    See more details
November 20, 2026
  • Mapping the Sawkill Watershed Project Celebration – Part 3 November 20, 2026  5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (28 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY 12498)

    A community celebration in the YES Gallery bringing together the various parts of the project.

    See more details
December 1, 2026
  • KLT Winter Film Series - BIODIVERSITY: The Nature of Nature December 1, 2026  6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

    Kingston premiere of The Nature of Nature: Biodiversity of the Hudson Valley, a short documentary produced by Laura Heady from the Hudson River Estuary Program and directed by Laura deNey from Flicker Filmworks.  

    Tickets (Please register)

    This 30-minute film is an ode to the remarkable variety of life in the Hudson River estuary watershed—celebrating the living fabric of the region’s unique landscape. From high-elevation forests to the globally rare freshwater tidal marshes along the Hudson, the film captures the beautiful, the complex, the familiar, and the unknown, guided by the plants, animals, and people that call the Hudson Valley home.

    Following the screening, stay for a panel discussion featuring local voices in ecology, conservation, and community land stewardship. The panel discussion is moderated by Michael Drillinger, KLT Board Chair, and will include Producer Laura Heady, Kathryn Kassner of UU Catskills Climate Action Team, Roselyn Vargas from the Kingston Y Farm Project’s youth team and Julie Noble, Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator.

    The evening will continue with a community dialogue, where participants are invited to join small breakout groups to reflect, share, and explore how we relate to and care for the ecosystems that sustain us.

    Come be part of an evening of film, conversation, and connection—grounded in place and rooted in the biodiversity that surrounds us.

    In partnership with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with Cornell University, UU Catskills Climate Action Team , Kingston YMCA Farm Project & Peace Education Centre of the Hudson Valley. 

    See more details

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Ulster County, New York

Purpose

Foster appreciation and stewardship of the Lower Esopus Watershed.

Municipalities

  • City of Kingston
  • Town of Hurley
  • Town of Marbletown
  • Town of Olive
  • Town of Saugerties
  • Town of Ulster
  • Town of Woodstock
  • Village of Saugerties

Stewards

  • Esopus Creek Conservancy
  • Hudson River Watershed Alliance
  • Hudson Valley Farm Hub
  • Kingston Land Trust
  • Riverkeeper
  • Woodstock Land Conservancy

Legislators

  • NYS Assembly District 103 Sarahana Shrestha
  • NYS Senate District 41 Michelle Hinchey
  • US Congressional District 18 Pat Ryan
  • US Congressional District 19 Josh Riley
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