Recognizing the importance of watershed planning as a means to protect and restore water resources and local economies, the New York State Department of State and the Department of Environmental Conservation developed materials designed to encourage and assist local watershed planning and implementation efforts. At the same time, the project was designed to enable the Divisions to better connect knowledgeable individuals and networks of local governments, other state agencies, planners, businesses, community groups, and universities for information exchange.

In all, the Department of State has assisted in the development and implementation of 37 watershed management plans covering 458 municipalities and over 11,500 square miles (seven million acres). This represents 21 percent of New York’s land mass. Each watershed plan is guided by an intermunicipal organization, facilitated by the Department, which shares resources and cooperates on projects to reduce water pollution.

The Department has recently seen a tremendous increase in interest in watershed management planning and has granted awards totaling more than $1 million from the 2009-2010 Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Plans to fund eight new plans.

Read more about the Department's watershed management programs here.

Read the full report about how the Department of State is creating a safer,more prosperous and more efficient New York here.

The project led to the preparation of a multi-media package consisting of:

1. a motivational video, about the need for major elements of and success stories regarding watershed planning across New York State;
2. a companion guidebook on preparation and implementation of watershed management plans; and
3. web pages for the Division's website that connect the visitor with the video, guidebook and contact person within the Division.

This multi-media approach recognizes that several tools are needed to help inspire and educate diverse audiences and to communicate varying levels of information effectively. The individual components of the multi-media package were designed to deliver messages that can both stand on their own and contribute consistently to the total package.

Use the menu to the right to navigate through the pages to get resources, read case studies, order the video, or download the guidebook.