However, the Hudson Hills and Highlands is experiencing significant loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation caused by sprawling overdevelopment, rapid spread of non-native species, pollution of ground and surface water, and other human-induced factors.
 
Note: (HV) indicates sites especially useful to Hudson Valley residents. 350 org Abundance by Design (Rocky Mountain Institute) Action for Tomorrow’s Environment (HV) Brighter Planet Carbon Coalition (Local Energy Commitees in NH) Carbon Offset Travel Calculator Clean Air-Cool Planet Clean Energy States Alliance Clearwater (HV) Climate Action Partnership Climate Choices (Northeast Impacts) (HV) Climate Progress Croton Watershed (HV) Dot Earth Earth Day Footprint Calculator (the original!) EarthFirst (the blog, not the “!”activists) Encyclopedia of the Earth Environmental Defense Environmental Health News Environmental Research Web Empowerment Institute (HV) Federated Conservationists (HV) Footprint Network Gapminder Graphics GHG photos Global Warming Art Green Buildings Green Energy War Grist Hill Heat How Green is My Town Hudson River Estuary Program (HV) Hudson Valley Greenway (HV) ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability Idealist Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Island Press Live Earth Videos Low Carbon Diet (HV) Marist Environmental History Project (HV) National Council for Science and the Environment Natural Resources Defense Council Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium (HV) OnEarth Magazine Open Energy (DOE) Pew Climate Center Real Climate Rising Waters-Eastern NY (Nature Conservancy) (HV) Riverkeeper (HV) State and Local Energy Report Sustainable Development Sustainable Hudson Valley (HV) Switchboard Teatown Lake Reservation (HV) The Earth Times Treehugger Union of Concerned Scientists Westchester County NY Global Warming Action Plan (HV) Worldwatch WorldChanging http://350.org/http://rmi.org/http://www.actionfortomorrow.org/http://brighterplanet.com/http://www.carboncoalition.org/http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/travel_calculator/30.phphttp://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/http://www.cleanenergystates.org/http://www.clearwater.org/http://www.us-cap.org/http://www.climatechoices.orghttp://climateprogress.org/http://www.newyorkwater.org/http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.comhttp://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.htmlhttp://earthfirst.comhttp://www.eoearth.org/http://www.edf.org/http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/http://environmentalresearchweb.org/http://www.empowermentinstitute.nethttp://www.fcwc.org/http://www.footprintnetwork.org/http://www.gapminder.orghttp://ghgphotos.comhttp://www.globalwarmingart.comhttp://www.usgbc.org/http://greenenergywar.com/http://www.grist.org/http://www.hillheat.com/http://www.howgreenismytown.org/http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.htmlhttp://www.hudsongreenway.state.ny.us/http://www.iclei.org/http://www.idealist.orghttp://www.ipcc.ch/http://islandpress.org/http://video.liveearth.org/http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/lcd/index.htmlhttp://library.marist.edu/archives/mehp/index.htmlhttp://www.ncseonline.org/http://nrdc.orghttp://www.nweac.org/http://www.onearth.orghttp://en.openei.org/wiki/Northern_Westchester_Energy_Action_Consortium_%28NY%29http://www.pewclimate.orghttp://realclimate.orghttp://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/science/art23583.htmlhttp://www.riverkeeper.org/http://www.stateenergyreport.com/http://sustainabilityscience.org/http://www.sustainhv.org/http://switchboard.nrdc.org/http://www.teatown.org/http://www.earthtimes.orghttp://treehugger.com/http://www.ucsusa.org/http://www.westchestergov.com/environment_globalwarming.htmhttp://www.worldwatch.org/http://www.worldchanging.com/http://video.liveearth.org/watch/shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9shapeimage_2_link_10shapeimage_2_link_11shapeimage_2_link_12shapeimage_2_link_13shapeimage_2_link_14shapeimage_2_link_15shapeimage_2_link_16shapeimage_2_link_17shapeimage_2_link_18shapeimage_2_link_19shapeimage_2_link_20shapeimage_2_link_21shapeimage_2_link_22shapeimage_2_link_23shapeimage_2_link_24shapeimage_2_link_25shapeimage_2_link_26shapeimage_2_link_27shapeimage_2_link_28shapeimage_2_link_29shapeimage_2_link_30shapeimage_2_link_31shapeimage_2_link_32shapeimage_2_link_33shapeimage_2_link_34shapeimage_2_link_35shapeimage_2_link_36shapeimage_2_link_37shapeimage_2_link_38shapeimage_2_link_39shapeimage_2_link_40shapeimage_2_link_41shapeimage_2_link_42shapeimage_2_link_43shapeimage_2_link_44shapeimage_2_link_45shapeimage_2_link_46shapeimage_2_link_47shapeimage_2_link_48shapeimage_2_link_49shapeimage_2_link_50shapeimage_2_link_51shapeimage_2_link_52shapeimage_2_link_53shapeimage_2_link_54shapeimage_2_link_55shapeimage_2_link_56shapeimage_2_link_57shapeimage_2_link_58shapeimage_2_link_59

Depicted above in mid-winter from Croton’s trail system, the Hudson Hills and Highlands bioregion includes parts of five Hudson Valley counties (Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland and Orange) and encompasses 936 square miles. Over 785,000 people live in this bioregion, which also provides remarkably diverse habitat for a rich variety of plants and animals.

The Hudson River estuary is home to more than 200 fish species.  The majestic Hudson Highlands form the region’s backbone. New York City’s 12 million residents live just to the south and rely on the region’s Croton Watershed to protect   their drinking water.

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A hallmark Hudson Hills and Highlands event each June is the Clearwater Festival.  The festival takes place each June on Croton Point with juts 1 mile into the Hudson at its widest section. At the 2008 festival a young boy chases his Earth balloon while under the Clearwater Earth.

About the Hudson Hills and Highlands

(map source: Teatown Lake Reservation)http://www.teatown.orgshapeimage_9_link_0