Hudson Valley Climate Change Network Meeting AGENDA

1
August 7, 2012 Version
Hudson Valley Climate Change Network Meeting AGENDA

When: Monday, August 13, 2012. 12:00 noon– 4:00 pm
Where: Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg, NY

12:00 to 1:00 Networking BYO Lunch OPTIONAL
Note: Please check in before 1:00 p.m. so we can begin promptly at 1:00

1:00 to 1:15 Greetings & Introductions
Emilie Hauser, Hudson River NERR Estuary Training Program and Kristin Marcell, Hudson River Estuary
Program

1:15 to 1:25 Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainability Plan  
David E. Church, Orange County Deparment. of Planning

1:25 to 1:35 Capital Region Sustainability Plan  
Angela Vincent, Vanesse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

1:35 to 2:05 Effect of Land Use on Runoff Volume in Small Hudson Valley Watersheds
Art DeGaetano, Cornell University and NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center
See abstract on next page.

2:05 to 3:05 Attitudes of Hudson River Estuary Watershed Municipal Officials about Climate Change
Shorna Allred, Cornell University. Allison M. Chatrchyan, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County &
Maureen Mullen, Cornell Cooperative Extension
See abstract on next page.

3:05 to 3:55 Knowledge & Project Exchange
Network members will share information on climate change projects they are working on, either in a
professional capacity or on a volunteer basis.
• Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainability Planning Consortium (Energy Working Group) – Manna J o
Greene, Clearwater
• Sustainable Shorelines Project – Betsy Blair, NYSDEC
• City of Kingston Climate Action Plan – Emilie Hauser, volunteer on Kingston Task Force
• Home Performance with ENERGY STAR – Bridget Doxsee, RUPCO
• Recent NYSERDA grant to The Nature Conservancy for decision support tool on climate change in NY
– Rebecca Shirer, The Nature Conservancy
• Inventorying and evaluating climate change adaptation best practices at the municipal level from Maine
to Virginia – J udd Schechtman, NOAA/Rutgers University
• Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance – J ohn Gebhards, Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance
• Red Hook Climate Action Plan – Laurie Husted, Red Hook Conservation Advisory Council &
Sustainability
• Daylighting Urban Streams – J oshua Carvajal, CME
• Watershed update – Geoff Welch, The Ramapo River Committee
• Stormwater "wetland" treatments of Wappingers Falls Lake – Steven Gruber, Renewage, LLC

Register by Friday Aug.10, 2012:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HVCCNAug13

2
August 7, 2012 Version

ABSTRACTS
Attitudes of Hudson River Estuary Watershed Municipal Officials toward Climate Change
Shorna Allred*, Allison Chatrchyan*, Maureen Mullen
+


This presentation will focus on data gathered from a survey and in-depth interviews with Hudson Valley municipal
officials. The goal of this project was to determine Hudson Valley local government officials’ attitudes toward climate
change and perceptions of climate change taking place in their communities. We also determined local government
officials’ views of risks, vulnerabilities, and issues associated with climate change as it will impact the natural resources
and infrastructure under their jurisdiction. We will discuss what actions local governments are taking to mitigate and
adapt to climate change as well as why some are not. Results also show local government officials’ views of adaptations
and policy options which might address issues resulting from climate change. We also offer suggestions on the most
effective ways of reaching municipal officials with information about climate change threats at a local level – including
the resources that will help local government officials implement solutions and adaptations.

*Speaker: Shorna Allred, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Dept. of Natural Resources, Cornell University
*Speaker: Allison Morrill Chatrchyan, Environment & Energy Program Leader and CCE Energy & Climate Change
Team Cornell University Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
+
Maureen Mullen, Cornell University, Communications Outreach Assistant, Dept. of Natural Resources, Cornell
University

Effect of Land Use on Runoff Volume in Small Hudson Valley Watersheds
Paula J Brown
+
, Stephen Shaw
+
and Art DeGaetano*

Radar estimated hourly rainfall volume and USGS streamflow data are used to investigate steam response characteristics
on 10 small (<45km2) watersheds in the Hudson Valley. The sample of watersheds was selected to reflect different land
use characteristics, reflecting urban, residential and rural environments. The rainfall and stream gauge data were analyzed
to determine the percentage of rainfall that became runoff in each watershed as well as the response time (time between
heaviest rainfall and highest flow) in each basin. This information was compared between the different land use types.
Data were collected for approximately 30 rainfall events between 2002 and 2010.

Our results show that the urban basins respond quickly to heavy rainfall with peak flow nearly coincident with the
heaviest rainfall. In more rural watersheds, the lag between peak rainfall and streamflow is longer. In terms of runoff
volume, the percent of rainfall volume being translated into runoff varied from 15 to 40% but was only loosely connected
to land use. Based on these rainfall-runoff relationships, we computed the volume of rainfall that would need to be
captured by green-infrastructure (e.g. rain gardens or rain barrels) to reduce runoff. For a 55 mm rainfall, typical of those
heavy rainfall events that have seen an increase in occurrence over the last 40 years, over 1 million cubic meters (300
million gallons) of water would need to be temporarily stored to achieve a 66% reduction in runoff volume. As a typical
rain barrel holds, 0.227 m3 (60 gals) of water, over 4,700,000 rain barrels would be required to achieve this reduction in
runoff.

* Speaker: Art DeGaetano, Professor and Assoc. Chair Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University
and Director, NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center
+
Paula J Brown, Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University
+
Stephen B. Shaw, Assistant Professor SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry