Eco Blog

Field notes from the Hudson Valley

The digital extension of our newsletter — workshops, current-issue commentary, and stories from the watchdog beat.

Sewer & Water SystemsClimate ChangeCurrent Issues

Forever chemicals in the Hudson Valley: what PFAS are, where they come from, and what we can do

Aug 26, 2026 · by Terra Meierdierck

PFAS — the 'forever chemicals' — are now in drinking water, soil, food, house dust, and almost everyone's blood. Here's a plain-language guide to where they come from in the Hudson Valley, what the health evidence actually shows, and the five things municipalities can do now.

Read Forever chemicals in the Hudson Valley: what PFAS are, where they come from, and what we can do

Permaculture & Greener LivingPollinator ProjectClimate Change

How to compost at home: a beginner's guide for Orange County residents

Aug 21, 2026 · by Terra Meierdierck

Home composting turns kitchen scraps and yard waste into free garden fertilizer while keeping food waste out of landfills, where it releases methane. Here are the best composter types, a simple starter recipe, and what Orange County residents should know.

Read How to compost at home: a beginner's guide for Orange County residents

Current IssuesSmart GrowthClimate ChangeSustainable Growth

Grid realities and the AI surge: why New York needs the tighter data center moratorium

Aug 13, 2026 · by Terra Meierdierck

Governor Hochul's executive order pauses state approvals for data centers drawing 50 MW or more. The Legislature's one-year moratorium goes further — and Orange County needs it to, because a 50 MW threshold is a loophole, not a limit.

Read Grid realities and the AI surge: why New York needs the tighter data center moratorium

Pollinator ProjectSmart GrowthSustainable Growth

Florida is planting 15,000 milkweeds along its highways — the Hudson Valley should do the same

Jul 21, 2026 · by Orange Environment

A University of Florida–FDOT partnership is turning 10,200 acres of highway right-of-way into a monarch corridor. Orange County has miles of the same kind of unused roadside — and every reason to follow suit.

Read Florida is planting 15,000 milkweeds along its highways — the Hudson Valley should do the same

Current IssuesSmart GrowthSustainable Growth

Stop the Marangi waste dump: 950 tons of NYC trash a day next to the Heritage Trail

Jul 21, 2026 · by Terra Meierdierck

New York State has permitted a garbage transfer station on Dolsontown Road — 950 tons of trash a day, up to 248 diesel truck trips starting at 4 a.m., right next to the Heritage Trail in the Monhagen Brook Watershed. The Town of Wawayanda still controls the final approvals. Here is what Orange County residents can do this week.

Read Stop the Marangi waste dump: 950 tons of NYC trash a day next to the Heritage Trail

Permaculture & Greener LivingSustainable GrowthCurrent Issues

Hudson Valley appliance recycling guide: where to drop off ACs, fridges, and bulky appliances

Jul 20, 2026 · by Orange Environment

Air conditioners, refrigerators, and old washers can't go on the curb — the refrigerants, compressors, and steel need real recycling. Here's how to do it right in Orange County and the wider Hudson Valley.

Read Hudson Valley appliance recycling guide: where to drop off ACs, fridges, and bulky appliances

Permaculture & Greener LivingPollinator ProjectCurrent Issues

A Hudson Valley biodiversity guide: how to read the place you live

Jul 15, 2026 · by Orange Environment

Biodiversity starts at home. This guide shows how to organize your life — food, water, plants, politics — around the living boundaries of the Hudson Valley bioregion you actually inhabit.

Read A Hudson Valley biodiversity guide: how to read the place you live

Current IssuesSmart GrowthSustainable Growth

Warehouses and data centers are reshaping Orange County — and our land-use rules haven't caught up

Jul 12, 2026 · by Orange Environment

Hyperscale warehouses and data centers are landing across Orange County under zoning built for a very different era. Here's what OE is pushing local boards to require before the next approval.

Read Warehouses and data centers are reshaping Orange County — and our land-use rules haven't caught up

Quassaick CreekCurrent IssuesSewer & Water SystemsSustainable Growth

Protecting the Quassaick Creek watershed in Newburgh and New Windsor

Jun 30, 2026 · by Orange Environment

The Quassaick Creek drains one of Orange County's most rapidly developing corridors before emptying into the Hudson. OE is tracking the pollution, sedimentation, and land-use pressure the watershed is absorbing.

Read Protecting the Quassaick Creek watershed in Newburgh and New Windsor

Quassaick CreekCurrent IssuesSewer & Water Systems

Mapping the Quassaick: our watershed profile takes shape

Jul 10, 2026 · by Orange Environment

OE and volunteer watershed stewards have begun a systematic outfall inventory and land-cover analysis of the Quassaick — the first step toward a defensible, board-ready restoration plan.

Read Mapping the Quassaick: our watershed profile takes shape

Quassaick CreekSustainable GrowthSewer & Water Systems

Riparian buffers on the Quassaick: the cheapest water-quality tool we have

Jul 3, 2026 · by Orange Environment

A 50–100 foot band of trees and shrubs along the Quassaick and its tributaries would do more for water quality than any single treatment upgrade. Here is what OE is asking towns to adopt.

Read Riparian buffers on the Quassaick: the cheapest water-quality tool we have

Quassaick CreekCurrent IssuesSewer & Water Systems

After the storm: what a single Quassaick rain event tells us about our stormwater program

Jun 22, 2026 · by Orange Environment

Volunteer stewards documented sediment plumes at four separate points along the Quassaick after a single June storm. It is a case study in why minimum-compliance stormwater programs are no longer enough.

Read After the storm: what a single Quassaick rain event tells us about our stormwater program

Quassaick CreekWorkshopsSewer & Water Systems

Help us watch the Quassaick: volunteer monitoring launches this season

Jun 12, 2026 · by Orange Environment

OE is training a volunteer stream-monitoring corps for the Quassaick — simple, standardized observations that build a long-term record no one else is keeping.

Read Help us watch the Quassaick: volunteer monitoring launches this season

Current IssuesSmart GrowthClimate Change

Why the Hudson Valley needs a moratorium on new data centers

Jul 8, 2026 · by Terra Meierdierck

Hyperscale data centers are quietly becoming the region's largest new consumers of electricity, water, and open land. Orange Environment is calling for a countywide pause until real safeguards are in place.

Read Why the Hudson Valley needs a moratorium on new data centers

Eco BlogWorkshops

"Growing Mushrooms In Your Own Backyard" returns 4/18/26

Mar 21, 2026 · by Maureen Gaffney

Our ever-popular backyard mushroom workshop returns to Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery on April 18, 2026.

Read "Growing Mushrooms In Your Own Backyard" returns 4/18/26

Climate ChangeCurrent IssuesSewer & Water SystemsSustainable Growth

OE vs. DHS Detention Center

Feb 24, 2026 · by Maureen Gaffney

DHS is advancing plans for a detention center in our region. Here is OE's response and the environmental concerns we're tracking.

Read OE vs. DHS Detention Center

Pollinator ProjectSustainable Growth

Turning lawns into lifelines

Feb 2, 2026 · by Maureen Gaffney

OE board member Dr. Joe Grizzanti and the Hudson Valley Pollinator Project are converting turf lawns into habitat for monarchs, bees, and birds.

Read Turning lawns into lifelines

WorkshopsPermaculture & Greener Living

New OE workshop on home garden to table cooking!

Oct 24, 2025 · by Toby Schack

A brand-new OE workshop pairing home gardening with cooking — a hands-on session connecting soil to plate.

Read New OE workshop on home garden to table cooking!