February 21, 2020

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host a nature walk on Friday, February 28 at the Ashokan Rail Trail in Boiceville. The event will begin at 1pm at the Boiceville Bridge Trailhead parking lot off Route 28A.

DEP ecologists will lead a walk along the rail trail and teach participants how to identify trees and shrubs that commonly grow in the Catskills. Winter can be a challenging time to identify woody, stemmed plants that have dropped their leaves. Ecologists will teach participants to recognize the physical features of each species, including their buds and bark, to better familiarize them with life in the forest during the colder times of the year. They will also discuss the importance of trees and shrubs to the health of the watershed, and the ecology of several Catskills species.

Registration for the event is required, as participation is limited to 12 people. Those interested can register online, or by finding the event on our NYC Watershed Facebook page. Participants will walk approximately 1 mile out and back on the flat trail. Please come with walking or hiking shoes, water, binoculars and warm clothes. Those seeking more information on this and other DEP outdoor events can email us at watershedevents@dep.nyc.gov.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.6 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with $20.1 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.