The Wallkill River Watershed Alliance will host its 2026 Wallkill River Summit from 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12 at SUNY Orange’s Rowley Center for Science and Engineering, 10 East Conkling Ave.
The free event, being held in Orange County for the first time, will feature presentations on the health, history and future of the Wallkill River and its watershed. Topics will include water quality, harmful algal blooms, agricultural flood mitigation, Black Dirt history and efforts to restore the region’s peatlands.
Speakers will include Tony Prestigiacomo of the state Department of Environmental Conservation; Bobby Howe, the alliance’s harmful algal blooms monitoring coordinator; Kevin Sumner of the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District; John Ruszkiewicz of the Drowned Lands Historical Society; Anne Weber of Cornell University; and Orion Russell Blake of Flooded Farm.
The Wallkill River flows approximately 90 miles from Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey, north to its confluence with Rondout Creek in Rifton.
The summit is open to the public, but preregistration is required because space is limited. Light dinner snacks will be provided. SUNY Orange will offer three professional development hours/continuing education credits for those attending.
Registration is available at givebutter.com/WallkillSummit2026.
The summit is supported by the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, SUNY Orange Cultural Affairs and the Orange County Land Trust.