Otsego County Conservation Association

10/15/2026

OCCA and Basswood Pond State Forest have a long history... Check out these photos circa 2001 of OCCA volunteers helping to maintain trails there.

Did you know that we still have a stewardship agreement at Basswood Pond in partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation?

That's right, and our community members are always welcome to lend a helping hand during our trail clean-up days, which keep our local trails accessible for all. Join us on Saturday, October 24th between 10am and 2pm, where we will be working to reopen a section of trail that was recently closed due to logging.

Register here: occainfo.org/calendar/trail-work-day

10/09/2026

Fall in the Northeast is worth enjoying. Consider praticipating in the Otsego Outdoors Fall Octet, a challenge to explore 8 local trails or outdoor activities, and win a badge!

An octet badge is all the rage, but we also know that the biggest prize is actually the quality time you get to spend connecting to different natural places in our amazing county.

Visit this link to learn more: https://otsegooutdoors.org/our-challenge/

10/06/2026

Check out some upcoming events in October. Don't miss out on our latest Be-Informed talk with Dr. Dan Stich and Dr. Alex Sotola of SUNY Oneonta, get some of your belongings fixed at the Cooperstown Repair Cafe, and give a helping hand to get a trail at Basswood Pond State Forest back up and running after some recent logging.

As always, these programs are free and open to the public, but registration is required. To learn more about any of these events or to register, visit occainfo.org/calendar

09/30/2026

Just because the weather has cooled down and fall is here, it doesn't mean HABs have gone away. Our volunteer shoreline monitors are still finding Harmful Algal Blooms on Otsego Lake and Canadarago Lake as recent as this past Monday.

To learn more about harmful algal blooms, visit otsegocountyhabs.com

Pictured: Confirmed by the DEC, harmful algal bloom reported by shoreline monitors on September 21, 2026 on Canadarago Lake.

09/27/2026

Last week, our community really showed up for OCCA and we thank you for your support!

We were able to surpass our fundraising goal of $12,500 during and we are thrilled! We also won Eva Davy's challenge of having the “Most Green Supports”.

Every dollar raised enables us to:

-Replace reagents and worn out or broken equipment our Community Science Stream Monitoring teams use to monitor streams throughout the county.

-Continue providing interesting and informative speakers for our Be Informed Lecture series

-Manage a network of volunteers who keep watch for Harmful Algal Blooms, survey for invasive species, and help make events like Earth Festival so successful.

Just as important, though far less glamorous, your donations help us keep the lights on, our phones and computers connected, and our printers full of ink: all the things that help us do our work.

Thank you to all of our generous donors, as well as our members and volunteers who regularly help support OCCA's mission. We couldn't do this work without our community and for that we are grateful. 💚

09/22/2026

Volunteer opportunity, help plant some trees in the Butternut Valley.

It's that time of year again! Planting time!