06/02/2026
The 2026 Ashokan Watershed Conference will kick off with a public presentation series titled, “Water Has a Memory: Past floods and building resilience” that will rotate around the Ashokan watershed making stops in three different libraries. These hour-long presentations will combine accessible science, local examples, and shared community experience. The presentations will start with AWSMP’s Stream Educator, Max Kelly, explaining the natural processes that result in flooding. Then, the Ulster County Emergency Manager, Mike Madison, will share advice on how households can prepare for floods. Lastly, each library event will feature a local presenter to offer their knowledge and experience of flooding in that town. Following these brief presentations, the rest of the hour will be open for questions and community dialogue. These events are free to attend and registration is not required.
This series includes:
• June 16 at 4 p.m. - Olive Free Library
o Local perspectives presented by Brian Burns, Town of Olive Highway
Superintendent, and Martha Frankle, Olive resident
• June 23 at 4 p.m. - Woodstock Public Library
o Partnering with Jennifer Zackin and Beth Reichheld, volunteers of the Woodstock Land Conservancy
• June 26 at 4 p.m. - Phoenicia Library
o A deep dive into Shandaken's flood history with Aaron Bennett, Shandaken resident
Visit the conference website to learn more: http://tinyurl.com/watershed-conference2026
