New York State has long recognized the importance of taking a multifaceted and coordinated approach to addressing the challenges associated with invasive species. In 2005, the NYS Invasive Species Task Force sent a report to the governor and state legislature that recommended the creation of and funding for a network of regional partnerships designed to help prevent or minimize the harm caused by invasive species on New York’s environment, economy and the health and well-being of the state’s community members. By 2013, eight Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs) were established throughout the state, each distinguished by a specifically delineated geographic region which together encompass the entirety of New York State.
PRISM networks take an integrated approach to invasive species management that includes recruiting and training volunteers to engage in native habitat protection, identifying and delivering invasive species education and outreach, establishing early detection and priority surveying and monitoring efforts, and implementing coordinated invasive species control and management efforts to address emerging and high priority invasive species threats.
Each PRISM is hosted by a local institution and is funded by the Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The Lower Hudson PRISM is hosted by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (hereafter Trail Conference), a volunteer-powered organization that was established in 1920 to build public trails. Currently, the Trail Conference organizes over 5,400 members and member clubs, and close to 7,000 volunteers who contribute over 80,000 hours of dedicated work to protect our region’s natural areas annually. The Trail Conference provides trail maintenance, land stewardship education, and advocacy support to approximately 250 public and private entities in two states and across 30 counties, including those in the Lower Hudson region of NYS. The Trail Conference has been coordinating the work of the Lower Hudson PRISM since 2013.
The Lower Hudson PRISM region includes an area that stretches from the southern tip of Manhattan north to Red Hook and Saugerties. It includes all of six counties and part of three counties. Overall, the Lower Hudson PRISM includes around two million acres of natural areas and developed land. The natural areas of the Lower Hudson include diverse terrestrial and aquatic systems that cover approximately 64% of the region while about 25% is developed and 11% is agricultural.
The core of our region is the Hudson River, a 315-mile-long river that is an iconic symbol of our area’s natural and cultural history. In the LH PRISM region, the Hudson is an estuary where seawater blends with fresh water, creating one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. It is home to more than 200 species of fish, including coastal migratory fish like striped bass, sturgeon and shad which all depend on the estuary for spawning and nursery habitat. The Hudson River estuary also contains 7,000 acres of tidal wetlands that sustain resident and migratory birds including bald eagles, herons and a range of unique waterfowl.
Though the natural features of the Hudson are central to our region’s identity and scenery, the river also provides drinking water for some of the region’s communities, helps support the economy and provides a multitude of recreational opportunities.
The lands that surround the Hudson provide many opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to connect to nature and help residents and visitors relax and escape the centers of civilization. The Hudson Valley has also provided generations of Americans with rich farmland and has been a vital source of strength and inspiration for artistic expression in painting, poetry, and literature. Today, the region is home to 5.2 million people, 57% of them in Manhattan and the Bronx with lower population densities to the north.
Ecoregions represent geographic areas that share similar ecosystem features (e.g., geology, landforms, soils, vegetation, climate, land use, wildlife, and hydrology). Ecoregion designations also factor in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. These regions help organize ecosystem management and monitoring strategies including invasive species efforts. The following table lists the main ecoregions that make up the LH PRISM region
| Ecoregion ( EPA) | % of PRISM Region |
|---|---|
| Northeastern Coastal Zone | 37% |
| Northeastern Highlands | 31% |
| Ridge and Valley | 26% |
| North Piedmont | 5% |
| North Allegheny Plateau | 1% |
| North Central Appalachians | <1% |
There are 164 species of rare plants that have been observed since 1985 in the LH PRISM service area: 62 listed by NYS as Endangered, 68 listed as Threatened, 12 listed as Rare, and 22 not listed but assessed to be imperiled in NY by the New York Natural Heritage Program. There are an additional 106 species of rare plants with historical records (before 1985) in the LH PRISM region: 61 Endangered, 23 Threatened, 1 Rare, and 22 not listed but assessed to be imperiled in NYS.
| Significant Biodiversity Areas | Resources Protected |
|---|---|
| Dutchess County Wetlands | Wetlands, large wetland complexes and turtle diversity. |
| Esopus/Lloyd Wetlands & Ridges | Wetlands, forest, rare plants, rare amphibians. |
| Harlem Valley Calcareous Wetlands | Cave and cliff habitants. Open uplands and barrens. Wetlands including Great Swamp, turtle diversity, bats, snakes. |
| Hudson Highlands | Cave and cliff habitats. Open uplands and barrens. Unfragmented forest corridors, important wildlife connections, bats, snakes, rare plants, interior forest birds. |
| Hudson River Estuary and Tidal Wetlands | Coastal ( tidal) habitats, tributaries and riparian habitat, wetlands. brackish marshed, freshwater tidal wetlands, rare plants. |
| Hudson Valley Limestone and Shale Ridges | Cave and cliff habitats, rare plants, bats, rare birds. |
| Narrows on Long Island Sound | Coastal habitats, tidal wetlands, colonal bird rookeries, turtles, rare plants. |
| Palisades | Cave and cliff habitats, open uplands and barrens. Unfragmented forest and habitat corridors, rare plants, rare mammal, bird migration, turtle diversity. |
| Rosendale Limestone Cave Complex | Cave and cliff habitats, bats, unique wetlands that support rare species, rare plants, rare birds. |
| Shawangunk Kill/Grasslands | Open uplands and barrens, tributaries and riparian habitat, fish and freshwater mussel diversity, rare grassland birds, rare plants. |
| Shawangunk Ridge | Cave and cliff habitats. Open uplands and barrens. Unfragmented forest and habitat corridors, large forest, snalkes, forest birds, rare dragonflies, rare birds, rare plants. |
| Van Cortland Park | Parks and preserves mature to old growth forest, rare plants. |
| Ward Pound Ridge Reservation | Parks and preserves, diverse amphibians, reptiles, butterfies, and moths, rare dragonflies, rare birds, rare plants. |
