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Organization: Butternut Valley Alliance, Inc.
Mission Statement:Our mission is to encourage the Butternut Creek watershed to become a better place to live, work, and play.
Major Programs:
• Community Events
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The Summer Harvest Festival featuring local farmers, arts and crafts and music alongside historical and environmental exhibitors,
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“On the Trail of Arts”, a roving two-day art exhibit in one of the State Forests featuring over 150 student and adult artists,
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Butternut Creek Float, a community ‘paddle’ in kayak, canoe or other floatation device co-sponsored with Otsego County Conservation Association,
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New Lisbon Gravel Grinder, a cycling event co-sponsored with a local cycling club, Central New York Cycling.
• Educational programming e.g., history local mills, pearly mussels, riparian buffers
• The Visionary Scholar Award given to an outstanding local high school student who envisions the future of the Butternut Valley Watershed.
Support for Programs: private donors and small grants
Number of clients/families served each year: 200-500
Partners: Listed in events as well as Otsego 2000, Otsego Land Trust, Wetlands Trust, Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District, as well as the Morris and Gilbertsville schools
Volunteer Involvement: 15-member board and countless community members
What makes your program(s) unique:
Founded in 2008, the alliance is organized around our watershed. Water sustains life and we encourage our neighbors to see the relationship between their environment and their health and prosperity.
The 40-mile length of the Butternut Creek encompasses an area of 130 square miles including the bucolic Butternut Valley, known for its water quality and beauty. The watershed boasts a population of approximately 5,000 residents, which includes eight towns and two villages, five school districts, twelve New York State or County Forests and several recreational parks. Sixty percent of our landscape is forest with eight percent of that made up of state and county lands. Agricultural properties account for thirty one percent of the watershed. Remarkably, two percent of the watershed i.e. nearly 1700 acres are privately conserved including Cranberry Bog Science station.
Our activities aim to connect communities, protect the environment, promote the arts, and encourage economic development. We act as a connector, incubator of innovation, and community partner to realize our vision; to lead the watershed toward a sustainable future. We dare to dream what this area could be in 20 years. We aspire to model regional leadership that grows from the ground up and that creates opportunity.
Please see recent article;
https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/photo_essay_butternut_valley_new_york
Current challenges and opportunities:
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Expand our funding sources
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Grow the Executive Director position from a part-time position to a full-time position to expand our reach and influence
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Expand BVA’s relationships across all generations, professions, and organizations
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Co-Create a regional economic development plan with our community, farm, and business leaders
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Create and maintain nature and hiking trails in our 5 state forests
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Lead the implementation of the Butternut Creek Watershed Management Plan https://occainfo.org/butternut-watershed-plan/