PROGRAMS AND EVENTS: MONTHLY PROGRAMS
MONTHLY PROGRAMS
Water has flowed across this planet for billions of years. Through that unfathomable span of time, the water cycle has quietly regulated and renewed the very foundation of life. More than streams and rivers, water nourishes forests like the Zena Highwoods, sculpts entire landscapes like Sloan Gorge, and shelters habitats for sensitive species like the salamanders and frogs that live at Rock Oak Preserve. For millennia, humans shared that connection, living at the river’s edge, drinking directly from its banks.
Today, it is largely unsafe to drink from local waterways. In just the past year, the Hudson Valley has faced Harmful Algal Blooms, flash floods, stormwater run-off and deepening drought, further fracturing our primordial bond with water ecology. This rupture, as well as the plea of fragile local habitats, calls us to protect, restore, and reimagine our relationship with water.
Because of this, in 2026, the Woodstock Land Conservancy turns its focus to one of the more vital and imperiled elements of our ecosystems. Our year-long program, Ecologies of Water, invites our community to explore, celebrate, and advocate for this life-sustaining resource through art, science, and collective action in a series of free community events.
Check out our 2026 Program Video to learn more.
Programming Highlights
- Conversations in Conservation: A discussion series featuring Drinkable Rivers by Li An Phoa and Maarten Van Der Schaaf, with the goal of sparking dialogue on how healthy rivers sustain both ecosystems and human well-being as well as actionable ways to restore local waterways
- Mapping the Sawkill: An interactive exhibition at Woodstock Artists Association and Museum with local artist Jennifer Zackin
- Educational Water Workshops: Hands-on programs for all ages on topics like water testing, waterfowl observation, and creek-side artmaking
- Elementary School Collaborations around Stream Health: Classroom visits with students in the Woodstock Area, culminating in a youth-led installation at the Woodstock Library
- Stewardship Opportunities: Community-based volunteer days focused on restoring riparian zones, maintaining trails, and keeping our watershed clean
- Legislative Action & Advocacy: In partnership with Beyond Plastics, connecting people to actions for cleaner water for all
Water moves through every forest, every creature, and every one of us. By restoring our relationship with it, we restore something essential in ourselves: a sense of belonging to the living world. Perhaps together we can work toward a future where our rivers are once again drinkable.
- Miranda Javid, Program Coordinator
21
Dec
Join us for a special solstice broadcast of The Sounds of the Winter Solstice, a soundscape and vocal performance by artist Zaneta. This piece is an excerpt of a larger work Invitations from the Land, which was recorded at WLC’s Israel Wittman Sanctuary in the Zena Highwoods. Drawing from field recordings captured at powerful celestial moments like solstices and equinoxes, Zaneta creates immersive sonic worlds where the forest itself becomes both stage and collaborator. Layered within these soundscapes are her sung responses, an intimate practice rooted in her Filipinx heritage and the tradition of singing to the forest passed down by her grandmother.
22
Jan
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 6:30 pm
Conversations in Conservation (Virtual book discussion pt 1)
Zoom
The Woodstock Land Conservancy is proud to name Drinkable Rivers by Li An Phoa and Maarten Van Der Schaaf as our 2026 Book of the Year and the featured selection in our Conversations in Conservation series.
This book honors our 2026 Program Theme: Ecologies of Water. Join us for this, the first of two virtual discussions on the drinkability of rivers. Drinkable Rivers is available for purchase at The Golden Notebook for a 10% discount and for loan through The Woodstock Library.
29
Jan
Are you interested in caring for local land? It’s time to sign up for our 2026 WLC Land Steward Cohorts! Join us for a virtual info session on January 29 to learn more about the program, including special projects planned for the year ahead. At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to select a WLC Preserve to steward.
The Land Stewards program invites volunteers to adopt and care for a specific WLC trail or property, with ongoing guidance from conservancy staff and support from fellow stewards. Throughout the year, participants gain hands-on experience in trail maintenance and invasive species management, take part in optional nature walks, and connect with a growing community of caretakers while exploring the question: How do we care for this land together?
View Event
