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
18
Apr
Watershed Wonders is a student-centered exhibition exploring how water shapes our landscapes, ecosystems, and communities. The exhibition is a collaboration between Woodstock Land Conservancy, Woodstock Elementary School, Woodstock Day School, Middle Way School, and Woodstock Library. It features work from five distinct projects across eight classrooms at three local elementary schools.
Each project invited students to investigate watersheds through art, ecology, and place-based learning, and was supported by an in-class visit from a local expert in watershed health. The projects encourage students (and exhibition visitors) to consider their roles as watershed protectors and to better understand how local ecology is connected by water.
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23
Apr
This workshop offers gentle movement and breath-led practice designed to support nervous system regulation through the traditional Chinese art of Qigong. While contemplating the Fontayne Kill that runs through Zena Cornfield, participants are invited to move with the qualities of water, cultivating softness, strength, and continuity through practice.
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27
Apr
Monday, 27 April 2026 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Film Series: Local Choices for Natural Burials
Woodstock Jewish Congregation
Local Choices for Natural Burials was originally scheduled for February but had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather. This will now be the fourth and final monthly events in the 2026 Film & Discussion Series. This free screening and discussion is available both in person and virtually.
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02
May
Vernal pools are relatively small, seasonal wetlands that have shallow water and support a wide array of wildlife, plants, and aquatic micro-organisms. This program will allow people to get a closer look at unique and specialized life in vernal pools and a greater understanding of the importance of pools in the forest ecosystem.
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16
May
It’s time to celebrate spring at our 14th annual Vernal Fling! Join us for an afternoon of delicious bites, intriguing drinks and opportunities to take home lovely gifts through both a raffle and a silent auction while supporting our conservation efforts.
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11
Jul
Saturday, 11 July 2026 12 PM
Meditative Painting in Relationship with the Fontyne Kill
Zena Cornfield
The Fontyne Kill will provide a sound bath, wisdom, clay pigment, and its waters to use for a creative, calming & connective somatic experience. The class will be facilitated in a guided meditation and painting techniques by local art therapist & educator, Coryn Nadeau. We’ll also discuss and facilitate the ethical disposal of water used in art-practice.
Ages 5 + welcome.
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