WHAT WE DO > REGIONAL CONSERVATION > The Need

The Hudson Hills and Highlands is composed of a mosaic of natural areas and human-use areas. While population growth around Teatown in Westchester County has slowed in recent years to 6%  per decade, it is growing in other nearby areas. For example, in Putnam County, population growth has risen to >14% per decade. 

With population growth comes land conversion and development. Alarmingly, land development growth rates in metropolitan New York have been estimated at four times population growth!

While predictions of the future are difficult to make, we can be reasonably certain that by 2015 the Hudson Hills and Highlands will have grown by at least 65,000 new residents living in 20,000 additional households. For every square mile, we will need to squeeze in another 70 persons to the 839 already living here. Imagine 25,000 more cars each day traveling on our already over crowded roads. We will need 1,000 additional classrooms in our schools. How many new shopping centers will be constructed?  Imagine the increased demand for energy.

Growth over the next decade in the Lower Hudson Valley will result in: more developed land and fewer scenic vistas; less water; fewer habitats for nature; and added pressure on the plants, animals, and ecological systems that residents rely for clean air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and natural products to drive our economy.  To make matter worse, it is not only the increased development that we face, but also the challenge of invasive species; climate change; pollution; diminishing water quality, a paucity of regional planning, and the threat of accelerating species extinctions. 

What can we do?To protect both the Hudson Hills and Highlands’ ecological health and our own well being, the region requires a more informed and engaged citizenry, including children, that have sufficient “ecological literacy” and motivation to lead more nature-friendly and sustainable lifestyles. Especially urgent is a greater awareness for the need for additional open space and nature protection “between the parks.”

Teatown’s programs in environmental education, stewardship, and regional conservation all aim to facilitate environmental learning and action by our members and program participants. We focus on children having hands-on experiences with nature and understanding their connections to ecological systems – the web of life. We focus on what adults can do today to make a difference in local nature conservation and sustainable living. The need for our work as never been greater.