Who are we?
Our mission: As the conservation organization dedicated to the entire 2,000 square-mile tristate Housatonic Watershed, the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) acts to protect the natural character and environmental health of the entire river valley from the Berkshires to Long Island Sound for this and future generations.
What do we do? With a team of conservation professionals, interns, volunteers, and community and nonprofit partners, HVA acts to restore, conserve and protect the Housatonic Watershed’s lands and waters. We have a long track record of success that spans eight decades of environmental defense and conservation. But as our climate shifts, our actions in the next decade will profoundly affect the long term environmental health of this place we cherish.
Today we are working in two ways to establish a healthy and climate-ready watershed by 2040:
- Follow the Forest: Conserving a 50,000-acre woodland and wildlife climate corridor across our region for wildlife habitat, clean water, and carbon and temperature moderation.
- Clean, Cold and Connected: Restoring and protecting 500 miles of rivers and streams along with the groundwater that recharges these waterways and our local drinking water, too.
At the same time, we help young people enjoy and care for our natural world, working directly with 5,000 of these future leaders in recent years. We help families explore rivers and trails through paddles, hikes and outdoor celebrations. We fight for public policies that embrace the notion that environmental protection and economic vitality can and must go hand-in-hand. And we seek common sense solutions that protect clean water, strategically important lands and equitable access to our region’s exceptional natural environment.
Together, we can do this!
Clean, cool rivers and drinking water; thriving woodlands and healthy habitats; livable communities for our children and grandchildren – you can help make this happen. Learn more at www.hvatoday.org.
