The Council celebrates two decades of clean drinking water through working landscapes by recognzing five local environmental stewards with four awards.The evening's speakers include Eric Goldstein of Natural Resource Defense Council and Paul Rush, Deputy Commissioner of NYC Department of Environmental Protection.
In November 2013, we recognize five environmental stewards with four recognition awards. A champion of Catskills forests will receive the Karl Connell Award. We'll also pay tribute to other neighbors and supporters with the Watershed Steward Award, Pure Catskills Business Award and Watershed Agricultural Program Award. This all comes together at our 20th Anniversary Celebration on November 8. Thank you to our Business Supporters -- Rettew Engineering and Catskill Mountain Forestry Services -- for helping us recognize these individuals. Thanks also go to Farm Credit East, ACA: Robinson Bros. Excavating; and Energy Service Providers for their contributions.
For 20 years, we've been part of a collaborative effort to keep drinking water clean for nine million New Yorkers. That's 1.1 billion gallons a day, 365 days a year, for 20 years...we figure that's over 8-quadrillion gallons of water, enough to fill over 12 million Olympic-sized swimming pools!
Because of the way the Watershed Agricultural Council got started, we were a bit hesitant about when to celebrate our anniversary. Local farmers took the fight to the City in 1990, then negotiated a pilot agricultural program in 1991. The group began restructuring the whole approach in 1992; in fact, the Council officially documented its nonprofit status on September 23, 1993. Taking all this into consideration, we're celebrating our 20-year anniversary starting January 2013.
You'll know something's a part of this year's anniversary fanfare if it displays our 20-year logos, like those at right. These represent our renewed commitment to watershed communities, strong local economies, and clean drinking water, just as our mission has guided us over the last 20 years.
