Coordinating, educating, and promoting stewardship for the benefit and enhancement of the Batten Kill watershed in New York and Vermont.
| About the Batten Kill | |
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The Batten Kill has its origins in the Green and Taconic Mountains of Vermont. The watershed area of about 450 square miles lies within nineteen towns of New York and Vermont. The river begins in forested headwaters and flows through towns, farms, fields, and forests, turning west to enter New York and join the Hudson. This river flows through peaceful and scenic valleys, and provides habitat for trout and other wildlife, as well as recreation for swimmers, hikers, canoeists, tubers, and nature lovers. The Batten Kill is nationally known as a trout stream. However, some changes have come to this watershed in which the quality of life matches the scenery. |
Topographical Map of
the Batten Kill Watershed  Click map for an enlarged view. |
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The brown trout population has declined recently, for reasons yet unknown. Severe floods in December 2000 caused great damage to roads, fields, and houses. Farmland is being lost to erosion. Impermeable paring lots grow in size and number, increasing run off, pollution, and sedimentation in streams and alertering the balance of ground water absorption and flooding.
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For a fascinating history of the Batten Kill, find yourself a copy of John Merwin's "The Battenkill". More than simply a history of the river or its watershed, Merwin's book is a unique combination of geology, natural history, and pre-and post-Colonial human history.
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