Water is the No. 1 environmental concern among Dutchess County residents. Concerns range from drought and flood prevention to pollution in drinking water, streams, lakes and other water bodies.
The Hudson Valley was hit hard by repeated flooding over the past few weeks. Homes, businesses, farms, roads and bridges all were badly damaged by near-record floodwaters.
Last summer, tropical storms Irene and Lee inflicted major damage on the Hudson River’s watershed. While the events may seem like a distant memory now, affected ecosystems are still recovering.
So how did 2011’s weather shake out in the grand scheme of things? First off, let’s make sure we are all on the same page regarding the difference between weather and climate.
Few of us think about the state of the atmosphere until it fails to provide us with a hospitable environment. More often than not, human activities are behind atmospheric ills.
Climate change predictions for the northeastern United States call for an increase in: precipitation, winter rain, winter flooding, and the frequency of nor'easters.
