How I Organize My Stewardship Work Across New York, Indiana, and Florida
As part of the American Stewardship Network, I have chosen to organize my conservation work using a simple, place-based model that anyone in America can adopt in their own community. This approach recognizes that stewardship begins at home, but it also extends outward into larger ecological systems that shape the places where we live. If you want to see information about my specific stewardship and creative projects CLICK HERE.
To make this structure clear—and replicable—I organize my work into three nested scales:
-
My Local Conservation Area
-
My Watershed Conservation Area
-
My Regional Ecological System
Below, I describe how this model works in each of the three regions where I live and spend time:
New York, Florida, and Indiana.
My hope is that these examples not only explain my own work but provide a template for anyone who wishes to begin their own stewardship journey where they live.
🗽 New York: The Hudson River Estuary Region (My Home Base)
New York is where I live most of the year, and it serves as the foundation for my personal conservation efforts. My organizing framework here includes three scales:
1. Local Scale – The Vlomankill Conservation Area
This is my personal starting point.
My home sits within the small Vlomankill watershed in Albany County.
Here is where I:
-
practice stewardship Gardening in portions of my landscape
-
observe and document wildlife
-
restore natural vegetation
-
walk the surrounding landscape
-
share lessons learned through my Field Notes
This area is small, familiar, and personal—exactly where conservation should begin.
2. Watershed Scale – The Hudson River Estuary Conservation Area
The Vlomankill flows into the Hudson River Estuary, a biologically rich and culturally significant region.
This watershed scale provides a broader context for my work and helps me understand:
-
how water moves through my landscape
-
how local actions influence downstream habitats
-
how communities connect through shared ecological systems
Anyone can find their own watershed and begin exploring it in a similar way.
3. Regional Scale – The Hudson River / Atlantic Ocean System
All rivers and estuaries ultimately belong to larger regions.
In New York, that system is the Hudson River flowing to the Atlantic.
This larger scale reminds me—and anyone following this model—that our small actions contribute to much bigger stories.
🌴 Florida: The St. Joseph Sound & Coastal Pinellas Region (My Winter Home)
In Florida, I work within a completely different landscape, yet the same organizational model applies.
1. Local Scale – Cedar Creek Conservation Area
This is the area directly surrounding my residence in Dunedin.
It includes:
-
the lands within the Cedar Creek Watershed
-
my immediate neighborhood
-
nearby green spaces and drainage features
Cedar Creek Park is a neighborhood where we have a residence, and it is located within the boundary of the Cedar Creek Watershed.
2. Watershed Scale – St. Joseph Sound & Coastal Pinellas Conservation Area
Cedar Creek flows only about 1.5 miles before entering St. Joseph Sound, part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
This watershed-based focus includes:
-
Cedar Creek
-
nearby coastal drainage systems
-
estuarine habitats along St. Joseph Sound (technically the North Clearwater Harbor)
-
upland areas that influence water quality
This is a more ecologically meaningful scale than simply “Tampa Bay,” which is not actually connected to this coastal drainage network.
3. Regional Scale – The Gulf of Mexico System
All of the water in this region ultimately enters the Gulf of Mexico.
Understanding this helps link local stewardship activities to coastal health, fisheries, and long-term ecosystem resilience.
🌾 Indiana: The White River Watershed Region (My Summer Camp)
Indiana provides an opportunity to apply the Stewardship Framework in a more rural and agricultural setting.
1. Local Scale – West Boggs Conservation Area
This area includes:
-
my camp near West Boggs Park
-
the park’s lake, woodlands, and recreation areas
-
surrounding agricultural landscapes
-
wildlife habitats that I monitor and help enhance
This is where my boots-on-the-ground work takes place during the summer.
2. Watershed Scale – The East Fork White River Conservation Area
Boggs Creek feeds into the East Fork White River, making the watershed an ideal organizing tool for larger-scale thinking.
This watershed connects:
-
rural lands
-
small towns
-
agricultural operations
-
local recreational areas
-
natural habitats along streams and wetlands
It also provides opportunities for community-based conservation education.
3. Regional Scale – The Wabash–Ohio–Mississippi River System
The waters of Indiana ultimately join the Mississippi River and flow into the Gulf of Mexico.
This large-scale context emphasizes how actions taken in a small Midwestern watershed have continental implications.
🌎 A Model Anyone Can Use
These three examples—from New York, Florida, and Indiana—demonstrate how the same simple structure can be applied anywhere:
Local Area → Watershed Area → Regional System
This model:
-
helps people understand where they live
-
connects personal actions to ecological systems
-
allows individuals to begin their stewardship journey at any scale
-
provides a replicable template for others in the American Stewardship Network
If you want to begin your own Conservation Area, simply start at home.
Identify your watershed.
Learn your region.
And begin observing, restoring, and caring for the place where you live.
That is the essence of stewardship—and the foundation of the American Stewardship Network.