Water Wisdom: Facts and Fun

Cornell Cooperative Extension will host the fourth in its series on Sustainable Putnam’, with a workshop on water quality on Saturday, October 24th, 9am -12noon. The event will be held at the Lawlor Building, corner of route 311 & 164, in Patterson.

The program will cover issues relating to: how to protect your drinking water, how to design a rain garden, and how to protect our lakes.

Learn about the importance of welltesting, how to have it done for a reasonable cost, how to read the test reports, and what to do if problems are found. Debra Hall, a water quality lecturer in Hopewell Junction, and founder of Hopewell Residents for Clean Water, brings us her experiences in dealing with well water problems both in her family and her community.

Speakers also include Bill Meyer, chief landscape designer for John Jay Landscape Development, who will explain how to build a rain garden, the most popular new way to reduce stormwater runoff, protect water quality and have a more beautiful landscape.

Alyssa Perrone, an aquatic ecologist from Fordham University, will discuss how to protect the ecological balance in our lakes. Because lakes are so important to Putnam County’s environmental health, this is a can’t-miss discussion.

Also on the program are Dianne Olsen and Jill Eisenstein, who will share ideas on how the world of water is changing, from supply to quality to conservation. Ms. Olsen is an environmental horticulture educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension and Ms. Eisenstein is an environmental educator and writer.

Tickets are $15 per person, $25 per couple. Reserve your seat for this exciting morning by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension at (845) 278- 6738 or by email to putnam@cce.cornell. edu. Find more information and a downloadable registration form at www.cce.cornell.edu/putnam.