Watch this video<\/a> to learn more about the management plan.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MCO-DSC04955-320x213.jpg\")
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Alone, we can only do so much. But \u201ctogether, we can transform the entire watershed,\u201d said Jennifer Bernstein, CEO and William C. Steere Sr. President.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The goals of this year\u2019s convening were as follows:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Build a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities across the watershed\u00a0<\/p>\n
Share knowledge and on the groundwork from Westchester and the Bronx\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strengthen relationships that support coordinated stewardship, resilience, and river health\u00a0<\/p>\n
The meeting began with an introduction from Siddhartha S\u00e1nchez, Executive Director of Bronx River Alliance, who remarked on several major successes. By the time the last watershed plan was completed in 2010, the Committee was able to finish 85% of the infrastructure projects they had set out to do. The new watershed plan was released in 2025, with a central goal to reduce flooding. Part of this includes a grant to plant over 2,000 trees in the next 10 years, both fortifying natural areas and improving biodiversity. S\u00e1nchez emphasized the importance of having decision-makers in the room, enforcing collaboration between the city, state, and federal government.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/beaver-320x188.jpeg\")
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Christian Murphy, Ecology and Education Manager at Bronx River Alliance, ran through the current \u2018State of the River.\u2019 Although there are still many issues to address, including sewage, trash, chemical spills, and e-vehicle waste, there is abundant evidence of improving conditions. The Bronx River Alliance has restored over four acres of habitat, their Project WASTE (Waterway And Street Trash Elimination) has removed over 200,000 items weighing over 7 tons from in and around the river, and perhaps the most exciting, a beaver has returned to the Bronx River, a happy indication that things are going in the right direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These speakers were followed by a series of brief comments by elected officials, each discussing how the Bronx River affects their district, and emphasizing their commitment and investment in protecting it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe river is critical to who we are,\u201d said Westchester County Legislator Erika Pierce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/beaver-2-320x180.jpeg\")
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\u201cWe have 1.4 million residents who deserve access to the waterfront and to clean air,\u201d said Vanessa Gibson, Bronx Borough President. She also underscored the right to \u201caccessible greenspaces, health, equity, and environmental justice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The panel highlighted real, on-the-ground projects across the Bronx River watershed from forest restoration and flood mitigation to dam removal, access, and community stewardship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To further understand how the management plan is taking shape on the ground, the panel featured a group of practitioners from across the watershed who are working to restore ecological health, reduce climate risks, improve access to the river, and engage communities in stewardship. The management plan provides a framework to align this work at the watershed scale, ensuring that individual projects contribute to a shared vision for resilience, equity, and ecological health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This sentiment was put into action through breakout groups that followed the panel, allowing guests within varying organizations to come together and share perspectives at table discussions led by members of the panel. Topics included Climate Resilience and Flooding; Biodiversity and Habitat Connectivity; Access, Pathways, and Public Engagement; and Implementation and Coordination.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MCO-DSC08680-320x213.jpg\")
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During his discussion, Matt Castro, Manager of the Westchester County Soil & Water Conservation District, noted the cyclical nature of advocacy. Community drives restoration, and restoration in turn drives community. If you keep the banks of the river clean, residents will not only enjoy it together, but will also be motivated to keep the river healthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you do upstream from another affects those downstream,\u201d said Castro. \u201cProjects and water bodies span multiple communities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gave the analogy of his kids creating crafts across the table from each other. If one spills water that runs through their sibling\u2019s art, well, that\u2019s an issue of watershed management.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s much more complicated than that, but just like any issue\u2014big or small\u2014the most powerful sentiment is that if we work together and combine our individual efforts, change will occur for the betterment of everyone\u2014humans, ecosystems, animals, and plants alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KTY_05030.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Siddhartha S\u00e1nchez, Executive Director of Bronx River Alliance, opens the Bronx River Assembly and dives into the 2026 goals.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KTY_05097.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson talks about the importance of community driving restoration.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KTY_05171.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A panel of practitioners speaks about their involvement and achievements in preserving the Bronx River.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cTogether, we can transform the entire watershed.\u201d \u2014 Jennifer Bernstein, CEO and William C. Steere Sr. President \u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-167737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}