The Battenkill Conservancy-New York, Inc. is a private not for profit conservation and educational organization incorporated under the laws of the State of New York. The organization is also a public charity as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue code. Washington County residents founded the Conservancy in 1990. At the present time, members and friends of the Conservancy number more than 350. 

The Battenkill is a 50 mile long river and is a tributary of the Hudson River. The length of the river is split nearly evenly between the states of Vermont and New York. The river's headwaters are in Vermont, flowing from both the wetlands bordering the Taconic Range in Dorset and from a number of forested streams in the Green Mountains, northeast of Manchester, Vermont. The mouth of the river is at Clark's Mills, New York where it empties into the Hudson River. The widest stretch of the river approaches 200 feet; most of the river is half as wide. Water quality is believed to be good in some sections and impacted by adverse land use and/or practices in other sections. Land use along the river banks include two golf courses, two wastewater treatment plants, five paper mills, many homes and many farms. The watershed is well known both in New York and in Vermont for its scenic value and its rich cultural history. It is a highly valued resource for trout fishing and canoeing.  

In New York, the Battenkill flows through parts of the rural Washington County towns of Easton, Greenwich, Jackson, and Salem.  In New York, the watershed also includes parts of the towns of Argyle, Cambridge, and Hebron as well as very small areas within the towns of White Creek and Hartford.  In Vermont, the watershed covers all or parts of the towns of Arlington, Rupert, Sunderland, Manchester, and Dorset. 

The Battenkill Watershed contains approximately 400 square miles.  Maps of the river and photo galleries of places along the river and within the watershed can be found in the gallery pages of this web site.