Unfurling & Action: An Update From The Waterfall Center
- The Waterfall Center
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Dear friends,
In the Schoharie Valley bioregion, this part of Spring feels less like a beginning and more like a deep breath held in common, a season that gathers people back into relation, with the land and with each other. Green has begun to settle across the hillsides, the creeks carry a steady, bright movement, and the days stretch open with a quiet generosity.
There is so much to notice. The layering of growth, the return of familiar sounds, the way the landscape holds both change and continuity at once. It reminds us that beauty is not a fleeting moment here, but something practiced and tended over time.
Within that, we remain aware of the pressures that move alongside it.
Proposals like the Constitution Pipeline and the expansion of data centers continue to surface in our region. These forces move with a different rhythm than the land, faster, extractive, often unseen until their impacts are already taking shape. They ask us to consider what kind of future is being built here, and for whom.
But what is equally present is the response.
Across the valley, there is a growing sense of shared purpose—neighbors organizing, conversations deepening, and communities stepping forward to protect what they love. At the Waterfall Center, we are continuing to build partnerships and develop programs that support this collective work, creating space for learning, collaboration, and place-based action. It is in these connections that something enduring is forming and nurtured.
Spring, in its fullness, offers both invitation and grounding. To participate. To care. To recognize that the strength of this place lies not only in its landscapes, but in the people who show up for it, again and again. We are grateful to be part of this unfolding with you.
With care,The Waterfall Center for Bioregional Learning Team
ACTION ITEMS
CONSTITUTION PIPELINE: PUBLIC COMMENT SUBMISSIONS - DUE MAY 4TH
For Constitution Pipeline proceedings, there are no Scoping Meetings proposed, just an open comment period where comments can be submitted through FERC’s online docket portal, or by mail.
Scoping meetings are designed to help FERC determine the scope of its environmental analysis, and should focus on what you want studied, and how you want it studied. Members of the public, and especially municipal officials and project abutters in affected towns, should be making demands for the scope of the environmental study that FERC is obligated to undertake, and requesting specific types of impacts to be investigated by the firm hired by FERC to conduct the study.
“Don’t build the pipeline” is a valid suggestion. Scoping comments should focus on what you want studied, and how you want it studied. There is no need to have the answers or provide specific details to FERC as they will be doing that investigation for themselves.
IN THE KNOW
CONSTITUTION PIPELINE: Understanding the impact of the proposed Constitution Pipeline starts with knowing where the route will cross our forests, roads, and waterways. Does the pipeline cross your property? View this INTERACTIVE MAP to see more detail about where the route for the proposed Constitution Pipeline will run. If you would like more information about the potential pipeline, please visit our webpage HERE.
Email tanja@waterfallcenter.org to get a ROUTE sign for your location. Delivery available if you can’t pickup!
WATERFALL CENTER GUEST BLOGGERS: The Waterfall Center invites community members to become guest bloggers and share their unique experiences in the Schoharie bioregion. Whether you’re a hiker, farmer, hunter, fisher, artist, or simply someone with a meaningful connection to this landscape, we welcome your voice. Submissions can include stories, reflections, artwork, photos, or videos that capture your relationship with the land and its waterways. We especially encourage youth to contribute and share their perspectives. Help us celebrate and document the diverse connections that make this bioregion so special.
Please submit your entires, or expression of interest to sarah@waterfallcenter.org - we will also be announcing themes and prompts soon to help inspire your stories!
