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Support The Bashakill
Every purchase helps protect the Bashakill through education, conservation, and community outreach.
BKAA Sweatshirt
Swamp People Tote
BKAA Hat
Swamp People Tee
The Basha Kill Area Association
We serve as a local environmental group for the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area through education, advocacy, and community services.
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SINCE 1972
We Are Here To Protect Our Wetland
Since our founding in 1972, Our mission has been to protect the Basha Kill wetlands and surrounding area from ecological degradation, to promote education and respect for the environment in general and to preserve the beauty of the area.
The Association consists of some 600+ members working together to preserve the unspoiled Ecosystem of the beautiful and unique Basha Kill.
Key Aspects About Us
AN ECOLOGICAL GEM FOR CENTURIES
The Bashakill lies in the valley between the Shawangunk and Catskill ridges, flowing south from Summitville to join the Neversink River below the wetlands, and on to the Delaware River.
The Basha Kill (kill is Dutch for stream) became a lake when a glacier came down off the Catskill Ridge. Debris dammed the area where the Pine Kill met the Basha Kill in Westbrookville. Most of the Hudson Valley was glacial lakes at this time. As plants as trees began to fill in the area, organic matter filled the lake, turning it into a wetland.
The Bashakill is named for the Leni Lenape medicine woman, Basha. Basha and her village settled in this area due to its biodiversity. The Catskill Ridge consists of acidic soil, the Shawangunk Ridge is basic. This provides a plethora of plant life, including every medicinal plant (except salt water plants) needed by Basha. While we don't know exactly when Basha lived, there are maps dating back to the 1600's with her name on them.
During the D&H Canal and O&W Railroad eras, the wetland was drained for agricultural use due to its rich soil.
In 1972, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recognized the ecological importance of the area, and eventually purchased 3,107 acres of wetland and adjoining woodlands to create the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
-Irresponsible Over Development of the surrounding area.
-Invasive species such as Water Chestnut and Barberry.
-Pollution
-Climate Change
Basha Kill Needs You
Generous people like you power our work to wildlife and the places they need.
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Basha Kill Needs You
Generous people like you power our work to wildlife and the places they need.
Updated News and Guides
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Our quarterly newsletter that covers various community events, enviornmental successes, and scientific research done on the Bashakill Wetland. With just under a thousand recipient's receiving each issue; we've been able to advocate for state, county, and municipal level changes to help protect the land we love.
A comprehensive guide of the life that lives in the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. It includes a seasonal list of organisms you might find, checklists for personal records, short descriptions of endangered species, etc. All proceeds go towards the BKAA's goal of teaching and practicing envioremental conservation.
Subscribe To Learn About the
Bashakill & What You Can Do To Help
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