Land Use Leadership Alliance training 2026
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance, New York Sea Grant, and Pace University’s Land Use Law Center brought the award-winning Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) training program to members of the Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network this spring.
The 2026 cohort included representatives from the Town of North Greenbush, Town of New Lebanon, Town of Hurley, Town of Stanford, Rockland County, and Ulster County. Students from Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy graduate school program also joined the training. This group convened at the Hudson Area Library in Hudson, NY for three full days in April and May for presentations, mapping flood vulnerabilities, and sharing their work and questions about land use processes and opportunities to improve local flood resilience.
The Pace University Land Use Law Center provided participating municipalities with a set of potential strategies to consider for improving local laws and flood resilience using the Resilience Implementation and Strategic Enhancements (RISE) Local Assessment Tool, which was developed by FEMA and EPA. The RISE assessment process included reviewing each municipality’s current zoning and comprehensive plan to understand how the community is currently addressing resilience, along with opportunities to refine laws and policies in a way that improves resilience and helps achieve local goals.
Each participating community left the program with a trained leadership group, as well as an implementation plan for next steps on flood resiliency.
This program is supported by funding from The Nature Conservancy's Climate Resilience Grant Program.
The Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network connects local governments committed to taking actionable steps to manage current and future flood risks. The Flood Resilience Network is co-facilitated by New York Sea Grant and the Hudson River Watershed Alliance.
Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network programs and trainings are open to Members and Partners. Members are representatives from municipal and county governments in the Hudson River estuary watershed. This includes elected and appointed officials, staff, and volunteers. Partners are staff from agencies, regional organizations, or private-sector consulting firms working in the Hudson River estuary watershed that support Members’ flood resilience goals.
To join the Network and gain access to the upcoming spring programs, visit https://www.hvfloodresiliencenetwork.org/join and complete the Member or Partner form based on your role. The Network is free to join.