Ausabe Freshwater Center
Since 1998, the Ausable Freshwater Center (formerly the Ausable River Association) has protected our streams and lakes, their water quality, and the many forms of life that depend on them. We're a community-supported organization that formed as a result of the first watershed-wide scientific study of the Ausable River, conducted in 1994 by the National Park Service. We're a small nonprofit with a big impact, and our approach is unique in the region. Through active partnerships, we combine smart, field-based science with engaged stewardship to produce practical solutions for streams, lakes, and watersheds. Originally, the organization comprised representatives from each of the seven watershed towns and its work was largely funded by county and state agencies. The organization has since evolved into the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC)–a nonprofit organization of concerned citizens who live, work, and play in the watershed. We work cooperatively with landowners, municipalities, and government agencies to conserve the valued resources of the Ausable watershed. We are supported primarily by public and private project-based grants and by private donations from members and supporters. We accomplish our mission of helping communities protect our streams and lakes through water quality monitoring, stream restoration and culvert replacement, river user education via our river steward, porta-john placement along the Ausable River, watershed-wide clean up events, guided river tours, and more.
- We're advocates for clean water, healthy stream and lake habitats, for brook trout and the myriad native species that depend on the river.
- AFC’s programs protect the clean waters, healthy streams and lakes, and diverse native wildlife of the Ausable watershed and beyond.
- AFC’s staff monitors the health of our waterways, sharing what we learn with our community to better understand changes and find practical solutions.
- We restore streams, rebuilding their form and function, repairing erosion that threaten homes and businesses, and replacing culverts to reduce road damage and ensure fish passage.
- AFC provides resources to anglers, paddlers, and other recreational users encouraging them to enjoy and steward our rivers, streams, lakes, and adjacent lands.
- We share our knowledge freely with young and old, landowners, municipal employees, and technical experts - through workshops, events, and one-on-one interactions.
We work cooperatively with a wide array of organizational partners, often behind the scenes and far from the limelight. Like the river, we're the force connecting the diverse parts.
We dream big, plan carefully, and then get good work done.
Please Join Us
The Ausable Freshwater Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit incorporated in the State of New York.
