You're likely to encounter some new terms as you embark on your paddling adventures. Check out the river glossary of terms by Quinebaug River Water Trail if you don't know what it means to be pushed by a strainer and to learn a lot of other river terms. In this section, we'll talk about a very important term to know: watershed.

Watersheds

Watersheds are the areas of land water flows across before entering a stream, lake, or river. All land is located in a watershed. The Chemung Basin includes over two thousand acres. The water on this area of land drains into the Cohocton, Canisteo, Cowanesque, and Tioga Rivers that all flow into the Chemung River.

The Chemung River flows into the Susquehanna River. Eventually, the Susquehanna carries water into the Chesapeake Bay, accounting for half of the total water flowing into the Bay. So, the Chemung River Watershed includes the Chemung, Tioga, Cowanesque, Conhocton, Canisteo and Susquehanna rivers. We have a wonderful section called Know Your Rivers that will provide you with a wealth of information about each of these waterways, plus a wealth of information on the history of our rivers and how the Chemung got its name.

The Chemung River is at the beginning of the watershed that empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chemung River begins in Painted Post, NY., where the Cohocton and Tioga rivers come together. The river ends 45-miles east when it empties into the Susquehanna River in Athens, PA. The Susquehanna River flows into the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Remember, what we do upstream effects everyone and everything downstream.

Visit the Upper Susquehanna Coalition website. The Upper Susquehanna Coalition, established in 1992, is a network of county natural resource professionals who develop strategies, partnerships, programs and projects to protect the headwaters of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The USC is comprised of representatives from 16 counties in New York and three in Pennsylvania.

Learn more about watersheds and view tips for watershed protection from the Nature Conservancy.