Introduction: The Genesee River Watershed. The Genesee River and its watershed are a major tributary of Lake Ontario. The river rises on the Allegheny Plateau in the town of Ulysses, Potter County, Pennsylvania, approximately fifteen miles south of the New York State line (GFLRPC, 2004). The river flows north through Allegheny, Livingston, and Monroe counties and forms a portion of two borders between Livingston County and Wyoming or Monroe counties. Letchworth State Park runs along the Genesee River encapsulating 14,350 acres of the watershed and contains the "Grand Canyon of the East," a gorge 550 feet deep and six miles long. Section 1: The Genesee River Watershed Today According to the New York State Department of Environment Conservation (NYSDEC) the Genesee River Watershed (GRW) in New York covers 2,373 square miles of land across most or portions of nine counties (2010) . Within New York, the watershed contains 5,048 miles of rivers and streams that connect to the 144-mile Genesee River tributary of Lake Ontario. Cassadaga Creek is the largest tributary of the Genesee River, the next three largest being Honeoye Creek, Oatka Creek, and Black Creek. There are thirty-one substantial bodies of freshwater within the watershed amounting to 13,288 acres. The four largest bodies are Lake Conesus, Mount Morris Reservoir, Hemlock Lake, and Lake Honeoye (NYSDEC, 2010). Land use within the watershed is diverse and includes land ranging from mixed urban, agricultural, forested, wetland, and rural residential land. , commercial and industrial. Agricultural land covers approximately 52% of the river basin and forest land occupies 40%. The remaining 8% is a mix of developed, undeveloped lands, wetlands… half paper… timber sales. However, overexploitation of a stand can cause massive land degradation. NYDEC could impose stricter restrictions on how a stand can be harvested, which could allow for a sustainable harvest and still promote the other benefits of forestation. Repairing old broken sewer systems must be a priority. Outdated septic systems should also be a priority. The cost of these repairs would be too much for many homeowners. A grant or tax incentive may be one way to make these repairs more accessible. Education for all stakeholders and representatives is a necessity. To form a solid collaborative foundation in cleanup, the people and groups involved need to know what is expected or needed from them. They also need to know that agreeing to a project that may not be their favorite idea but benefits the whole may be necessary.