Western New York lacks key infrastructure to monitor even the simplest distributed hydrologic parameters such as stream stage, stream discharge, and basic water quality. When water quality or quantity issues arise, the response is typically one of a reactive nature. Often problems go unnoticed or develop so quickly that significant damage has occurred before remediation efforts can be designed. The Western New York Watershed Network is a first step in designing and implementing a student and citizen scientist-run hydrologic monitoring system to support water resource management in Western New York. This is an initial step in a collaborative project that brings together local (Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Erie County Department of Environmental Health, Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, Seven Seas Sailing Club, and Tifft Nature Preserve) and national (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, CrowdHydrology, and National Geographic Education’s FieldScope) organizations to develop a robust watershed network focused on providing baseline data and addressing key research objectives in Western New York. This report will discuss the work done during the first year of the Western New York Watershed Network and highlight future opportunities.