The Hudson River Estuary and its Wallkill River tributary suffer from pollution due to excess inputs of nutrients from nonpoint source runoff. This study aimed to create outreach materials to engage land owners as advocates for riparian vegetative buffers to improve basin sustainability. The i-Tree Buffer tool was used to generate flow path derived maps of nitrogen and phosphorus loading hotspots to identify priority vegetative buffer planting sites. The study established a collaborative partnership with the Center of Native Peoples and the Environment to construct story-based outreach materials that combine traditional ecological knowledge with scientific ecological knowledge, and thereby connect more widely and deeply to help improve basin stewardship. Such stories might build on ideas expressed in the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, the duties of water, and the animacy of nature. The study initiated via letters consultation with active and potential stewards, including five Indigenous Nations, on valuation of local water resources and design of outreach materials. Seeing with indigenous and scientific knowledge to achieve environmental gratitude and sustainability Respondents stated the ecological to spiritual value of Wallkill River basin waters and riverside forests, and encouraged story-based outreach materials that resonate with local residents, as well as high visibility buffers to attract more attention.