Basher Kill

{{short description|Stream in Orange and Sullivan County, New York, U.S.}}

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox river

| name = Basher Kill

| name_other = Basha Kill, Baska's Kill

| name_etymology = Named after Bashee, a local Native American

| pushpin_map = New York

| pushpin_map_caption = The location of the mouth of Basher Kill

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = United States

| subdivision_type2 = State

| subdivision_name2 = New York

| subdivision_type3 = Counties

| subdivision_name3 = Orange, Sullivan

| source1 = The Basha Kill Marsh

| source1_location = Wurtsboro, NY

| source1_coordinates= {{coord|41|31|17|N|74|32|23|W}}

| source1_elevation = {{Convert|540|ft|m|abbr=on}}

| mouth = Neversink River

| mouth_location = Godeffroy, NY

| mouth_coordinates = {{Coord|41|26|58|N|74|35|35|W}}

| mouth_elevation = {{Convert|459|ft|m|abbr=on}}

}}

Basher Kill is a stream in Orange and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of New York.{{GNIS|974184|name=Basher Kill}} It is a tributary to the Neversink River.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivopAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA392 | title=An Outline History of Orange County: Together with Local Tradition and Short Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers, Etc | publisher=T. E. Henderson | last=Eager | first=Samuel Watkins | year=1846 | page=392}}

The stream headwaters are at {{coord|41|35|10|N|74|27|58|W|display=inline}} and elevation of approximately 540 feet in Sullivan County just north of Wurtsboro and connected to the Delaware and Hudson Canal. The stream flows to the southwest paralleling U.S. Route 209 passing under New York Route 17 southeast of Wurtsboro.Wurtsboro, NY, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1943 (1954 rev.) The stream enters Orange County at the village of Westbrookville.Yankee Lake, NY, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1966 (1990 rev.) The stream continues to the southwest crossing under New York Route 211 to its confluence with the Neversink River at {{coord|41|26|58|N|74|35|35|W|display=inline,title}} at an elevation of 459 feet. The confluence is just northeast of the community of Myers Grove.Otisville, NY, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1969 (1979 rev.)

Basher Kill was named after {{notatypo|Bashee}}, a local Native American woman. Many variant spellings have been recorded, including "Ba-sha Kill", "Basha's Kill", "Basher's Kill", "Bashers Kil", Bashers Kill", and "Bashes Kil".

The stream flows through Basha Kill Wildlife Management Area, a manmade wetland maintained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as a New York State Wildlife Management Area.{{cite web | url=http://thebashakill.org/basha-kill/ | title=About The Basha Kill | publisher=Basha Kill Area Association | accessdate=10 March 2018}} The NYSDEC built a dam along the watercourse in the 1970s to preserve the Basha Kill and its wildlife.