ShareThisMembership in FUDR is available in several levels:
Individual: $35.00
Family: $60.00
Patron: $100.00
Sponsor: $250.00
Benefactor: $500.00
Grand Benefactor: $1000.00
An easy online membership application can be found at: http://fudr.org/?page_id=38
FUDR started the 2010 season with our third annual One Bug™ fundraiser, held
again this year in Hancock. It was bigger and better than ever. Fourteen teams
competed, and with your help we raised more than $52,000 to benefit the local
economy and support FUDR’s work protecting the fishery and habitat. Many healthy
wild rainbows and browns were caught and CPR was performed on all fish: Catch,
Photograph and Release. Thanks again to our loyal friends who joined us in this
great way of celebrating the new season.
FUDR hired its first employee in January 2010. Sherri Resti of Hancock has
joined our team as Executive Secretary. She has already proven to be a huge help
in making FUDR operate more effectively and efficiently.
With summer comes the sad reality that the Upper Delaware continues to be
subjected to the government’s mismanagement. FUDR remains the leader in
challenging officials in our ongoing effort to protect and improve the
world-class wild trout fishery on the West Branch, East Branch and Main stem of
the Delaware River, while also addressing flood mitigation for the safety of
local residents and visitors to the area.
Our greatest challenge is still addressing the inappropriately named Flexible
Flow Management Program (FFMP). Implemented in September 2007, the program’s
shortcomings have become more apparent as time goes by. We have seen little
“flexibility,” and we have yet to see any beneficial “flow.” The FFMP simply
does not provide the consistent cold-water bottom releases the wild rainbows,
brown trout and insect life need to survive. The rivers have recently
experienced two stretches in which water temperatures soared into the high 70’s
and low 80’s from Hancock to Callicoon. And while the fragile river ecosystem
was starved for cold water, the reservoirs that supply the East and West
Branches of the Delaware sat at above 90 percent capacity. This simply does not
make sense. With water temperatures soaring due to the flawed plan, countless
insects were killed, habitat was destroyed and lives of all trout and wildlife
disrupted.
FUDR has formed strong partnerships with other conservation groups and
several anti-flooding interest groups to contest the current FFMP. FUDR called
on the parties responsible for the faulty water release plan to overhaul the
program to insure the safety of the residents along the river and to protect the
fishery and habitat. Along with your efforts, FUDR helped stop the final
approval of the FFMP, and FUDR hopes to be an integral part of the team
designing a new release plan that will actually work.
The protection of our wild rainbow trout is a big concern. According to New
York State catch records, the population of the rainbows has significantly
dropped in recent years. The decline is attributed to high summer water
temperatures in the Main stem and the loss of crucial spawning habitat in our
tributaries. FUDR’s One Bug™ annual fundraiser over the last three years has
raised nearly $100,000. We have committed to spending the majority of these
funds on restoring Sands and Cadosia Creeks. FUDR, the National Fish &
Wildlife Foundation, Delaware County and the Town of Hancock have partnered to
protect the lives and property of local residents and our precious wild rainbow
and brown trout through continued stream restoration efforts in our area.
FUDR has taken a strong stand to protect residents and our resources from the
threats of hydrofacking in the Marcellus Shale formation. We feel the industry
is not ready to drill safely in our communities and the threats far out way the
benefits at this time. FUDR agrees with many other residents and environmental
organizations that the gas industry is not ready to drill in our basin safely
and we will do all we can to prevent an accident that could cause harm to our
health or pollute our waters.
We have hard work ahead if we are to meet our goals, and we need your help!
Your donations, ideas and efforts are crucial as we try to convince government
agencies that, when smartly managed, there is ample water available to satisfy
all downstream users while allowing our fishery to reach its full potential. We
are closer than ever to getting a release plan in place that will work, so
continued diligence is crucial at this critical stage. I would like to thank all
of you who have helped FUDR in the past and welcome all willing to help us in
the future. We can’t do this alone, so please join us in protecting this amazing
resource.
I am sure this letter contains too much information for some and not enough
for others. Please know that I am personally available by email or phone to
address any concerns or questions you may have. I’m always willing to listen.
FUDR has extremely dedicated board members who receive no financial compensation
for the countless hours they spend on this work. No other organization
understands the needs of the Upper Delaware River better than FUDR. With your
help, we can continue to fight valiantly for the health and safety of local
residents, visitors and our beloved Delaware River system.
FUDR is a non-profit 501c-3 organization so please consider a tax-deductible
donation; anything you can do will help. Please visit the FUDR web site at
www.fudr.org for more information. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Dan Plummer, Chairman of the Board
Friends of the Upper Delaware River
catskilldan@mac.com
607-363-7848
Friends of the Upper Delaware River
catskilldan@mac.com
607-363-7848
