Friends of the Upper Delaware River Hire Executive Director

The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) is proud to announce the hiring of Mr. Jeff Skelding as their first Executive Director.

Mr. Skelding comes to FUDR after most recently serving as the director of the Healing Our Waters — Great Lakes Coalition. No stranger to the environmental movement, he has spent decades working in various positions in the National Wildlife Federation and others.

“We are excited to have Jeff on board to help the protection and enhancement of the Upper Delaware community reach the next level,” stated Dr. Peter C. Bousum, Secretary of the Board of FUDR.

Dan Plummer, Board Chairman, added, “The mission of FUDR is to protect, preserve and enhance the ecosystem and cold-water fishery of the Upper Delaware River System and to address any environmental threats to our area for the benefit of local communities, residents and visitors to the region. We see Jeff Skelding as the right man for the challenges we face”

Mr.Skelding summed up his feelings about his new position, “To say I feel fortunate for the opportunity to serve as the first Executive Director for the Friends of the Upper Delaware River would be a tremendous understatement. As an avid fly fisherman and long time conservation professional, combining two of
my life’s passions is more like a dream come true. I have the privilege of working to protect and restore the river where I spent my entire childhood. My experiences growing up on the banks of the Delaware in southeast Pennsylvania played a vital role in shaping my future as a full time conservation professional.. Little did I know I would have a chance to help lead a committed and dedicated organization comprised of people who love this river as much as I do. Comprehensive watershed protection must address a mosaic of often complex economic, social, cultural and ecological considerations. That’s hard work. But with increasing frequency, this integrated approach is producing results across the country that benefit people, communities, wildlife, and water quality. With your help, I look forward to putting this agenda into action.”

Learn more about Friends of the Upper Delaware River by visiting http://fudr.org/

Friends of the Upper Delaware River is a non-profit corporation and the leading organization in working for the cold water ecosystem of the Upper Delaware River System. Our Mission is to protect, preserve and enhance the ecosystem and cold-water fishery of the Upper Delaware River System and to address any environmental threats to our area for the benefit of local communities, residents and visitors to the region.

West Branch Delaware River Access Re-Opened

 This just in from Friends of the Upper Delaware River:

Temporary repairs are complete at Balls Eddy access and it's now open. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has advised to use caution when using this site. This access will be permanently repaired in approximately 4 weeks.
 
The Shehawken Access repair should be completed in approximately 6 weeks.


Thanks,

Jeff Skelding, Executive Director

skelding@fudr.org

We need your help - to become an FUDR member, renew your membership, or make a donation, go to www.fudr.org

Upper Delaware Council Seeks 5K Sponsors

Businesses and individuals interested in becoming sponsors of the Upper Delaware Council’s bi-state “Strides Across the Delaware” 5K Run/Walk to be held on Sept. 28 are asked to pledge their monetary donations, gift bag items, or raffle prizes by Sept. 1st.

The UDC is organizing this professionally-timed 5K event which starts and ends in Equinunk, PA to celebrate the non-profit river conservation organization’s 25th anniversary in 2013.

Participation is only $15 for those signing up by Sept. 15. Register online through a link provided at www.upperdelawarecouncil.org or contact the UDC office at (845) 252-3022 or info@upperdelawarecouncil.org to request a registration form.

The starting gun for “Strides Across the Delaware” will fire at 9 a.m. Sept. 28 on PA State Road 1023 near the Equinunk United Methodist Church. The course crosses the interstate bridge into Lordville, NY for a short loop down the Town of Hancock’s Bouchouxville Road before returning to the finish line.

Commemorative t-shirts and gift bags are guaranteed to the first 100 participants. An awards ceremony will take place immediately after the event to bestow prizes to the top runners and walkers in gender and age categories. The Equinunk Watershed Alliance will provide food and beverages.

The UDC is offering the following incentives for sponsorship levels:

$50 Sponsor – entitled to provide a promotional item, business coupon, or brochure for the participant gift bags;
$100 Sponsor – above benefit, plus a listing on all 5K event publicity materials, including news releases, the www.upperdelawarecouncil.org website, and “The Upper Delaware” newsletter;
$250 Sponsor – all above benefits, plus a business name or individual sponsor listing on the event t-shirt; and
$500 or Higher Sponsor – all above benefits, plus a prominent placement of the business name with an optional logo on the event t-shirt.

Goods and services including print and broadcast advertisements, t-shirt printing, professional photography, portable toilet rentals, engraved awards, a portable public address system, cloth or plastic handle bags, bottled water, fruit, snack items, and raffle prizes are also welcome.

Event sponsors or contributors to date include the Equinunk Watershed Alliance of Equinunk, PA; Joe Hunt & Associates, Inc. of Montrose, PA; Wayne Bank of Honesdale, PA; Café Devine of Callicoon, NY; and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of Moosic, PA.

To arrange donations, please contact UDC 5K Coordinator Travis O’Dell at P.O. Box 192, 211 Bridge St., Narrowsburg, NY 12764, (845) 252-3022 or udctravis@frontier.com.

After Pleas by Conservation Groups, More Cold Water for Upper Delaware

After pleas by sportsmen and conservation groups, the Upper Delaware River got a much-needed pulse of cold water beginning Wednesday morning to refresh the fragile ecosystem during a stretch of above-average temperatures.

The Delaware Watershed Conservation Coalition appealed this week to state conservation agencies in Pennsylvania and New York after daytime water temperatures approached 75 degrees at Lordville, N.Y., endangering aquatic life in the cold water ecosystem of the upper Delaware River.

In response, consultations among the multi-state government agencies involved in Delaware River water management led to a decision to increase the release of cold dam water from 600 to 900 cubic feet per second over a 48-hour period.

“We’re grateful that the governing agencies and key personnel that oversee the river responded to our concerns, particularly Leroy Young at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, who initiated the formal request for more cold water, and Paul Rush at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, who spearheaded the multi-state cooperation necessary for approval,” said Jeff Skelding, executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River.

The conservation coalition noted that the reservoirs contained ample supplies of water that could have been released before the hot weather descended on the region.

“The frustrating part is that there is plenty of cold water available, and it should have been released prior to air temperatures reaching 90-plus degrees,” said Lee Hartman of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited. “On Tuesday, the Cannonsville and Pepacton reservoirs were each at 96 percent of capacity, well above average for mid-July.”

This isn’t the first time severely hot weather has threatened the unique cold water ecosystem of the Upper Delaware River. Similar situations have occurred in past summers. “While we’re pleased that the water agencies responded the way they did, this is still a good news-bad news story” said Dan Plummer, chairman of Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “We shouldn’t have to scramble for cold water at the 11th hour every time it gets hot.”

For years, conservation groups have encouraged the water agencies to devise a plan for systematic releases during the inevitable summer stretches when air and water temperatures rise.

"The economic health of our communities and the region is inextricably linked to the quality of this magnificent river resource,” said Ron Urban, president of the New York State Council of Trout Unlimited. “This won't be the last time the river will face the threat of extended periods of hot weather. The long-term solution is a heat relief program with releases tied to temperature triggers and habitat sustainability.”

Volunteers Sought in Delaware River Basin for Stream and River Monitoring

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is actively recruiting citizen scientists to collect biological samples from streams and rivers in the Genesee, Delaware, Hudson, and Mohawk River watersheds as part of the Wadeable Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) project to assess water quality.

WAVE data are used to augment the work of the DEC Stream Biomonitoring Unit, which samples streams and rivers across the state to create an inventory of stream water quality. Citizen Monitors will provide valuable information to assist in identifying healthy stream sites and flagging sites that potentially have water quality concerns. These data are included in federal and state water quality reports and help to target professional assessments and local restoration efforts where they are most needed.

Trained citizen monitors will visit streams between July and September to collect and identify insects and other small organisms (macroinvertebrates) from the rocks and rubble on the stream bottom, and preserve one example of each organism for identification by the WAVE Coordinator. If six or more of the "Most Wanted" organisms are found, the stream segment is assessed as having no known impacts and fully supporting aquatic life. If mostly "Least Wanted" organisms are found, then the stream segment will be flagged for possible investigation by professionals.

Training sessions are scheduled for July and August at locations in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County (July 15, August 7, August 21), Bainbridge, Chenango County (July 16, August 20), Port Jervis, Orange County (July 17, August 6), Angelica, Allegany County(July 29, August 13), Castile, Wyoming County (July 30, September 5), and Scottsville, Monroe County (August 12, September 4). For more information or to register for a training session, visit the DEC website.

Field & Stream Magazine Recognizes Friends of the Upper Delaware River For River Project

Field & Stream, the world’s leading outdoor magazine, has endorsed a river access project on the West Branch of the Delaware River.

The magazine gave Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) its “Hero for a Day” award in connection with the project to improve public access to the river and create a park.

Last year, a local landowner donated more than 350’ of riverfront property at 24 Laurel Ave. in Deposit to FUDR, a nonprofit conservation group. FUDR has worked to improve habitat and create parking at the site, providing new access to the river for trout fishermen, birdwatchers, and the community.

On Saturday, June 1, volunteers helped clear paths from the newly graveled parking area to the river, install guardrails, and help construct a handicap-accessible platform at the site.

FUDR Chairman Dan Plummer said a number of businesses donated time and work to the project. They include Watson Engineering of Owego, Catskill Region Surveying Services of Fleischmanns, and Wheeler Excavating of Deposit. Kelly Gutshall of Landstudies Inc. of Lititz, Penn., designed the park.

Many volunteers turned out to help, including several Trout Unlimited chapters, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers and staffers from local restaurants. The Koo Koose, a Deposit restaurant owned by Steve Lutz, donated lunch for the volunteers.

FUDR Offers Help, Urges Quick Repairs For Flood-Damaged PA Boat Launches

Hancock, N.Y.—Two busy boat launches on the West Branch of the Delaware River are closed after sustaining heavy damage during flooding in late June, and a river advocacy group is urging government officials to repair and reopen the sites as quickly as possible.

The public access sites on the Pennsylvania side of the river at Shehawken and Balls Eddy were damaged by flooding from recent relentless rains, including as much as 5 inches in some locales during a deluge on June 27 and 28.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission closed the sites due to the damage to both the parking areas and launch ramps. Friends of the Upper Delaware River has asked the agency to make their restoration a priority.

"These sites are critically important for public access and to the local economy,” said Jeff Skelding, executive director of FUDR, a nonprofit conservation group that acts as a river watchdog. “We need these access sites repaired quickly, and FUDR has already offered our assistance to Pennsylvania authorities.”

The access points offer parking for both boaters and wading fishermen. They are used frequently by the many commercial guide services that operate in the area, attracting tourists who frequent local restaurants and motels.

The Balls Eddy access ramp is located off Penn-York Road just north of Starlight, Penn. The Shehawken access is across the river from Hancock at the intersection of Pennsylvania routes 191 and 370. Shehawken is just upstream from the famous Junction Pool, where the West Branch joins the East Branch to form the Main Stem of the Delaware River.

FUDR has assisted in several Delaware River repair projects in recent years, and it is the sponsor of ongoing stream restoration projects near Hancock. 

“These sorts of storms are happening with increasing frequency and intensity,” said Skelding. “The recent damage at Balls Eddy and Shehawken illustrates the importance of protecting and restoring our streams and rivers. Smart repairs to these sites and a preventative approach to river management upstream can mitigate damage in the inevitable future flood events."