One Bug on the Upper Delaware River

April 26th through 28th, 2013 marks the dates of the 6th Annual One Bug fly fishing tournament put on by the Friends of the Upper Delaware River as a fund raiser to benefit the river system.

To date, this event has funded spawning tributary restoration and several bank stabilization projects on the system. Please come out and have a good time and join with friends 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. 

Check out http://fudr.org/ for more information.

11 REPRESENTATIVES INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN

Legislation makes habitat, water quality and flood control improvements

WASHINGTON — A group of 11 bipartisan representatives from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey today introduced legislation to improve restoration and conservation efforts in the Delaware River Basin. With competitive grants to incentivize public-private partnerships and improved coordination among stakeholders, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act will improve habitat, water quality and flood control for fish, wildlife and people. 

Despite its estimated $26 billion economic impact on the region annually, Delaware River restoration efforts receive very limited federal resources compared to similar watersheds across the country. The legislation creates the Delaware River Restoration Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and authorizes a competitive grant program and technical assistance to leverage federal resources available to the basin. 

Grant applications that demonstrate collaboration between organizations, universities, and governments will be more likely to receive funding. The federal share of the cost of a project can be no more than 50 percent, incentivizing applicants to seek out significant private investment to match the federal commitment. 

The legislation will not add to the current budget deficit, as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will use its existing budget to implement the provisions of the legislation. 

The following members of Congress signed onto the bill as original co-sponsors: 

      · Representative John Carney (D-DE)

· Representative Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
· Representative Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
· Representative Rob Andrews (D-NJ)
· Representative Chris Gibson (R-NY)
· Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ)
· Representative Pat Meehan (R-PA)
· Representative Jon Runyan (R-NJ)
· Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-PA)
· Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA)
· Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA)

“Since our state sits at the mouth of the Delaware River, we are highly invested in the overall health of the basin, which provides our region with an abundance of resources, from drinking water to wildlife,” said Congressman John Carney (D-DE). “Doing what we can to conserve and restore the basin is not just the right thing to do environmentally -- but also economically. This legislation will help government, nonprofit groups, and private industry work cohesively to preserve the vibrancy of the Delaware River Basin for future generations.” 

“Although organizations like the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Delaware River Basin Commission are successful in their respective efforts, existing programs have limited resources to fully address the habitat, recreation, and water-related challenges in the entire Basin in a fully coordinated manner,” said Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA). “This legislation will enable the Delaware River Basin to compete for federal support on the same level as the other major watersheds around the country and get all the relevant agencies and organizations working together to keep the river clean.” 

“The Delaware River Basin has a positive economic, environmental and public health impact in South Jersey and communities across the Northeast. Our actions today seek to protect this natural resource and ensure a coordinated strategy for its long-term prosperity. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this critical legislation,” said Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ). 

“The Delaware River Basin is a vital resource for jobs and economic growth in our region and it must be protected,” said Congressman Rob Andrews (D-NJ). “By boosting state, federal and local efforts to enhance our river basin, there will be more demand for recreational use of our waterway, which will attract new economic development and demand for jobs in our region. This is truly a win-win that I am proud to sponsor.” 

“A coordinated strategy for protecting and restoring the Delaware River Basin will bring real and lasting benefits to the Basin's aquatic, bird, and wildlife populations, as well as the more than 15 million people who rely on the watershed for drinking water,” said Kim Beidler, Project Coordinator for the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. “The members of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed would like to thank the legislators who are sponsoring this vital piece of legislation that will help secure the future of the Delaware River Basin, from its headwaters in pristine Catskills forests to its mouth at the Delaware Bay, and all of the habitats and landscapes in between.” 

“The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act will protect and restore waterfowl habitat, improve water quality, and enhance recreational opportunities for people who love the outdoors,” said Bernie Marczyk, Director of Conservation Programs for Ducks Unlimited. “Ducks Unlimited looks forward to implementing this legislation by building on our wetland restoration successes that have resulted in the conservation of more than 98,000 acres of waterfowl habitat in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. We will work with our federal, state, local, and non-profit partners to ensure future generations enjoy the valuable natural resources of the Delaware River Basin.” 

“A healthy Delaware River and Bay gives us clean drinking water, as well as fish, oysters and horseshoe crabs that provide tremendous economic value to our region,” says Jennifer Adkins, Executive Director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, A National Estuary Program. “To keep it healthy, we need smart investments in forests, wetlands, and communities, from headwaters to ocean – that’s what the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act seeks to provide.” 

“Having 210 years of history in Wilmington, Delaware, DuPont is heavily invested in the health of the Delaware Estuary. We are already actively engaged through our 'Clear into the Future' community-based program in the estuary,” said Michael Parr, Senior Government Affairs Manager from DuPont. “The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act will be a big step forward by coordinating existing programs and resources, which will benefit the overall watershed and the Delaware Estuary. DuPont welcomes the opportunity to work with other partners to advance the health of the watershed and the estuary in a coordinated fashion.”

“Philadelphia Water has been a participant of coordinated source water protection efforts in the Schuylkill River; establishing a similar program for the Delaware watershed would be great for protecting water supply and citizens' health,” said Kelly Anderson, Manager of Philadelphia Waters Source Water Protection Program.

Alleviating Thermal Stress on the Upper Delaware

The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) will hold the next monthly meeting of its Water Use/Resource Management Committee (WU/RM) on Tuesday, February 19, at 7 p.m. at the UDC office, 211 Bridge St., Narrowsburg, NY.

Dr. Peter Kolesar and Jim Serio will offer a Power Point presentation on “Alleviating Thermal Stress on the Upper Delaware” at the beginning of the meeting.

The agenda will include new and old business, updates on ongoing projects, reports of recent meetings, and notices of upcoming events.

All committee meetings are open to the public. For further information, call the UDC office at (845) 252-3022 or visit www.upperdelawarecouncil.org.

Upper Delaware Council Elects 2013 Officers

The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) board elected Damascus Township, PA Representative Jeffrey R. Dexter as its 2013 chairperson at the non-profit organization’s annual meeting held January 3 in Narrowsburg.

A swearing-in ceremony and public reception will take place at the Feb. 7 UDC meeting, at which time Chairperson Dexter; Vice-Chairperson Andrew Boyar, Town of Highland, NY; and Secretary-Treasurer John B. Niflot, Town of Fremont, NY, will take their oaths of office.

Jeff Dexter began his Council service in January 2010 as a first alternate before he assumed the role of Damascus’s UDC representative two years later. He was elected as the UDC’s vice-chair in 2012.

As chairman of the Damascus Township Board of Supervisors on which he has served since 2006, Dexter was influential in the Wayne County municipality’s vote on July 21, 2008 to join the Upper Delaware Council.

The 63-year-old Cochecton, NY native graduated from Narrowsburg Central School in 1967 and earned a 1971 Bachelor’s degree in Resources Management from the College of Forestry at Syracuse University, including one year of study at SUNY Alfred Agriculture and Technical College.

Retired after 33 years working in the Arizona State Parks System, Dexter is the Volunteers-in-Mission Team Leader for disaster recovery projects through the Damascus Methodist Church, the sponsor’s representative to the Northeast Council of the Boy Scouts of America for Troop 122 in Damascus, a member of the Penn State Extension Agricultural Board for Wayne County, is active with the Damascus Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and belongs to numerous local historical societies.

Jeff and his wife, Linda, are the parents of three children, Bethany, Jonathan, and Kari. The couple resides in a log home they built in Damascus.

2013 UDC Vice-chair “Andy” Boyar re-joined the board in January 2010 after becoming his town’s first representative from March 15, 1990 when the Town of Highland joined the Council under his leadership as town supervisor, through the UDC alternate representative positions he held from 1991 to 1993.

Boyar was re-elected as Highland’s town supervisor in 2010 after having previously held that office for 13 years starting in 1981. He is a former chairman of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors.

In addition to being a member of the UDC’s Water Use/Resource Management Committee, the Eldred resident currently serves as president of the Trout Unlimited Upper Delaware Chapter; trustee and officer for the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum; and is a member of the Federation of Fly Fishers and Ducks Unlimited.

“Jack” Niflot was elected as 2013 UDC secretary-treasurer for his 12th, non-consecutive term. He filled the position from 1997-99 and 2005-2012. Niflot was first appointed to the UDC as an alternate in 1994 and became the town’s representative in 1997.

The Mileses resident has served as a councilman on the Fremont Town Board since 1994.

Niflot is a founder, the current president, and newsletter editor of the Basket Historical Society of the Upper Delaware Valley, which operates a seasonal museum in Long Eddy, and is also secretary-treasurer for the Fremont Center Community Church.

The Upper Delaware Council was established in 1988 under a Cooperative Agreement partnership with the National Park Service to oversee the coordinated implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a component since 1978 of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

For more information on the organization and its activities, visit the Council’s website at
www.upperdelawarecouncil.org or call the Narrowsburg office at (845) 252-3022.

Plug Gets Pulled on Lower Woods Pond

Lower Woods Pond is part natural and part manmade.  It's the manmade part that's become the problem.

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) announced that due to concerns about the integrity of the dam that transformed this 50 acre natural lake into a 91 acre man-made lake, the lake will be drawn down to it's original size.

“Failure of the dam does not appear to be imminent, but the dam’s earthen embankment and its spillway do not meet current engineering or regulatory standards,” said Jack Rokavec, PFBC chief of engineering. “In addition, observed seepage paths may be indicative of internal erosion which could represent a serious dam safety condition.”

“The Commission takes its regulatory and public safety responsibilities very seriously,” he added. “The Commission is drawing down the reservoir to protect the lives and property of the 25 residents living downstream."

The lake is expected to drop at the rate of half a foot per day. This shrinking of the lake has caused the PFBC to lift all regulations as to size limits. creel limits and seasons on the lake through March 31, 2013. This should be an interesting place to fish with the Wild West atmosphere that could ensue.

“We have chosen to temporarily lift the regulations in order to reduce the number of fish in the lake in anticipation of a reduced lake size,” said Dave Miko, chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management. “We want anglers to fish the water and harvest and make good use out of as many fish as they can.”

Maybe some fish relocation to other lakes in the area would have been a more sporting alternative.

Due to the draw down the boat ramp has been closed too.

Lower Woods Pond is located in Lebanon Township, Wayne County. It is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and managed by the PFBC. Construction costs to repair the facility are estimated at $2 million.

The lake’s dam is one of 11 dams managed by the PFBC which are classified by the state Department of Environmental Protection as high-hazard and unsafe. Nine of the dams do not have funding. Fixing the nine unfunded dams would cost about $43 million.

Oil Slick Could Reach Delaware River

The former Erie-Lackawanna Railroad site is now owned by the city of Port Jervis, NY on the southern end of the Upper Delaware River National Scenic & Recreation River.  This also happens to be on the northern end of another national park, The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  Between these two National Parks there is over 110 miles of river supposedly protected.

I say supposedly because the latest thing to surface (no pun) is an underground oil slick made up of more than 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel that could contaminate the special protection water of the Delaware River.

The NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) plans on building an interceptor trench to prevent the oil slick from reaching the river. The oil slick is currently located about 1/4 mile from the site and officials estimate that it could take 20 years for the oil to reach the river.  I don't know about you, but that makes me feel much better since we all know "officials" are always right.

Why doesn't the state use some of the modern technology that exists in the oil & gas industry to suck this diesel fuel from the ground.  It's 10,000 gallons of already refined crude oil that should have a better use somewhere else. Or is it the technology that can extract natural gas from thousands of feet below the surface not capable of extracting an oil slick from several feet below the surface?  Is it not a safe technology?

We can expect to see more of these situations if fracking for natural gas is ever allowed in the Delaware River Basin. It might be diesel fuel or some other harmful product or by-product the gas industry will leave behind. That's one thing history has taught us about that industry, they don't discriminate.

Delaware Watershed Conservation Coalition’s Suggested Changes/Additions to FFMP/OST

Changes are definitely needed in the current water management plan and the Friends of the Upper Delaware River was at the most recent Delaware River Basin Commission's (DRBC) Regulatory Flow Advisory Committee's (RFAC) meeting adding their two cents for the health of the river and fish.

You can read their comments and input here: http://www.fudr.org/blog/2012/12/12/delaware-watershed-conservation-coalitions-suggested-changesadditions-to-ffmpost/