The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program is now accepting applications for stream and floodplain management projects in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed.
Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 10, 2021.
Funding for the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Implementation Program is provided by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Stream Management Implementation Program grants are administered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and reviewed by the AWSMP Stakeholder Council.
For more information or to schedule a meeting or site visit, contact Leslie Zucker at laz5@cornell.edu or call AWSMP at (845) 688‑3047.
Register now for a Winter Snowshoe Stream Walk with the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program along a tributary to the Little Beaver Kill on the grounds of Kenneth Wilson State Campground located at 859 Wittenberg Road in Mount Tremper, NY from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, 2021. If there is not enough snow for snowshoeing, a “No-Snow” date is scheduled for Saturday, February 20. If there is still no snow on this date, a regular stream walk will be held without snowshoes.
Snowshoes and walking poles will be provided, though, participants are encouraged to bring their own gear. Those with limited or no experience snowshoeing are encouraged to attend. Instruction on how to snowshoe properly and safely will be given before venturing out on the trail.
The walk will be approximately 2 hours in length on NYS Department of Environmental Conservation land. Walk is designed for beginners but the group at times may go off trail. During the walk, educators from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County will share information about local streams and protecting water resources, and we will investigate signs of local wildlife. There will be frequent stops to point out interesting features of the stream or to discuss environmental topics. Be sure to bring your own snack and beverage.
Meet at the Kenneth Wilson State Campground parking area at 859 Wittenberg Road by 10:00 am. Participants must fill out and return a Liability and Media Release Form and a Stream Safety Pledge in order to participate.
The event is free of charge, but space is limited. Please register early to hold your spot. Register online at https://cceulster.mahaplatform.com/events/snowshoestreamwalk or contact Brent Gotsch at the AWSMP office at bwg37@cornell.edu or 845–688‑3047 ext.103.
Watershed Youth Educator Matt Savatgy providing remote learning science education for elementary school students in the Onteora Central School District. Photo by Bailey Savatgy.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) has found a way to provide watershed-based science education to Onteora Central School District elementary students.
Working directly with teachers, our youth educator, Matt Savatgy, has been providing remote instructional support since last fall. Regardless of whether they are at school or at home, students join Matt each week for a live Google Classroom science session. A wide range of watershed-related topics are covered throughout the school year. According to Matt, “Much of the elementary school science curriculum is directly relatable to the Ashokan Watershed, particularly in fourth grade.”
Savatgy uses short video clips, lots of back-and-forth discussions, demonstrations, specimens from his extensive natural history collection, and games to help students grasp required scientific concepts. Bennett Elementary School Teacher Elizabeth Lefferts says, “My students eagerly look forward to each of our science sessions with Mr. Savatgy and the interactive activities they know are awaiting them.”
As a way to extend learning beyond the remote classroom meetings students are provided with video links and activity resources for them to try at home and they are encouraged to use them while exploring their local outdoor setting. Fourth Grade teacher, Liz Corsitto, indicated that, “This year has been difficult to navigate in terms of teaching and learning virtually. Matt has stepped in to encourage our students to still love science even though it is being delivered virtually and to get involved in the science that surrounds them at home.”
The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program also provides numerous opportunities outside of school for students to learn about the importance of streams and our watershed. A couple of these activities include: The Watershed Detectives afterschool program and the annual Stream Explorers Youth Adventure. To learn more about these programs and AWSMP, visit ashokanstreams.org.
Flooding at McKenley Hollow Bridge 12-25-2020. Photo by A. Bennett.
Residents of the Ashokan Watershed unwrapped a present they probably didn’t want this past Christmas in the form of significant flooding on many of our streams. Most of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream gages reported that most of the flooding would be considered a 10-Year Flood, which has a 10% chance of occurring in any given year. While not as large or destructive as the floods resulting from Tropical Storm Irene in August of 2011, there still was significant damage to local infrastructure and erosion along our stream channels.
Over the past year there are many new residents now living full-time in the Watershed who may not be aware of the flooding issues that periodically occur in our valleys, up our hollows, and along our streams. This post is meant to provide some basic information for residents on how to identify flood risk for their home, what to do if there are damages to property, and who to contact for additional information.
Most of the major streams in the watershed have been mapped for flood risk by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). To view your flood risk and determine if your property is located within the 100-Year Floodplain (which statistically speaking has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year) you can visit the FEMA Map Service Center, input your address and look at the shading. If you see a turquoise color that means you are located in the 100-Year Floodplain. You can also access the same information by visiting the National Flood Hazard Layer, which may be a bit more user friendly. Please keep in mind that floodplain mapping is meant for flood insurance rating purposes only. Just because your property is located outside the 100 or 500-Year Floodplains (the 500-Year Floodplain is represented by orange shading) that does not mean you are guaranteed to not have a flood. Roughly 20% of all flood damages occur outside the 100-Year Flood zone. If you do not already have flood insurance for your structure you should consider getting it. Visit Floodsmart.gov (the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program) or contact your insurance agent and inquire about flood insurance.
A variety of damage can occur to a building following a flood. It is vital that you schedule a visit with your municipality’s building department to document the extent of the damage. If a structure is substantially damaged (meaning that 51% or more of the structure’s fair market value is damaged) then certain procedures need to be put into place and often the structure will need to be elevated (in the case of residential structures) or floodproofed (in the case of non-residential structures). There may be some funding available to mitigate flooding if the property has flood insurance. For more information, please visit the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s website on substantial damage.
Very often during a flood, homes with basements have standing water in them. Sometimes this is a result of overland flooding (flooding from rivers and streams) or infiltration from ground water. Regardless of the source, the basement should have the water pumped out. Sump pumps can be used to do this or for a fee many local fire departments will pump out basements. Do not enter a home with standing water unless you know for certain that the power to the structure has been cut.
If you own streamside property where erosion occurred or where the stream channel shifted or moved, you can contact the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) at 845–688-3047. Leave a message and a technician from the Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District will get back to you and arrange a site visit to view your stream and to offer you advice on what can be done to help mitigate future erosion. Keep in mind that because of the recent flooding our technicians are very busy and restrictions based on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic may cause a delay.
Flooding and damage that result from flooding can be very stressful and expensive to fix. If you live within the Ashokan Watershed and experience damage to your structure during a flood, we also recommend you contact Aaron Bennett at the Ulster County Department of Environment at 845–688-3047 ext. 109 or email aben@co.ulster.ny.us for further assistance. If you have questions about how to mitigate your home for floods be sure to read the FEMA Homeowners Guide to Retrofitting.
If you have general questions about flooding, how to read a flood map or determine if your property is located in a mapped floodplain or if you may need flood insurance please contact Brent Gotsch of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County at 845–688-3047 ex. 103 or bwg37@cornell.edu.
If you have general questions about streams and erosion you can contact Tim Koch of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County at 845–688-3047 ext. 118 or tk545@cornell.edu.
Please be sure to visit the AWSMP website at www.ashokanstreams.org for additional information about flooding and stream management.
Flooding along Oliverea Road 12-25-2020. Photo by A. Bennett.
Above are examples of images that AWSMP is requesting for the December 2020 Flood Event
The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) is requesting images and video of flooding that occurred from last month’s rain-on-snowmelt storm of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. We are most interested in flooding that occurred in the Ashokan Watershed municipalities of Hurley, Olive, Shandaken, and Woodstock. Images of water spilling out over streambanks, overtopping roads, impacting buildings and infrastructure (bridges, culverts, etc.) are what we are most interested in. Also important and very helpful are post-flood images showing wood or gravel debris piles indicating what are called “high water marks”.
Anyone with images or videos that they would like to share should contact Aaron Bennett at aben@co.ulster.ny.us. Those who choose to share images or video will need to fill out a Media Release form that gives us permission to use the images/video. Compensation will not be given for use of the images/video. These images will be used to help better understand the nature of flooding in the Ashokan Watershed and be used to help model future flood events.
The Esopus Creek is forecast to reach major flood stage this morning. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning. You can monitor actual stream conditions at the U.S. Geological Survey links for individual stream gages below: Coldbrook Allaben If you are staying in a home or rental property located adjacent to a stream in the floodplain, seek higher ground immediately. Call 911 if you are surrounded by water. Local emergency services are trained in swift water rescue techniques.
If you are not in immediate danger — stay home if possible. Low laying sections of roads near streams may be flooded and severely damaged. Do not drive through standing water. Stream flows in the Catskills are powerful — roads, bridges and culverts may be completely washed away leaving a gaping hole beneath the water surface. Wait for floodwaters to recede and follow the guidance of local authorities.
The staff of the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program wish the wonderful residents and visitors of the Ashokan Watershed a bright and happy holiday and new year.
It was a pleasure to work on stream projects with municipal officials, streamside landowners, nonprofit and agency partners, consultant firm staff, teachers and students, and program participants over the past year.
We hope you have the chance to safely enjoy being near a stream during this restful winter season!
A scene from the inaugural session of the 2020 Watershed Detectives Program held at the Ashokan Center. Photo by Matt Helffrich
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced many events and activities to be cancelled or switched to an online format and for good reason. Traditional schooling for many students in the watershed has moved online fully or in a hybrid of online and limited in-person teaching. Most afterschool activities on school grounds have been cancelled indefinitely. Sadly, because of this there is a dearth of opportunities for extracurricular activities around most subjects, though especially science education. While the concern about the safety of in-person education is warranted, there are ways to hold in-person education that reduces the risk of exposure to the virus. In an effort to provide alternative program opportunities and to get students safely engaged in a stream-based and watershed curriculum, AWSMP has relaunched our popular Watershed Detectives Program with added safety features.
Watershed Detectives has traditionally been an afterschool program held at the Bennett Intermediate School in Boiceville for grades 4–6. This year, instead of being held on school grounds the program is being offered at the Ashokan Center in nearby Olivebridge, NY and for students in grades 4–8. Holding the program at the Ashokan Center allows for good physical distancing between students and access to the Ashokan Center’s numerous trails, streams and forests for learning and discovery. Several safety protocols have been put in place along with strict sanitation procedures to reduce the possibility of infection. While the location has changed the same great programming is taking place where students will learn about the importance of streams, watersheds, and riparian areas.
“It has definitely been a challenge getting this year’s program up and running, but we have a solid plan in place in an effort to keep things running smoothly,” says Matt Savatgy, AWSMP Youth Educator and leader of the Watershed Detective’s Program. “The kids are really enjoying being together, outdoors with their friends and are actively engaged in learning to become stewards for our watershed.”
Currently, the program is full. However, AWSMP hopes to have more youth and adult programs in the coming months. Please regularly check our webpage for upcoming events and programs offered both online and in-person.
AWSMP Plant Material Center, Fall 2020. Photo by Bobby Taylor.
If someone were to step into the backyard of the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) you could forgive them for thinking they were on the grounds of a plant nursery. That’s because our backyard is home to the Catskill Streams Buffer Initiative (CSBI) Plant Material Center (PMC). The PMC is the location that holds all the plants that we use to revegetate streambanks here in the Ashokan Watershed. CSBI seeks to inform and assist landowners with better stewardship of their riparian (streamside) area through protection, enhancement, management, or restoration. CSBI recently received a large delivery of plants that AWSMP staff helped unload and sort in the PMC.
The plants in these photos will be used in eight planting sites this fall and coming spring where approximately 79,156 square feet of streambank are slated to be revegetated. To date 65 landowners have had projects completed on their properties. Over 10,000 trees and shrubs have been planted and over 18,510 feet of stream (or 3.5 miles) have been revegetated. All told 13.153 acres have been restored since 2009.
Not just any plants are used in these projects. Riparian plants that are native to the Catskill region are utilized for several reasons. Riparian plants have strong and robust root systems that grow deep into the soil and interlock with roots systems of adjacent plants. This helps keep the plants firmly rooted in the soil during floods and has the added benefit of minimizing streambank erosion. Native Catskill Mountain region plants fill an important ecological niche that non-native plants usually do not fill. They provide habitat for an assortment of other plants and animals including pollinators like bees and butterflies. They provide cover for animals helping to shield them from predators and shade the stream, keeping the water cool for several fish species that thrive in colder water, such as native brook trout. Furthermore, native riparian plants are more suited for their environment and require less maintenance than non-native ornamental vegetation.
Several of the native riparian plants that are used will be familiar to most people. These include tree species such as red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red oak (Quercus rubra), white oak (Quercus alba), paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) to name just a few. It also includes shrubs such as winterberry (Ilex verticillate), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia), elderberry (Sambucus nigra), chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), and buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) among many others. In addition, there are several different types of sedges, which are a type of grass that likes to grow in wet, riparian areas. The PMC currently holds 61 different species of native plant and there are currently over 2,000 plants in the PMC. The vast majority will be planted this fall. Any plants not used will be covered in mulch and overwintered until the spring where they will be used in planting projects for that season.
Projects for this season are already scheduled, but if you’re interested in participating in the CSBI program in a future season and have streamside property in the Ashokan Watershed, contact the CSBI Coordinator, Bobby Taylor at 845–688-3047 or at bobby.taylor@ashokanstreams.org.
AWSMP Plant Material Center, Fall 2020. Photo by Brent Gotsch.
AWSMP Educator Matt Savatgy teaches about watersheds during a hike on the Ashokan Quarry Trail
Last week on the morning of October 3rd, the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) hosted a fall foliage walk on the recently opened Ashokan Quarry Trail in Olivebridge, NY. AWSMP has a goal of hosting safe, socially distanced, in-person events if conditions allow. While it may have been a little early to experience the fall colors at their peak, there was perfect autumn weather and all ten participants had an excellent time.
The Ashokan Quarry Trail opened earlier this year and is an easy 2‑mile loop that can be completed and enjoyed by hikers of all ability levels. Key points of interest included the on-site quarry where stone used in the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir was harvested, an abandoned railroad grade and loading station, and a scenic vista where several local mountain peaks could be viewed. Along the route, AWSMP educators taught participants about watershed science, forest ecology, the history of the site and its importance in the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir.
AWSMP normally attends many community events and functions throughout the year in the Ashokan Watershed. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many of those events have been cancelled or postponed. In an effort to keep in touch with our streamside landowners and everyone who enjoys and benefits from the Ashokan Watershed, AWSMP has shifted the majority of its education and outreach programming to an online format. AWSMP educators have posted a number educational videos to our YouTube page so be sure to check those out.
When New York entered Phase 4 of reopening earlier this year, AWSMP instituted several outdoor, socially distanced events. If conditions and public health directives allow, AWSMP hopes to have more of these types of events this winter as well as next spring and summer.
Please visit the AWSMP website for the most up-to-date listings of events (online and in-person) and stay in touch through our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program is now accepting applications for stream and floodplain management projects in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed. Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 10, 2021. For more information on who is eligible and funding priorities, visit: https://ashokanstreams.org/projects-funding/ To download the application materials:Application Form (Microsoft Word)Applications Instructions (pdf) Funding for the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Implementation […]
Register now for a Winter Snowshoe Stream Walk with the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program along a tributary to the Little Beaver Kill on the grounds of Kenneth Wilson State Campground located at 859 Wittenberg Road in Mount Tremper, NY from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, 2021. If there is not enough […]
