Trout Unlimited Ashokan Pepacton Watershed Chapter
Chapter Officers
| President | Chester Karwatowski | 845-657-2312 | ckarwac@yahoo.com |
| Vice-President | Kathy Nolan | 845-688-9702 | info@catskillslive.org |
| Secretary | Todd Weissner | 845-231-3275 | spireny@gmail.com |
| Treasurer | Jody Hoyt | 845-657-6369 | capthoyt@aol.com |
| Directors | Roy Meyerhoff | 845-657-2563 | |
| Mark Loete | 845-688-5400 | mark@loetephoto.com | |
| Hank Rope | 845-254-5904 | tyeflys@hvc.rr.com | |
| Ron Leonard | N/A | nrggreen@aol.com | |
| B. J. Leifeld | 845-657-2940 | bjleifeld@earthlink.net | |
| Roger Walters | 845-657-8882 | rewalt@hvc.rr.com | |
| Bruce Duffy | 845-657-6184 | eh2000@hvc.rr.com | |
| Tony Cocozza | 845-657-6044 | flyfish@hvc.rr.com | |
| Immediate Past President | Ralph Hoffman (deceased) | ||
| NYS Council Delegates | Glenn Debrosky | 845-687-9988 | |
| Jody Hoyt | 845-657-6369 | capthoyt@aol.com | |
| Roger Walters | 845-657-8882 | rewalt@hvc.rr..com |
Schedule
Annual Meeting is 4th Wednesday of September. Elections for President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer and “Current Term” directors.
Board of Directors meeting: First Tuesday of every Month 7:00 pm Boiceville Inn (Except August & July)
Chapter Meeting: Fourth Wednesday of every Month 7:00pm Boiceville Inn (EXCEPT – Third Wednesday in November & December)
In case of inclement weather, call the Boiceville Inn at 845-657-8500 after 5pm on the day of a meeting.
Full Schedule: Click here for the full schedule.
Committee Reports
| Newsletter | Open | |
| Membership | Chair | Roger Walters |
| Conservation | Chair | Bruce Duffy |
| Acid Deposition | Chair | Jody Hoyt |
| Glenn Forman | ||
| John Clem | ||
| Bruce Duffy | ||
| Public Relations | Mark Loete | |
| Annual Banquet | Chair | Tony Cocozza |
| Roger Walters | ||
| Ed Ostapczuk | ||
| Jody Hoyt | ||
| Roy Meyerhoff | ||
| Fern Hoffman | ||
| Fund Raising | Chair | Tony Cocozza |
| NYS Council Representatives | Glenn Debrosky | |
| Roger Walters (Region 3 VP) | ||
| Awards | Chair | Roger Walters |
| Tony Cocozza | ||
| Youth/Education | Glenn Debrosky | |
| Hank Rope | ||
| Chester Karwatowski | ||
| Stream Bio-monitoring | Kathy Nolan | |
| Nominations | Chair | Tony Cocozza |
| BJ Leifeld | ||
| Ulster County Federation of Sportsmen Report | Bruce Duffy | |
| Esopus Creek Steam Management Plan: Project Advisory Committee | Chet Karwatowski | |
| Upper Delaware River Management Plan: Project Advisory Committee | Lenny Millen |
November 2009 Chapter Report for NYS Council of TU
The Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter continues to focus on our strategic imperatives; Chapter Health and Viability, Youth and Education Programs, Environmental Projects, Chapter/Community Relations and Legal, Licensing and Legislative Activities.
Chapter Health and Viability
• We have established a membership goal to reach 150 members in 2009!
• The APW Chapter was recognized as the "Sporting Club of the Year" by the Ulster County Federation of Sportsmen. Our activities are becoming much more active and energized in projects and activities.
Youth and Education Programs
Trout in the Classroom
The Chapter and our members support 10 TIC in 2009 Tanks! The new tank in Hunter Elementary is in place. Looking to a partnership with the Columbia-Green Chapter who covers the Schoharie Creek on this tank. Proposed and designing a battery backup system for tanks. This is especially important over weekend/holidays give the reality of electrical power disruptions in mountaintop communities.
University Outreach and Services Projects
Continue to build our outreach and collaboration with the fly fishing club at the US Military Academy at West Point. We hosted the Cadets for another day of fishing instruction and fishing on the Esopus Creek as well as a fly tying class at the Academy with fishing instruction in the preserve at West Point.
Education
• The chapter provided a scholarship to the NYS DEC Environmental Education camp ($325) for 2009. This is in partnership with the Onteora HS where there is an active TIC program.
• Fly Tying Classes are forming for the winter of 2009/2010. These will be free classes focused on youth in Phoenicia during months of February and March. We will also restart our popular chapter meeting tying demos.
Environmental Projects and Activities
• Bushkill Watershed; Proposal by the APW chapter to do a stream assessment of the Moonhaw Creek. Working with the NYC DEP to identify areas of concern. This would be part of a larger study on the Bushkill Watershed, a major tributary to the Ashokan Reservoir and composed primarily of NYS Preserve lands.
• Results of the stream bank stabilization “demonstration planting” along the Bushkill Creek were very poor due to the location and construction techniques. Report to follow.
• Ox Clove Watershed: Proposal to conduct a Brook Trout DNA scale study with NYS DEC to determine the genetic make-up of the brook trout in this isolated creek. Proposal still under construction.
• Pepacton Watershed — Upper Delaware River; Upper Delaware River Management Plan Participation (since 2007) — proposal to remediate issues due to a dam on the upper East Branch of the Delaware that creates Holcottvile Lake. This creates thermal issues in this headwater reach. Working with Margretville Chamber of Commerce to create signage to promote fishing and the economic benefit of fishing in the watershed.
• Ashokan Watershed: Very active participation since 2004 as a member of this multi-stakeholder effort, the "Upper Esopus Creek Management Plan" Final document was finally published in January!! http://www.esopuscreek.org/
• Dave Rosgen came to the Esopus Creek and provided Level 1 training in the Ashokan Watershed this fall. This was supported by the APW chapter and sponsored by the Ashokan Watershed Management Plan.
• Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed and Catskill Mountains chapters are co-sponsoring a Telemetry Study in the Esopus Creek above and below the portal. This was the first year of this 2 year study. This is a joint project with the USGS, NYS DEC, NYS DEC, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ulster County Soil and Water and Cornell University. This is tightly integrated with a macro-invertebrate and bio-diversity study on the Esopus. A major element of the study it to document effects of turbidity.
• Didymosphenia geminate, aka. "Didymo", aka. "Rock Snot", was discovered in the Esopus below the Portal in Shandaken this spring. It quickly spread bank-to-bank in limited reaches. Amazingly the Didymo retreated during the summer and appears to be in remission. More study required and several proposals are in the works with the USGS and NYSDEC.
• Catskill Mountains Railroad: APW Chapter continues to request multi-stakeholder (landowners, towns, county, DEC, DEP, Catskill Mountains Railroad club, etc.) discussions about the need to use "best management practices" for the maintenance of the RR corridor. The RR bed forms a hardened "bank" for the Esopus Flood Plain for over ten miles. This provides potential thermal issues, stormwater runoff issues, chemical contamination issues (Creosote RR ties, defoliants, fuel and lubricants), aesthetics (noise and visual impacts). Creosote has been banned in NYS for the last 2 years (except for commercial ports or RR’s).
Community Outreach Activities
• Trout Unlimited 50th Anniversary Activities: Leaping Trout Art Project to raise awareness of the Esopus and the plight of trout in the watershed. 27 36" leaping trout cut-outs provided to local artists with events and fundraising auction planned for the spring.
• Chapter Meetings: The chapter conducts regular membership meetings, fishing outings, and conservation events
• The chapter has a new website: www.apwctu.org.
• Legal, Licensing and Legislative Activities: The Chapter Legislative Initiatives Committee is working with the Ulster County Environmental Management Committee to define a protocol to baseline groundwater resources prior to any natural gas drilling related to the Marcellis Shales in Ulster County.
Respectfully,
Chester Karwatowski
Chapter President, Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter
845-657-2312
ckarwac@yahoo.com
www.apwctu.org