Trout Unlimited Ashokan Pepacton Watershed Chapter
Chapter Officers
| President | Chester Karwatowski | 845-657-2312 | ckarwac@yahoo.com |
| Vice-President | Kathy Nolan | 845-688-9702 | kathynolan@earthlink.net |
| 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 | Michael Clark | |
| 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 |
June 2010 Chapter Report for NYS Council of TU
The Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter continues to focus on our strategic imperatives; Chapter Health and Viability, Youth & Education Programs, Environmental Projects, Chapter/Community Relations and Legal, Licensing and Legislative Activities.
CHAPTER HEALTH AND VIABILITY
• Our chapter membership, the key to TU’s grassroots success, continues to fluctuate due to several factors. We are redoubling our outreach efforts to keep our members informed and engaged in our chapter activities. Membership is currently at 112, down from 132 members in 2009.
• The APW Chapter was recognized as the “Sporting Club of the Year” by the Ulster County Federation of Sportsmen.
YOUTH & EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Trout in the Classroom
Trout In the Classroom (TIC). The Chapter and our members support 10 tanks in 2009/2010! A new tank was established in the Hunter Elementary School.
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 two scholarships to the NYS DEC Environmental Education camp ($325x2) for 2010. This is in partnership with the Onteora HS and Marbletown HS.
• Fly Tying Classes were conducted during the winter of 2009/2010. These were free classes focused on youth in Phoenicia and the Catskills during months of February and March.
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.
• 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 which is having a great deal of impact in the Watershed. www.ashokanstreams.org.
• Telemetry Study: Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed and Catskill Mountains chapters have co-sponsored a Telemetry Study in the Esopus Creek above and below the portal. This is the second year of this twp 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 biodiversity study on the Esopus. A major element of the study is to document effects of turbidity.
• "Didymo": Didymosphenia geminata, aka. “Didymo”, aka. “Rock Snot”, was discovered in the Esopus below the Portal in Shandaken in the spring of 2009. So far in 2010 it has not yet been seen again. More study required and several proposals are in the works with the USGS and NYSDEC.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVIES
• Trout Unlimited 50th Anniversary Activities: The Leaping Trout Art Project was conceived and sponsored by the A-P Chapter to raise awareness of TU’s 50th Anniversary, Trout and Watersheds in the central Catskills. What do trout and people have in common? They both need clean, high quality water to survive and thrive. Local artists have created 27 magnificent visions of trout leaping into the air. This art is on display at over 2 dozen local businesses from Arkville to Woodstock. These 36” leaping trout will not only raise awareness in the community and region, it will also be a major fundraising opportunity, with an on-line auction underway right now…and a final auction in October. Visit www.theleapingtrout.com for details.
• Chapter Meetings: The chapter continues to conduct regular membership meetings (September – May), fishing outings (June-August), and conservation events.
• Website: The chapter has a new world class 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 Marcellus Shales in Ulster County. We are also discussing the need for a policy on pharmaceuticals in our watershed. We are also studying the fisheries management options for recommendation to the NYS DEC for the Esopus Creek. One local chapter has recommended “catch and release” regs on the Esopus, the Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter believes there may be other approaches.
Respectfully,
Chester Karwatowski
Chapter President, Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter
845-657-2312
ckarwac@yahoo.com
www.apwctu.org