Fall/Winter 2018
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TThhee UUppppeerr DDeellaawwaarree A newsletter about the environment and people of the Upper Delaware River Valley in NY & PA Volume 31 Number 2 Published by the Upper Delaware Council, Inc. Fall/Winter 2018 In This Issue... Derailment Dumps Diesel Pages 1, 10 and 11 Upper Delaware Profile: Roger Saumure, Shohola Twp. Page 2 UDC Presentations Round-up Page 3 DEPOSIT DERAILMENT: At approximately 2:01 a.m. on August 9, a New York, Susquehanna NY-PA Bridges Advance; & Western Railway freight train with 63 cars derailed after flooding had eroded a section of the train tracks near Hale Eddy Road in the Town of Deposit. While the 15 cars that derailed Hancock Honors Its Veterans were empty of cargo, approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel from two of the four locomo- Page 4 tives spilled into the West Branch of the Delaware River. (Contributed Photo by NPS) Lenape Rising Nation Journey Page 5 UDC Activity Highlights Train Derailment Dumps Diesel into Pages 6 and 7 Raft Trip Attracts 90; Fracking River, Raises Emergency Concerns Regulations Still in Works Page 7 Damage from an August 9 derailment Two crew members on the train escaped History of Acid Factories; and diesel fuel spill into the river from a harm. The New York State Police took the Preserve Community Character train carrying some hazardous materials precaution of evacuating nearby residents. Page 8 may have been quickly contained, but the “The cause of the derailment appears to Future of UPDE Storytelling; incident revealed communications break- be from a washout from the recent storms National Park Service Hires 2 downs and safety improvement opportuni- and flash floods. The NYS&W is cooperat- Page 9 ties that require careful attention. ing with all state and local agencies on a Scenic Byway Gains Members Fifteen rail cars out of a 63-car New full investigation of the derailment,” said Page 10 York, Susquehanna & Western Railway Melanie Boyer, spokeperson for Central Memoriam: George Rosenberger (NYS&W) freight train heading westbound New York Railroad (CNYR) which has Page 11 from New Jersey to a Binghamton inter- operated the 123-mile Southern Tier line News, Views, and ‘To Do’s’ change went off the tracks above the Hale between Binghamton and Port Jervis on Page 12 Eddy Bridge parallel to State Route 17 in lease from Norfolk Southern Corp. since the Town of Deposit at 2:01 a.m. The Upper Delaware 2005. NYS&W has had “overhead” traffic available on-line or by mail! Two empty cars toppled into the West rights on the line since 1982. Branch of the Delaware River and were The National Park Service (NPS), which Access this newsletter at www.upperdelawarecoun- partially submerged. has jurisdiction over the federally-designat- cil.org, or to request a free The New York State Department of ed Upper Delaware Scenic and Recre- print subscription, return Environmental Conservation (DEC) report- ational River, was not directly informed of the coupon on Page 11, or call us at (845) 252-3022. ed that a large percentage of the train’s the derailment or spill. Thank you for your interest. 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the “This was a very unfortunate incident and river, causing a reddish-brown sheen on we can be thankful no one was killed or the surface and a distinct odor observed injured,” said NPS UDS&RR Chief Ranger as far south as Lordville on the main stem. Please see DERAILMENT on Page 10 Most land along the Upper Delaware River is privately owned. Please be considerate and don’t litter or trespass. Thanks! Upper Delaware Profile: Roger Saumure Upper Delaware Council, Inc. Having traveled and lived internationally, P.O. Box 192, 211 Bridge St., Roger Saumure chose to settle down in the Narrowsburg, NY 12764-0192 Upper Delaware River Valley as offering everything he was seeking for natural Phone: (845) 252-3022; FAX: 252-3359 splendor and subsistence. www.UpperDelawareCouncil.org “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere I would- The Upper Delaware is a free publication of the n’t go on vacation,” he observes. Upper Delaware Council, a 501(c)(3) organiza- “It’s an absolutely phenomenal place tion comprised of member governments from close enough to the major metropolitan New York and Pennsylvania directly affected by areas so I can still work,” Saumure adds. the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Born in Baltimore, MD 60 years ago, Saumure grew up fishing, sailing and crab- 2018 Officers bing on the Chesapeake Bay. Chairperson...................Aaron I. Robinson He earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Vice-Chairperson................David M. Dean Engineering from Drexel University in Secretary/Treasurer...............Alan F. Henry Philadelphia in 1980 and worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Ohio during New York Town Representatives his five-year academic program. Roger Saumure, Shohola Township, PA Hancock...............................Fred Peckham Post-graduate employment followed at Singapore and they married in 2000. Their Katt Judd, Alternate the Johnson & Johnson Company. son, Roger III, was born in 2001. Fremont.................................James Greier Based in Fort Washington, PA, Saumure One Saturday, Saumure made a four- George Conklin, Alternate worked as a production supervisor by day hour drive to check out a property in Delaware...................Harold G. Roeder, Jr. David Peters, Alternate and a packaging supervisor by night. Shohola Township, PA that had a dilapidat- Cochecton...................Larry H. Richardson He then moved into supply chain opera- ed cabin on 10 acres of property a couple Sean Nearing, Alternate tions. Saumure was directing the planning of miles away from the Delaware River. Tusten.................................Susan Sullivan division during the 1982 crisis when seven Having always been an outdoor enthusi- Evan Padua deaths occurred in Chicago due to the lac- ast and sportsman, he was instantly drawn Highland...................................Kaitlin Haas ing of Tylenol-branded acetaminophen to it. Serene: not so much. She was more Andrew Boyar, Debra Conway, Alternates capsules with potassium cyanide. interested in living in the suburbs than a Lumberland..............................Nadia Rajsz The actions of Johnson & Johnson to rural area. The couple was also dedicated Alternate-vacant warn the public of the poisoning risks were to raising their son multiculturally. Deerpark.............................David M. Dean widely praised as an exemplary public rela- “We had a long-distance relationship Virginia Dudko, Alternate tions response. While no one was ever until my family came here to live with me in Pennsylvania Township Representatives convicted, this incident and copycat crimes 2015,” Saumure says. Damascus............................Jeffrey R. Dexter that followed led to reforms in the packag- Now Serene has embraced the country Steven Adams, Joseph Canfield & ing of over-the-counter substances and to lifestyle, where she raises chickens and Daniel Rutledge, Alternates federal anti-tampering laws. has bee hives. The 17-year-old Roger is Berlin.............................................Alan Henry While employed by Johnson & Johnson, thriving as a senior at Delaware Valley Paul Henry, Alternate Saumure earned a Master’s degree in High School and exploring college options. Lackawaxen..................................Doug Case Judy Kuhn Conklin, Alternate Organizational Dynamics from the Saumure joined the Shohola Township Shohola.................................Aaron Robinson University of Pennsylvania in 1987. Planning Commission two years ago and Roger Saumure, 1st Alternate He went on to work for the pharmaceuti- currently serves as its chairman. Patricia Jeffer, 2nd Alternate cal company Sanofi for seven years in a In January 2018, the Shohola Township Westfall.....................................Michael Barth supply chain capacity before transitioning Board of Supervisors appointed him as the Alternate-vacant in 1995 to the technology world. 1st alternate representative to the Upper State & Regional Members Always interested in computers and pro- Delaware Council after he’d been auditing New York....................William J. Rudge, DEC ficient in code writing, Saumure became the meetings out of interest in understand- Michael J. Flaherty, Alternate involved with selling Enterprise Resource ing the challenges facing the river valley. Pennsylvania.............Timothy Dugan, DCNR Planning (EPR) business software. His public service is motivated by a Rhonda Manning, DEP, Alternate He moved to Singapore to work in Asia desire to help, noting, “I wanted to do Delaware River Basin Commission (non-vot- for 2-1/2 years, then to London in 1998, something in the community. Problem solv- ing)......Steven J. Tambini, Executive Director and to France in 2000, where he was ing is my skill set. It’s important to strike a Partner responsible for companies in Belgium, balance between preserving this really National Park Service........Gay Vietzke, Rep. Switzerland, and France until 2005. great thing we have here and not infringing Northeast Regional Director Saumure then returned to Singapore to upon people’s rights. My observation is Kristina Heister, UPDE Superintendent, Alt. start a software company but became dis- that the agreement with the National Park Staff Executive Director & enchanted with all of the travel involved. Service is very one-sided. I’d like to walk Newsletter Editor.......................Laurie Ramie He decided in 2009 to form his indepen- away feeling that the