Upper Esopus Creek MANAGEMENT PLAN VolUmE I · SUmmary of FindIngS and RecommEndatIonS 1 Cover: Detail from “Winter light” oil on paper, 26” X 48”, © 2009 miChelle Spark. 2 Upper Esopus Creek MANAGEMENT PLAN VolUmE I · SUmmary of FindIngS and RecommEndatIonS Prepared by Cornell Cooperative Extension – Ulster County New York City Department of Environmental Protection U.S. Army Engineer Research Development Center Cover: Detail from “Winter light” oil on paper, 26” X 48”, © 2009 miChelle Spark. January 2007 Preface People and Catskill Mountain streams have had to adjust to each other for several centuries.We live with the beauty of streams while also learning to live with their powerful forces as they convey water and sediment out of the watershed. The streams that have helped carve these mountain valleys have adjusted their form to natural influences such as the regional climate, geology and ecosystem. Human development on the watershed landscape - roads, bridges, houses, and towns - are another influence on the stream’s adjustment to its setting. Likewise, people adjust to the influences of the streams they live along. To sustain viable communities, we need to plan for the natural erosive and flooding forces that come with the steep slopes, melting snow and torrential rains common to the Catskills. This planning process started in 2004 With these goals in mind, the Project Team when a focus group representing diverse went to work on an “assessment” process stream interests met to identify common that would inform recommendations for issues concerning the Upper Esopus Creek improvement in these goal areas. A (defined in this plan as above the Ashokan physical assessment provided a baseline Reservoir). From these meetings, five long- characterization of the Upper Esopus term goal areas were identified, setting Creek corridor and assesses its physical the scope of this Management Plan: and ecologic condition. We have also assessed people’s opinions and needs • Flooding and Erosion about stream management as well as the • Water Quality history of human impacts on the stream. • Aquatic Ecology • Recreation This is not a manual on how to repair the Upper Esopus Creek. Given the constantly • Management Coordination changing nature of streams and how 2 sensitive they are to human intervention, York City Department of Environmental “repair” is not a practical objective. The Protection has committed new funding to site-specific “problems” identified today support Management Plan recommendation are not necessarily the problems that implementation, as detailed below. will be present tomorrow. As we who live and work along this stream know, the The Management Plan recommendations hammering floods of the last three years will be incorporated into Annual Ashokan have shown how dynamic this stream Watershed Stream Management Program is. Instead of looking at the stream as a Action Plans (“Action Plans”). The Action fixed, stationary object, this Management Plans are developed annually by the Project Plan aims to create strategies that deal Team and the Project Advisory Council. The with the stream as a dynamic system. Action Plans integrate the recommendations of all Ashokan Reservoir watershed stream General and specific recommendations management plans into annual work plans. for improving stream management are listed on page 23. Further findings on plan goals Successful implementation of the are detailed in subsequent chapters. (see Management Plan requires a commitment “How to Use This Plan,” p. 5). Some of to funding and stakeholder participation. the recommendations overlap or have some In 2008, New York City Department redundancy as this is a multi-objective of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) planning effort. Also, because this committed a total of $8.15 million dollars Management Plan reflects the collaborative in contracts for staffing an Ashokan process of the Project Advisory Council Watershed Stream Management Program (PAC) used to guide the planning process, and implementation of prioritized we often use the words support, encourage, recommendations for all Stream advocate when discussing many of the Management Plans in the Ashokan recommendations. Many entities will be watershed (including Stony Clove and responsible for the ultimate implemen- Broadstreet Hollow). $2 million dollars of tation of the plan recommendations. that funding has been allocated to a grant- based program for local implementation This final draft of Volume I of the Upper of projects. An additional $2.1 million Esopus Creek Management Plan was is specifically available for stream completed in November, 2008. Since the restoration/stabilization projects. Up to original draft in January 2007 several $400,000 dollars will be available to assist developments have taken place that require streamside landowners with restoring some content change from the original streamside vegetation for stream bank draft. Most notably, the Project Team stability. Additional funding will be has expanded to include Ulster County necessary as well. However, the current Soil and Water Conservation District allocation of funding from the DEP and the (“District”) and the Project Coordinator commitment of the local community can for Cornell Cooperative Extension is help leverage needed grants from federal, Elizabeth Higgins. In addition, New state, and private foundation sources. 3 ACKNOWLeDGeMeNTS The Esopus Creek Project Team would like to appreciate the participation, support and patience of the residents of the Esopus Creek Watershed – particularly streamside residents who have allowed us to access their backyards in completing stream assessments. We also thank you for providing infor- mation through our surveys and various community activities and interviews. Great appreciation is given to the following volunteers and agency staff for their support and generous assistance in developing the Draft Esopus Creek Stream Management Plan. We could not have completed the plan nor developed a collabora- tive effort without their participation. Many of these members assisted the process by serving on the Project Advisory Council and/or on Working Groups. Others contributed their historic photos, time, homes, and skills. We are grateful to the Town of Shandaken and Phoenicia Fish and Game Association for allowing use of their staff and facilities for meetings. We are also grateful to the entire staffs of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Stream Management Program, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County who greatly assisted the project with their support. 4 (* Indicates Project Jenn Greiser Catskill Mountain PROJECT TEAM Advisory Council New York City DEP Stream Railroad President Members) Management Program Ed Pine Cornell Cooperative Jack Issacs* Ulster County EXtension of Ulster Sam Adams New York State DEC Region 3 Highways & Bridges County Olive Natural Habitat Protection Manager Beth Reichheld* Jeremy E. Magliaro, Heritage Society Harry Jameson* New York City DEP Stream Project Coordinator Barry Baldigo Town Tinker Tube Owner & Management Program Michael C. Courtney, United States Geologi- Chairman, Catskill Lydia Reidy* Community Educator cal Survey Fisheries Mountain Railroad Executive Director, Sarah C. Tarallo, Christine Baltz* Keith Johnson* Cornell Cooperative Intern Phoenicia Rotary, Broad- Superintendent, Town of Extension of Ulster County street Hollow Landowner Shandaken Highway Pat Rudge* U.S. Army Engineer Tom Baudanza Chester Karwatowski* Esopus Creek Landowner / Research and New York City Department President - Ashokan-Pepacton former NYS Park Ranger Development of Environmental Chapter, Trout Unlimited Keith Savoury Center – Protection (DEP) Fisheries Elisabeth Kolb New York State Department Environmental Aaron Bennett * New York State Department of of Transportation, Region 8 Laboratory Catskill Center for Transportation, Region 8 Art Snyder Conservation and Development Chris Kupec Ulster County Emergency J. Craig Fischenich, The Blank Family Streamside Landowner Management Director Ph.D. P.E. Phoenicia Black Bear Amanda LaValle* Rob Stanley Campground SUNY Ulster County Town of Shandaken New York City Helen Budrock * Community College Board Member Department of Catskill Center for Berndt Leifeld* Flo Stanley Environmental Conservation and Development Town of Olive Supervisor Town of Shandaken Protection Gary Cappella * Mark Loete Highway Department Dan Davis, Ulster County Soil and Photographer / Trout Unlimited Michelle Spark* Geologist/ Water District Laurie Machung Esopus Creek Landowner Project Manager Kathy Cappella New York City DEP Wetlands Dan Spencer* USDA Natural Resource Mike Malloy Esopus Creek Landowner Conservation Service (NRCS) Former Town of Ira Stern Ed Cleveland Shandaken Zoning New York City DEP Lands Whitewater Enthusiast Enforcement Officer and Community Planning Virginia Craft* Matt Maraglio Thomas Story* Ulster County Depart- Greene County Soil & Water New York State Department of ment of Planning Conservation District Transportation Region 8 Bob Cross Jr.* Dakin Morehouse Jon Tuscanes Town of Shandaken Supervisor Catskill Mountain Railroad New York City DEP, David Fairman Glenn Miller* GIS Specialist Consensus Building Institute Town of Shandaken, Zoning Rene VanSchaack Christina Falk Enforcement Officer Greene County Soil & Water New York City DEP Wetlands Ros McIntosh* Conservation District Mark E. Farrari Zen Environmental Stud- Ted Wohnsiedler NYS Emergency ies Institute (ZESI) SUNY Ulster