New York State Council Trout Unlimited Our mission is “To conserve, protect, restore and sustain New York coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, especially our wild trout resources” We restore streams through habitat improvement projects, conduct seminars on water quality and fisheries management, and work to educate the next generation about the importance of clean water and wild trout. Trout Unlimited NY • 8,000 members • 31 chapters Trout Unlimited Chapters in the Genesee Basin • 5 chapters in the Genesee Basin • 1,000 members http://tu-newyorkcouncil.org/ 1 New York State Council Regions Map Region 6 Vice President Paul Miller Region 7 Vice President Region 5 Vice President Open Position Rich Redman Region 9 Vice President Chuck Godfrey Region 4 Vice President Vince Dubois Region 8 Vice President Region 1 Vice President Jim Palmer George Costa Region 3 Vice President Bill Shaw Region 2 Vice President Roger Olsen http://tu-newyorkcouncil.org/ New York State Council Trout Unlimited Executive Team Chairman Larry Charette Conservation Fund Treasurer NLC Secretary Chairman Vice Chair Scott Seidman Mike Mowins Jeff Plackis Dave Savko William Strugatz Region 1 Vice President Region 2 Vice President Region 3 Vice President Region 4 Vice President Region 5 Vice President George Costa Roger Olson Bill Shaw Vince Dubois Rich Redman Chairman Region 6 Vice President Region 8 Vice President Region 9 Vice President Fisheries Enhancement Region 7 Vice President Paul Miller Jim Palmer Chuck Godfrey Fund Committee Don Keiffer Resource Management Veterans Vice President Hydro Chairman Youth Camp Chairman Diversity Vice President Vice President Keith Tidball Bill Wellman John Braico Robert Mead Youth Vice President Chief Scientist Government Affairs Officer Fundraising Membership Vice President Joe Morrison http://tu-newyorkcouncil.org/ 3 Trout Unlimited NY Conservation Programs • $250,000 to $500,000 in annual conservation programs in NY • 5,000 Trees Planted Annually by TU Chapters • Battenkill HR Initiative • 10,000 Pen Reared Steelhead Oak Orchid Creek • Ausable Dam Removal Project, total Cost $2.5 Million, Teaming with US Army Corps of Engineers New York State APA, DEC local municipalities, USFW. • Members on the US Canada Lake Commission for Lake Ontario Oatka Creek Park Wild Trout Habitat Improvement Project An Overview Problem Overview Oatka Creek Park - The Crown Jewel of upstate New York Fishing - 20 minutes south of Rochester, NY - Between Buffalo and Syracuse - Historically Important, fly fishing since 1860’s - Managed as a wild fishery Oatka Creek Park - Approximately 1.8 miles of the stream contained within municipal park, managed by Monroe County Parks and in NYS DEC Region 8. 2014 - Severe cold (Polar Vortex) - Large bodies of water frozen in Merganser feeding zone - Major Merganser starvation events - Oatka and Spring creek open, flocks on both 2015 - Severe cold (Polar Vortex II) - Large bodies of water frozen in Merganser feeding zone - Oatka and Spring creek open Merganser flocks on both 2016 - Historically low water flows - Spring Creek required mechanical aeration to keep fish alive - Three years in a row of extreme conditions * Slide & Data courtesy DEC Region 8 Fish Decline - Measurements taken across five sites throughout the park - Significant Reduction in fish populations * Slide & Data courtesy DEC Region 8 Fish Decline - Significant Reduction in fish populations - Corroborates angler reports * Slide & Data courtesy DEC Region 8 USF&W: Walk-Through Assessment 2018 Targeted Area of Concern, Walk-Through Assessment Eastern Section of park completed throughout park Assessment - Habitat Limited eastern half of the park - Extreme weather events put fish under pressure - Notice width and lack of stream cover and structure typical in reach * Slide & Data courtesy region 8 DEC Assessment - Downstream of bridge (Western Half) shows more coverage and LWD * Slide & Data courtesy region 8 DEC Lower Section Upper Section Depth with overhanging veg and undercut Too wide and shallow *Photos and Data courtesy USF&W Lower Section Upper Section Too wide and shallow Deeper with overhead cover *Photos and Data courtesy USF&W Targeted Assessment - Upper Section has 22% lower width-to-depth ratio than lower section - Deeper and more protected - Reflected in electrofishing numbers Targeted Assessment - 60 GPS locations captured throughout the park to determine potential location of root wads *Data courtesy USF&W Project Overview Project Reach - ~2800 feet Rootwad Installation - Approximately 30 Root Wad installations - Narrow channel and improve depth / width ratio - Provide Cover Project Plan and Status - Project Permits Approved - Contractor engaged and estimate received - Project Funding Available - Overall costs ~$60,000 including in-kind donations - Seth Green Committed to $35,000 in cash - Project received Orvis retail grant and Trout Unlimited National Embrace- a-stream grant - US Fish and Wildlife, NYS DEC, and Monroe County are all committed and engaged - Project Planned for summer 2019 (July/August).