Some NY Stream Gauges to be Spared

At least eight United States Geologic Survey stream gauges of the fifty on the hit list to be discontinued are going to be kept operational. These USGS gauges were slated to be shut off due to New York City's budget crisis. NYC provided funding for them.

Important for flood prediction, one of the saved gauges is the 105 year old Port Jervis, NY gauge on the Delaware River. The eight saved gauges will be funded by the USGS with federal money.

Nine other stream gauges will also be spared for at last one year thanks to joint funding between several state and federal agencies. According to the USGS, all gauges used on the Delaware River by the National Weather Service will be kept operational, except the Callicoon, NY guage, which the USGS is still working to keep from closing.

Due to outrage by public officials, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection had previously agreed to keep two other stream gauges open, one in Delaware County and one in Ulster County.

One Bug™ Buzz in Hancock

The date is quickly approaching for the second annual One Bug™ fly-fishing fundraiser in Hancock.

The event, sponsored by Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR), will be held Friday, April 24, at the Old Capital Theatre, 116 Front St. in Hancock.

Jim Costolnick owner of Border Water Outfitters fly shop in Hancock said “the first One Bug™fundraiser last April was an overwhelming success both financially and helping create new partnerships in our efforts”. Last years event raised about $21,000 from fishing team entry fees and an exciting auction. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation matched these funds dollar for dollar, and the $41,000 in total proceeds will be used to help restore Sands Creek and Cadosia Creek in the Hancock area.

Dan Plummer, chairman of FUDR, said the group wants to help make the tributaries safe from flooding.

“If we can get into these streams at the headwaters and work all the way down to where the streams meet the big river, we should be able to make a difference,” he said. “With thoughtful restoration, habitat will also be improved for the wild rainbow and brown trout. These wild trout count on the health of these creeks to spawn and allow the juvenile fish time to develop before heading back to the big rivers. This will be a win win project for residents and the fishery.

The three-day event was fashioned after the Jackson Hole One Fly fundraiser in Jackson, Wyo. The event there raised over $500,000 in 2008 and has helped the community with similar issues we face here.

Plummer said, “We see the One Bug™ as not only a tool to raise money for the area but also to help educate the public on what is happening in our community. There are many challenges we face and if we all band together we have a better chance of achieving our goals.”

FUDR is not just looking to help the rivers. The group also gave $5,000 to the Lourdes Clinic to provide better health care locally, $500 to the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank in Hancock and $1,300 to buy uniforms for the local youth wrestling team.

Local business owners say they noticed a boost to their businesses last April when the One Bug™ came to Hancock. Susan Alper, co-owner of the Bluestone Grill, said we all need to embrace the rivers because they are a primary attraction for those who visit the area.

“When the rivers are down and dry so is our business, we see a direct relationship between our success and the health of the rivers,” she said.

Plummer added, “The One Bug™ is a new way to get more people here in our shops spending money and seeing what the area has to offer, it really creates some positive energy.”

Michael Alper and Bruce Moore own the Old Capital Theatre on Front Street in Hancock, where the Friday night event was held last year. Michael Alper said the theatre looked great the way it was decorated for the event and that he and Bruce were more than happy to let FUDR use the space again this year.

“We are in full support of FUDR trying to help the community,” he said.

FUDR has been a leader in the battle to get a more efficient water-release plan in place from the NYC-owned reservoirs that will provide safety from flooding and a sustainable world-class fishery. The environmental group believes there is more than enough water behind the dams to satisfy all the needs of the fishery, protect residents from flooding and not deprive any NYC residents a drop of their drinking water.

One Bug™ includes a weekend-long fly-fishing tournament. All spots in the competition are taken, but FUDR invites everyone to join us on Friday, April 24, at the Old Capital Theatre. That event is open to the public and will include an open bar, dinner, live and silent auctions, entertainment and a one-year membership to FUDR.

Tickets are available online at fudr.org or from Theresa at Hancock Liquor.

Upper Delaware Power Line Project is History

The high power line project along the NY/PA section of the Upper Delaware River proposed by New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) is not happening.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled last month that they couldn't recoup their investment. NYRI decided to withdraw the project after losing their ability to recover the transmission costs from the ratepayers.

A large portion of the 190 mile long high power line would have followed the Delaware River down to Orange County, NY. Several groups have been fighting this project from the beginning due to the pristine river valley that was being put at risk.

Earlier this year, NY Con Ed, the company that would receive the power delivered by NYRI, spoke against the project claiming that it would do more harm than good. This contradicted NYRI claim that the $2 billion power line would deliver clean, cheap energy to its end users. Con Ed claimed that this would be negated by the costs imposed on their customers for transmission. They also claimed the project would adversely affect the systems reliability.