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The Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Project Demonstrating Multi-Objective Stream Management
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Introducing the Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Project
Welcome to the first edition of the Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Project Newsletter. During the next three years, the Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District, NYCDEP Stream Management Program and the Stony Clove Project Advisory Committee will use this newsletter as a means to produce landowners and other interested parties with information and updates on the stream project. As you will see from the articles in this edition, the Stony Clove Stream Management Project has some big goals to meet, but the Project Advisory Committee is confident that we can work with the landowners and other stakeholders to develop and implement a stream management strategy which will address a wide range of concerns and meet our common objectives.
In order for this effort to be successful, the project must involve active public participation not only in the identification of the problems in the watershed, but also in the development of practical, and effective recommendations for management of the stream system. While often it appears that the diverse interests of the stakeholders in the watershed are at odds with each other, the PAC is confident that the Stony Clove project will be successful in demonstrating the compatibility of these multiple interests, and a management plan which integrates concerns related to water quality, fisheries habitat, recreation, flooding, and aesthetics, just to name a few.
As the project's primary sponsors, the GCSWCD and NYCDEP are firmly committed to a process which promotes strong public and private involvement throughout the project. Education and outreach will be a top priority, and it will be important for the public, streamside landowners and other stakeholders in the watershed actively participate in the process. At the end of the three years, we hope you will come to have a better understanding of the processes at work in our Catskill streams. As you read this newsletter give some thought to your own experiences and observations on the Stony Clove and join us as we learn more about the stream system, and work to address management of the watershed in the future.
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Have Internet Access ?
Follow the Stony Clove Project on our Web Site. Visit for information, photos, project updates, schedules and more. Use our handy links to follow other stream projects.
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Public Meeting May 19th 10:00-12:00 Phoenicia Elementary School
Have pictures of damage along the stream? Do you have good flood photos? Knowledge of problems along the stream? Bring them to the meeting and share them with the project team. We will scan them into the computer and return your pictures on the spot. Hope to see you there.
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Streamside Landowner Perspective Survey
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1. I live in the Stony Clove Valley 47% Year Round 35% Mostly on Weekends 19% Primarily in the summer season
2. I enjoy the Stony Clove Creek on my property for 80% walking along the stream 13% camping along the stream 91% the view 83% watching wildlife, birds 11% hunting along the stream 49% fishing 54% swimming 8% household water supply 10% lawn or garden water supply 2% area to dispose of grass clippings and brush 7% source of gravel or rock materials 8% other
3. Conditions on the Stony Clove in my area are generally 19% Excellent, need no change in management 38% Good, but could use some improved management 18% Fair, need much more management 22% Poor, need urgent management
4. I've lived here __ years (Average of 22)
5. While I lived here, flooding on the Stony Clove 31% has been a frequent problem 40% has been a relatively minor problem 14% has never been a problem 27% has gotten worse 4% has gotten better
6. My main concerns about the stream include 76% Streambank erosion 43% Flooding of property 26% Impaired fishing 7% Groundwater connection to my well 37% Pollution from upstream runoff, dumping 6% Nuisance wildlife (e.g. mosquitoes) 11% Trespassing 27% Difficulty obtaining permits for streamwork 29% Time and money required for proper stream care 23% Government regulation of private property rights 3% Getting enough water for my lawn and garden 41% Washout of roads and bridges 23% Other
7. I personally have been affected by flooding 29% never 12% extensively 14% once 42% a number of times 9% damage to my home 32% washout road access 22% washout of bridge access 57% erosion of streambanks
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8. The best way to solve flooding problems is to 22% clean gravel and cobble out of the stream 38% restore natural channels and floodplains 9% straighten the stream 36% clear trees and brush away from the channel 18% build berms and levees 21% build more flood control structures 19% keep buildings out of the floodplain 11% maintain wetland storage in headwater valleys 29% other 9. I think rip rap 18% is the only reliable way to treat bank erosion 3% is rarely a good way to treat bank erosion 58% is the treatment of last resort, to be used when other bank stabilization measures cannot be used
10. Fishing on the Stony Clove has generally 3% improved in recent years 34% deteriorated in recent years 22% remained consistent 12% other 11. Decisions about how streams are managed on private property should 15% rest with landowners 18% rest with the County Soil and Water Districts 5% rest with the town highway department 6% rest with the county highway department 60% be shared between landowners and local government 19% rest with the federal government 12% FEMA 14% Army Corps of Engineers 17% Natural Resources Conservation Service 15% US Fish and Wildlife 7% don't know 19% other 12. The main financial responsibility for management of streams on private property should 7% rest with landowners 23% rest with the County Soil and Water Districts 6% rest with the town highway department 5% rest with the county highway department 35% be shared between landowners and local government 22% rest with the federal government 14% FEMA 17% Army Corps of Engineers 14% Natural Resources Conservation Service 15% US Fish and Wildlife 14% don't know 15% other
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Project Advisory Committee Vital to the Project's Success
During this past winter, the GCSWCD and NYCDEP Stream Management Program (SMP) initiated development an advisory committee which will help facilitate the development of the Stony Clove Stream Management Plan and its implementation.
Project Advisory Committee (PAC)
The PAC will be made up of those agencies, landowners and organizations with the most direct interest in Stony Clove watershed issues. The PAC will be coordinated by the GCSWCD and will include representatives from NYCDEP, the Towns of Hunter and Shandaken, including the Highway Superintendents, Town Planning Board, Code Enforcement and the Town Boards. Greene and Ulster County Planning and Highway departments will also be present on the committee. Representatives from streamside landowners as well as local sportsman from the Stony Clove Rod & Gun Club and Trout Unlimited will be included on the PAC.
At the public meetings in May, the landowners will be asked to select two to three members to represent them on the PAC. The PAC will meet approximately every 6-8 weeks in the beginning of the project and select their own schedule as the work progresses.
The Stony Clove Creek is one of five management plans being developed by county Soil & Water Distircts and SMP throughout the Catskills. Project staff will call upon many resource agencies to assist the Districts and SMP with technical and policy issues. These agencies include NYSDEC (Fisheries, Water Quality, Lands, Flood Protection and Watershed Management Divisions), U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, FEMA, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, USDA Natural resources Conservation Service and other agencies or organizations which may be added.
Together, the PAC and additional agency resource managers will provide valuable insight and direction to the primary project sponsors. These committees will be instrumental in developing a practical Stream Corridor Management Plan which will address management interests and goals.
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A Landowners Association for the Stony Clove ?
As stated earlier, a large part of the success of the Stony Clove Stream Project will depend on the participation of the landowners who are most directly impacted by the stream. While the agencies can provide technical skills and equipment, we can not replace the local knowledge of the community.
As the project progresses, it will become clearer that regardless of how great the final management plan, it will not be successful without a strong commitment from the landowners and the other stakeholders who must implement the plan.
One possible way to facilitate landowner involvement in the future of the Stony Clove, would be for the landowners to form a watershed association or a watershed management district. Organizing a landowners association would take some commitment on the part of the residents in the watershed but could have many benefits.
The effects of how we manage the stream on our property does not stop at our property line. What we do along one reach of the stream influences how the stream functions, both upstream and downstream. Organizing an association of streamside landowners is a good way to "neighbor-up for the common good". An association can help coordinate issues throughout the stream system. It can provide a forum for the discussion of problems that stretch across many landowners' properties.
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The Project Advisory Committee would encourage interested landowners to discuss their interest in forming their own organization. While the project team can provide advice and information to assist in the formation of a local association, the effort must be landowner driven in order to be effective.
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Stony Clove Added to NYSDEC Priority Waters List (PWL)
In NYS, the Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a listing of all waterbodies which exhibit various levels of water quality impairment. The PWL list is updated on approximately a five year cycle. In the most recent update completed in 2000, the GCSWCD was successful in having the Stony Clove Creek added as a new segment on the list. While NYSDEC initially proposed including the Stony Clove under the listing for the Esopus Creek, previous monitoring efforts by NYCDEP and GCSWCD were used to convince the state that the stream merited its own listing. This position was supported by Region 4 Water Quality engineers who were familiar with the stream and its problems.
The listing on the PWL is significant, as the list is generally used as a criteria for awarding water quality grant funds from state and federal sources. While a project located on a non-PWL segment may be able to obtain grant funds for water quality projects, the chances of successful funding are greatly enhanced by inclusion on the PWL. It is the intention of the GCSWCD and NYCDEP to apply for supplemental funds from grant sources to increase the resources available for implementation of the management plan and the work done in 1999 and 2000. Placing the Stony Clove Creek on the PWL was an investment in the future. As the Stony Clove project moves forward, the GCSWCD and NYCDEP will continue to collect data, assess stream stability conditions, prepare proposals for funding, and propose future updates to the PWL.
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Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Project Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District 907 County Office Building, Cairo, NY 12413 Phone (518) 622-3620 Fax (518) 622-0344
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