Recent News
Round 16 of Stream Management Implementation Program
The Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District (GCSWCD) and Schoharie Watershed Advisory Committee (SWAC), in conjunction with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), are seeking qualified applications for stream management implementation projects. Deadline for submitting applications is September 15, 2017. Applications are accepted from municipalities, streamside landowners, and organizations involved in stream stewardship that fosters water quality protection and enhancement.
The GCSWCD and DEP have an intergovernmental agreement to fund stream management plan implementation and provide stream-related technical assistance within the Schoharie basin. One component of the agreement is the Stream Management Implementation Program (SMIP), which offers funding for water quality improvement and protection projects in the following categories: Education and Outreach, Highway/Infrastructure, Landowner Stream Assistance, Recreation and Habitat Enhancements, Planning and Assessment, and Flood Hazard Mitigation. Since its inception, SMIP has awarded over $3 million to 71 applications. Of those applications, there are 51 completed projects/programs, 15 are in-process, 1 has been withdrawn, and 6 have submitted for additional funding.
Please visit the stream management section of www.catskillstreams.org for more information on stream management plans, SMIP and SWAC. Additionally, you can contact the GCSWCD for specific questions by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling 518-622-3620. Applications are due by September 15th and are available by clicking here.
Cohotate Preserve
GCSWCD staff recently updated the trail map for the Cohotate Preserve in Athens, NY. The Cohotate is open year-round from dawn to dusk.
Click here for more information and to download a trail map.
Recent Projects
SCA Service Project 2016
An aerial photograph over one of the project sites, where 1,200 native trees and shrubs were planted to improve the riparian buffer along the Schoharie Creek. In partnership with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), the District completed two riparian buffer restorations on the Schoharie Creek in Jewett. These projects were conducted on September 11, 2016 as part of a weekend service project for the Patriot Day of Service.
Both project sites were on or adjacent to a stream restoration site on the Schoharie Creek. The stream banks experienced significant erosion, causing bank instability and sedimentation of the water. Earthwork was required in order to reestabilish a stable grade. The upstream site required additional bank protection. Large rock revetment was placed at the toe of the bank to prevent further loss of sediment. Developing a riparian buffer was the final step of the stream restoration projects.
SCA Hudson Valley Corps members install willow fascines on the bank of the Schoharie Creek. Due to the fast rate of willow growth, this technique stabilizes soil and helps prevent future streambank erosion. Riparian buffers are vegetated or undisturbed natural areas along a stream, usually forested with a variety of grasses, shrubs, and trees. Healthy riparian buffers help to protect a waterbody by improving water quality, increasing habitat for animals, stabilizing streambanks, providing stream shade and temperature control, and improving flood control.
The Corps members restored the riparian buffers by planting pioneer species such as gray birch and white pine, along with common riparian species like red osier dogwood, elderberry, and buttonbush. Tree and shrub species were chosen for their ability to produce a deep rooting system and stabilize the soil, which helps to prevent streambank erosion. In an additional effort to increase soil stabilization, willow fascines and live willow stakes were installed on a portion of streambank that experienced significant erosion after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. Willow fascines and live willow stakes are both bioengineering techniques that use live cuttings harvested from existing willows. The cuttings will eventually root and grow into new willow plants, and their high rate of growth and deep rooting system are perfect for streambank stabilization projects.
In five hours, over 40 of the hardworking SCA Hudson Valley Corps members installed a total of 2,335 native trees and shrubs, 250 feet of willow fascines, and 180 live willow stakes within riparian buffer zones along the Schoharie Creek.