2024 UDR Rendezvous

Agenda

Wednesday October 16, 2024

9:00 - 9:50

Light Refreshments

Mezzanine

9:50 - 10:15

Welcome

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and Jeff Skelding - East Room

10:15 - 10:55

Breakout Session 1

Option 1: NY/PA Tailwaters Trout Management Plan Update

Chris VanMaaren, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

East Room

NYS DEC will describe the data set that they’ve been developing since 2017 and give a high level overview of the findings. They will also discuss the tenets of the NY/PA Tailwaters Trout Management Plan that will chart our course forward for the next decade and beyond.

Option 2: NYC DEP Aqueduct Repair Review and Updates

West Room 1

Option 3: What’s a “Bioblitz” and Why is it Important in the UDR?

Steven Schwartz, Conservation Consultant

West Room 2

Steve will recap the results of the 2024 Upper Delaware BioBlitz held in June 28th and 29th at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in Boyd’s Mills, PA.

11:00 - 11:55

Breakout Session 2

Option 1: Four Decades of Struggle: Negotiating Delaware River Water Flows

Peter Kolesar

East Room

Peter will recount the decades-long struggle of the fishing community to modify the water release policies from the three New York City dams on the headwaters of the Delaware to better meet the ecological needs of the river's wild trout. This has been achieved in the face of the complicated politics of Delaware River water allocations must satisfy a Supreme Court decree and meet the sometimes-conflicting needs of four states and New York City. The efforts of a coalition of fishing environmentalists over a 20-year period led to the implementation of the increased flows of Flexible Flow Management Program in 2007, and its inclusion of a Thermal Mitigation Algorithm in 2020. Water flow and temperature statistics from the USGS gauges on the Delaware and New York City dams’ operations data will illustrate the progress made over time and remaining environmental issues.

Option 2: On the Trail of Snails in the Upper Delaware River

Emma Guelzow, Academy of Natural Sciences and Michelle Stevens, National Park Service

West Room 1

The National Park Service in collaboration with the Academy of Natural Sciences has completed a freshwater snail inventory of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Over two years of field work and many hours of lab work have yielded 27 species of freshwater snails and has confirmed the presence of the invasive Japanese Mystery Snail using genetic barcoding. Learn more about the project and the next steps for freshwater snails in the Upper Delaware River.

Option 3: The U.S. Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing System in the Delaware River Basin

Christopher Gazoorian, U.S. Geological Service

West Room 2

The USGS initiated the NGWOS project with a pilot in the Delaware River Basin in 2019. Since then, the USGS has expanded the observing system network, developed regional models of water quality, evaluated new technologies and methods for improved efficiency and quality of data collection, and increased awareness of water related issues in the Delaware River Basin. The NGWOS program has since expanded to four additional basins across the United States, and plans to add five more basins to the program in the coming years. This presentation will provide a summary of activities in the DRB, where to find the data, and future plans for the NGWOS in the DRB.

12:00 - 12:55

Lunch

Main Dining Room

1:00 - 1:55

Breakout Session 3

Option 1: Examining How Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities Respond to Thermal Gradients within Tailrace Reaches of the Upper Delaware Basin

Jeremy Dietrich, Principle Aquatic Biologist, Cornell University

East Room

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are important contributors to the proper functioning of stream ecosystems since they are both first-order consumers responsible for converting algal and detritus resources into animal biomass as well as acting as a prey base for higher aquatic predators, such as trout. As a group, macroinvertebrates are generally sensitive to changes in water quality characteristics and alterations to their community composition can have cascading ecological consequences. This project examines macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance across longitudinal thermal gradients created by both Cannonsville and Pepacton reservoir outlets, as well as a thermal 'control' reach along the Beaverkill. Results from current studies will be presented to inform interested stakeholders about existing conditions and which macroinvertebrate groups are most susceptible to deviations in natural thermal regimes.

Option 2: Playing the Infrastructure Long Game

Helen Budrock and Bill Brown, Delaware Engineering

West Room 1

Water quality and infrastructure are inextricably linked. Municipalities who play the “Infrastructure Long Game” are those that look at the big picture and do things that will help them be successful far into the future, rather than only thinking about the present or near future. In this session, representatives from Delaware Engineering, DPC will share several case studies of recent public infrastructure projects in Sullivan and Delaware Counties that demonstrate the benefits of planning ahead, building long-term relationships, and maximizing funding opportunities.

Option 3: Trout and Toxics on the Upper Delaware Basin

Elizabeth “Beth” Brown, Jeremy L. Conkle, and Avery Lentini, DRBC

West Room 2

The chemical 6 p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6-PPDq), a substance found in worn car tire particles, is a Contaminant of Emerging Concern that is toxic to salmonid fish species, which includes trout. However, the leaching of 6-PPDq from tires is not well-understood, so estimates of how much of this chemical is released into the Basin and under what circumstances it occurs are not known.

DRBC is performing a first-of-its-kind monitoring study in the Basin, to collect baseline data and characterize the occurrence of 6-PPDq in the Upper Delaware. This region is home to native and stocked trout species, some known to be susceptible to this toxin. From this data, DRBC will learn of the presence of 6-PPDq and its distribution among recreationally important fishing areas and potentially identify hotspots and areas that require additional study or mitigation measures to protect trout.

DRBC staff and partners will update on the study and discuss how the work can contribute to the development of comprehensive strategies to identify, characterize, and evaluate 6-PPDq to support fish and wildlife habitat, provide safe drinking water, and improve water quality in an area of the basin that supports one of the nation’s best wild trout fisheries and whose communities are dependent upon good water quality to support their recreation-based economies.

2:00 - 3:25

Science and Data Collection Efforts in the UDR Watershed:

An Overview from Watershed Partners and

Roundtable Discussion about Watershed Priorities

Molly Oliver, FUDR; Tracy Brown, Trout Unlimited; Brian Rahm, NYS Water Resource Institute; Christopher Gazoorian, USGS; Michelle Stevens, NPS; Jake Bransky, DRBC; Jeremy Deitrich; Emma Guelzow, Academy of Natural Sciences; Gian Dodici, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Jennifer Farmwald, NYC DEP

East Room - Coffee and Cookies

Leading Delaware River Scientists Discuss the State of Science in the UDR Watershed

3:30 - 4:45

Policy Lightning Round

East Room

Facilitated by Jeff Skelding, Friends of the Upper Delaware River

How State Politics Impact the UDR, Matt Salton, New York League of Conservation Voters
Federal Policy Updates, Peter Marx, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed
Open Space Policy, Trey Talley, Delaware Highlands Conservancy
The Importance of Wetlands in the Watershed, Nikki Ghorpede, Ducks Unlimited
The Upper Delaware Council, Laurie Ramie, Upper Delaware Council

4:45-6:00

Happy Hour, Networking, and Poster Session

Marty’s Lounge and Mezzanine

Posters Bring Imagery to Conservation Work in the UDR!

6:00-8:00

Reception Dinner

Main Dining Room

Thursday October 17, 2024

8:00-8:30

Breakfast

Main Dining Room

8:30 - 8:35

Welcome

Jeff Skelding, Friends of the Upper Delaware River

East Room

8:35 - 9:15

Environmental Justice in the UDR

Karen Sastri, VP, Chief Diversity Officer, NBT Bank

West Room

Learn more about the distinct dynamics of rural communities and their relationship with DEIJ efforts. Together we will explore the cultural, economic and social factors that shape diversity in rural settings.

9:15-11:45

Featured Panel: Meet the Funders!

In partnership with Patrick Lynch and Jessica Eckerlin from the Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center

East Room

Are you interested in learning more about funding and financing municipal water infrastructure or stream restoration and protection in your town or village?

At the Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center’s Funding Roundtable, you can learn about funding opportunities for safe and clean water management, renewable energy, and other community investments from six state and federal agency representatives. This session features updates on funding and financing programs, dialogue on the importance and opportunities for co-funding, and a panel discussion with audience participation.

Funders to include:

Community Foundation of South Central New York

NYS Department of Health

NYS Department of State

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

NYS Office of Homes and Community Renewal

NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation

USDA Rural Development

US Fish and Wildlife Service

University of Pennsylvania Water Center

11:45-12:00

Closing Remarks