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Clearwater
Chapter
Trout Unlimited
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Projects |
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Brook Trout Survey Team:
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Clearwater And Adirondack TU volunteers completed a
second season surveying for brook trout in several
Adirondack
and surrounding area streams where their status was unknown. Thirty-four
sites were studied with five of them yielding brook trout. Some participants
also became quite adept at catching creek chubs. An estimated 317 hours were volunteered by
the following great people from Clearwater TU Mike and Kim Walchko;
Heath Clayson; Doug Howard; Ron Bellisario;
Bob Thomas; Bill Borthwick; Mike
Casler; and Jan Panek.
Sample of what was caught:
- John Braico
of Adirondack Chapter
and Art Coleman of the Clearwater TU chapter have completed the Brook Trout
survey work for the season. With the help of Mark
Hays we
were able to complete work at Kelley Park on the Kayderosseras and have done
more sites on the Kayderosseras. With the help of
Stan Duncan, Ron Bellisario, Mark Hays, and Doug Howard we were able to use
two teams on the Mettawee in Granville to accomplish twice as much. There is
also more work to be done on the Mettawee.
If anyone would like to help with the survey
work, please email Art Coleman.
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Activities Conducted in 2009
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Wildlife Festival was held at SUNY Cobleskill's ski
lodge on Saturday, April 25. Held demonstrations of fly fishing,
casting instruction, fly tying, etc.
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Schenectady Central Park's dedication of new disability
playground was held on Friday, May with casting demonstrations.
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A Veteran’s Fishing Clinic was held at the Six-mile
Water Works on Thursday, June 11 where independent fishing instruction
was provided to veterans.
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A fishing clinic was held for Sunnyview / ARC at the
Six-Mile Water Works on June 12 for instruction and assistance in
fishing for disabled persons.
Handicap Accessible Areas in New York State
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New York State abounds in accessible by wheelchair areas
to hike, bird watch, fish or generally just get away from it all. Below
are three links with hundreds of places persons who find it a little
tough to get around would enjoy immensely. Take a moment this summer to
take a person with mobility issues out for a bit of nature. You and they
will be glad you did.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/34038.html
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/51617.html
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/31539.html
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A Kids Fishing Clinic in was held in Schenectady's
Central Park to teach safety and fishing instructions on July 7-9.
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Upcoming Wildlife festival at Blenheim Power Station on
Saturday, September 26 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, casting and fly-tying
instructions.
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Stream side cleanup was done on June 20 at the Rte 313
rest area on the Battenkill.
- Five hundred tree seedlings were this year with Adirondack Chapter.
Thanks to:
Mark Hays, John Braico, Ed Rourke, Bill Cosgrove, Doug Howard,
and Stan Duncan.
After planting we were able to survey a site
on White Creek in Salem where we are expecting to try something new for
bank stabilization. Working with Carl Schwartz
of US Fish & Wildlife we plan to install an
engineered log jam. We also surveyed a site on White Creek at Braymer
Road where a bank stabilization structure was anticipated.
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Conservation Projects from May 2009:
- Town and school
representatives are meeting regarding the educational potential of the
Dwaas Kill Nature Preserve. Riparian vegetation has been planted from
DEC and 6 temperature loggers have been placed in the system.
Battenkill
- rocks for habitat projects have been
delivered. Another
structure will be built at the Hi Brown Farm site and repairs will be
made to an existing structure. At the Foster Farm site, the chapter will
help install a j-hook and root wad habitat structures, augmenting an
existing structure. Rock has been delivered on site.
White Creek
and Little White Creek - riparian planting has
been completed. The stream surveys have been completed. Mettawee
- a survey of 1800' of stream is underway, and
construction was scheduled for August. Geomorphic
surveys are being worked on under the guidance of John Braico of
Adirondack Chapter. Clearwater's Art Coleman is our chapter leader. The
data will be used by US Fish & Wildlife to design J-hooks, Newbury
weirs, and rock vanes for habitat and bank stabilization. Some of these
projects may be started this year.
Kayaderosseras and Little Hoosic Creeks -
Geomorphic surveys are also being done on the Kayaderosseras and Little
Hoosic Creeks. The Little Hoosic survey is being done by Clearwater=s
Art Coleman in partnership with the Homewaters Chapter, U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service, and the Little Hoosic Watershed Association.
Onesquethaw-Coeymans
- many
spawning herring have been spotted in the tidal pool confluence with the
Hudson River. The OC Watershed Council, of which Clearwater is a
founding member, presented its Watershed Study to watershed
municipalities starting with the Town of Bethlehem on May 23. The US
Fish & Wildlife Service, Partners for Wildlife, has prepared an initial
sketch of a stream restoration project which begins a joint effort.
Three temperature loggers have been placed in the stream. The long
term goal is to establish a watershed management plan designed by the
Towns of Coeymans, Bethlehem, New Scotland, and Berne, the Village of
Ravena, Trout Unlimited, Capital District Regional Planning Commission,
Albany County Soil & Water Conservation District, Albany County Water
Quality Coordinating Committee, community residents, and the NYS DEC.
The results of a watershed study were presented to the towns within the
watershed, which lies completely in Albany County.
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