October events
October 04, 2007
You are invited to join the WRP in October…
River Night: Perspectives on the First Branch, October 12 – 6:30pm
The Tunbridge Planning Commission is sponsoring a community potluck gathering on Friday, October 12 from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the Tunbridge Town Hall. Community members are invited to hear four speakers – Euclid Farnham, Kari Dolan, Kevin Geiger, and Mary Russ – discuss history, natural history, geology, recreation, and floodplain issues on the First Branch watershed of the White River.
Northeast Conference on Flood Hazards, Liabilities & Opportunities, October 15 – all day
The Vermont DEC River Management Program, Vermont Law School and its Land Use Institute, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and the Two Rivers–Ottauquechee Regional Commission, is co-sponsoring a conference at the Vermont Law School to provide municipal officials and attorneys with key information they need to understand both the flood hazards in Vermont and the liabilities associated with municipal and landowner actions. The conference is free of charge for municipal officers (planning commissioners, Selectboards, zoning administrators, etc.) thanks to a generous grant from the DEC River Management Program. For others, the fee is $35 for general registration and $125 for those seeking CLE Credit.
For more information please go to http://www.vermontlaw.edu/elc/landuse/ or contact Jane D’Antonio, Institute Administrator at Vermont Law School at (802) 831-1217.
The Status of Vermont’s Current Use Program, October 15 – 7pm
This summer, the Vermont Legislature hired a consultant to review the Current Use Program and created a Task Force to determine whether the Program needs to be modified. 3 hearings are planned this month to invite public comment on the consultant’s report, which is available online. The public hearings are scheduled at 5pm on October 10 in Room 11 of the Vermont Statehouse; at 5pm on October 17 in the Bridport Town Hall; and at 5pm on October 23 in the America Legion Hartford Post 26 in White River Junction.
To provide watershed residents with more information on the Program and the Task Force in advance of the October 23 meeting in White River Junction, the WRP’s Forestry Work Group is hosting a free event on Monday, October 15 from 7-9pm in the Royalton Academy Building in Royalton village. Bill Snow, Chief of Current Use for the VT Tax Dept., and Rep. Alison Clarkson, sponsor of the legislation and Task Force member, will present information about the Program and the Task Force, and will answer questions. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by calling Mary Russ at (802) 767-4600.
For more information about any of these events, contact Mary Russ at (802) 767-4600.
News
Posted: October 4, 2007 by wrp_admin
Didymo Found in Delaware River
Didymo Found in Delaware River
October 04, 2007
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the presence of the invasive algae didymo in two additional fishing water bodies in New York State.
Samples taken by DEC have confirmed that didymo is present in the East Branch of the Delaware River. In addition, based on samples taken near the Route 191 bridge in Hancock, Delaware County, didymo is suspected to be present on the West Branch of the Delaware River as well. These are the latest recorded incidents of this aquatic nuisance species – also called “rock snot” – in New York State. Early this summer, didymo’s presence was confirmed in a section of the Batten Kill in Washington County.
The Delaware tailwaters are one of the premier trout fisheries on the East Coast, and are a popular destination for large numbers of anglers. The discovery of didymo in these waters is particularly troubling given their proximity to other famous trout streams, notably the Beaver Kill and Willowemoc Creek, and the tendency of anglers to fish multiple streams over the course of a day or weekend. The microscopic algae – an invasive species to New York – can survive for many days in cool, damp conditions. Porous materials such as neoprene waders and felt soles used by wading anglers are prime suspects in the spread of didymo among streams.
Didymo cells can produce large amounts of stalk material that forms thick mats on stream bottoms. The appearance of these mats has been compared to brown shag carpet, fiberglass insulation, or tissue paper. During blooms these mats may completely cover long stretches of stream beds and persist for months. The stalk material produced by didymo is slow to break down and may persist for up to two months following its peak growth. These mats alter stream conditions, choking out many of the organisms that live on the stream bottom, potentially causing a ripple effect up the food chain affecting trout and other fish.
Didymo has historically been limited to cold, nutrient-poor, northern waters, but in recent decades has been expanding its range and its tolerance to warmer and more productive streams. Once introduced to an area, didymo can rapidly spread to nearby streams. Anglers, kayakers, canoeists, boaters and jet skiers can all unknowingly spread didymo by transporting the cells on boats and other gear. There are currently no known methods for controlling or eradicating didymo once it infests a water body.
For more information about didymo, including decontamination procedures, visit this link.
Posted: October 4, 2007 by wrp_admin
October events
October events
October 04, 2007
You are invited to join the WRP in October…
River Night: Perspectives on the First Branch, October 12 – 6:30pm
The Tunbridge Planning Commission is sponsoring a community potluck gathering on Friday, October 12 from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the Tunbridge Town Hall. Community members are invited to hear four speakers – Euclid Farnham, Kari Dolan, Kevin Geiger, and Mary Russ – discuss history, natural history, geology, recreation, and floodplain issues on the First Branch watershed of the White River.
Northeast Conference on Flood Hazards, Liabilities & Opportunities, October 15 – all day
The Vermont DEC River Management Program, Vermont Law School and its Land Use Institute, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and the Two Rivers–Ottauquechee Regional Commission, is co-sponsoring a conference at the Vermont Law School to provide municipal officials and attorneys with key information they need to understand both the flood hazards in Vermont and the liabilities associated with municipal and landowner actions. The conference is free of charge for municipal officers (planning commissioners, Selectboards, zoning administrators, etc.) thanks to a generous grant from the DEC River Management Program. For others, the fee is $35 for general registration and $125 for those seeking CLE Credit.
For more information please go to http://www.vermontlaw.edu/elc/landuse/ or contact Jane D’Antonio, Institute Administrator at Vermont Law School at (802) 831-1217.
The Status of Vermont’s Current Use Program, October 15 – 7pm
This summer, the Vermont Legislature hired a consultant to review the Current Use Program and created a Task Force to determine whether the Program needs to be modified. 3 hearings are planned this month to invite public comment on the consultant’s report, which is available online. The public hearings are scheduled at 5pm on October 10 in Room 11 of the Vermont Statehouse; at 5pm on October 17 in the Bridport Town Hall; and at 5pm on October 23 in the America Legion Hartford Post 26 in White River Junction.
To provide watershed residents with more information on the Program and the Task Force in advance of the October 23 meeting in White River Junction, the WRP’s Forestry Work Group is hosting a free event on Monday, October 15 from 7-9pm in the Royalton Academy Building in Royalton village. Bill Snow, Chief of Current Use for the VT Tax Dept., and Rep. Alison Clarkson, sponsor of the legislation and Task Force member, will present information about the Program and the Task Force, and will answer questions. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by calling Mary Russ at (802) 767-4600.
For more information about any of these events, contact Mary Russ at (802) 767-4600.
Posted: October 1, 2007 by wrp_admin
Water Quality Season Wraps Up
Water Quality Season Wraps Up
October 01, 2007
The WRP’s seventh water quality monitoring season is complete and the results are in!
Since June, WRP volunteers have tested water clarity (turbidity), conductivity, and E. coli bacteria at 25 sites throughout the watershed. Every week, the WRP publicizes the results of the E. coli testing, to alert the public about sites that exceed the Vermont and/or EPA national standard for contact recreation. For more information about the water quality monitoring program, follow this link.
Of the 25 sites we monitored this summer, 8 were chronically above the EPA standard. With the exception of one site at the Foxstand access area in Royalton, all of these sites are on the First, Second and Third Branches. Included in these sites is Ayer’s Brook, a large tributary of the Third Branch. Additionally, 4 sites throughout the watershed consistently exceeded the State’s more strict standard for safe recreation. The WRP is working to address the high E. coli levels found in these areas of the watershed.
For a copy of the 2007 E. coli summary, please call Mary Russ at (802) 767-4600.