News from the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance: Our partner, the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance now has their own monthly newsletter! See newsletter here for lots of events and news from the Wallkill.
News from the Roe Jan Watershed Community: One of the watershed’s newest groups, the Roe Jan Watershed Community, is making progress in leaps and bounds this year. The Roeliff Jansen Kill, an important tributary of the Hudson River, is located primarily in southern Columbia County. The Roe Jan Watershed Community began as a citizen science project to sample the Roe Jan, and is now working towards becoming incorporated. Looking ahead, this group could use some help in conducting WAVE macroinvertebrate monitoring this summer and organizing a Student Sampling Day on October 13th. If you are interested in helping with any of these initiatives and/or in supporting this emerging group, please contact Kaare Christian at kaare@roejanwatershed.org of the Roe Jan Watershed Community or check out their website.
Army Corps of Engineers Proposal on Storm Surge Protection
Deadline for comments: August 20, 2018
In response to recent severe storms such as Superstorm Sandy, the US Army Corps of Engineers is investigating six different plans involving massive in-water barriers and/or land-based floodwalls, dunes and levees to manage future flood risk and reduce the economic costs and risks associated with flood and storm events. Several public information sessions were held in July. The current public comment period is through August 20th, though several NYS lawmakers and others have called for an extension on that deadline. Comments may be submitted through August 20th to Nancy J. Brighton, Chief, Watershed Section, Environmental Analysis Branch, Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, Room 2151, NY 10279-0090, or via email to NYNJHarbor.TribStudy@usace.army.mil. We encourage everyone in the watershed to stay updated on this major proposal. Some parties, including the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, are asking the Corps to extend the public comment period and to hold more public information meetings so we can learn more.
More resources on this issue:
News summary
NYS Senators Call for Extension
Army Corps of Engineers information page
Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper
DEC’s Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper is an online, interactive tool to identify important natural features, habitat, water resources and recreation areas in the Hudson River estuary watershed. A tutorial on how to navigate the mapper with examples of how the tools can be used in local conservation, land-use and watershed planning has been recorded and posted to the Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper page on the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/112137.html. The Natural Resource Mapper was developed by the New York State Information Technology Services GIS Unit and the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, in partnership with Cornell University. To learn more, visit the Hudson River Estuary Conservation and Land Use Program at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5094.html
Draft Flood Risk Management Guidance Available for Public Comment
Deadline for comments: August 20, 2018
DEC has released two flood-risk management guidance documents for public review – http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/114000.html. The flood-risk management guidance documents were developed under the Community Risk and Resiliency Act (CRRA), which requires applicants for some State permits, State funding, and certain facility-siting regulations to consider future physical climate risk due to sea-level rise, storm surge, and flooding. The proposed guidance also addresses mitigating risk due to sea-level rise, storm surge, and flooding in the approval and funding of public infrastructure. CRRA added mitigation of these hazards to the State’s list of smart-growth criteria for public infrastructure. Comments on the draft New York State Flood Risk Management Guidance and Guidance for Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Assessment may be submitted by e-mail to climatechange@dec.ny.gov, please include “CRRA Comments” in the subject line of the e-mail; and by mail to DEC, Office of Climate Change, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-1030.