Woodland Creek Stream Management Plan

The stream management plan for the Woodland Creek has been completed by the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program. It is available for free download online. There have been two other plans created for the Woodland Creek in the past, one in 2008 and one in 2015. These two plans along with the current one track erosion and changes in the creek over time. Homeowners along the WC are encouraged to read the plan for recommendations that range from preservation to active restorations. Follow the link below to download the document.

http://ashokanstreams.org/woodland-valley-creek-stream-management-plan-now-available-for-free-download/

PS - Since I rarely blog these days I just realized that the post about the lost dog was the last thing I put up prior to this message. You will all be happy to know that the dog was found safe and sound after a week in the woods. He seemed none the worse for the wear but would not reveal his secret adventures. We have been left to speculate. All is well that ends well.

More About Turtles

After I posted the photo of the turtle a week or so ago several people told me they saw it. Lorraine DellaPena sent me these two additional photos of the reptile. She saw it the same day I did in the same spot.

Harry Jameson saw a snapping turtle matching the size of this one a few days later a little further up the valley near the Pantherkill Bridge. So that might have been the same one too. Anyone fishing or walking in that area with kids or small dogs should be on the lookout.

Linda McDonald sent me the message below about another turtle she saw years back. If anyone else sees this turtle let me know and I will post it. Here is what Linda had to say:

"The turtle is amazing !  In my 65 years in Woodland, I have only seen 1 other turtle. (It was a Painted Turtle, red & yellow on it's neck and small red tips around the edge of it's shell, not really painted, it was about 9 inches across the back) That was when I was about 13 and it was stuck in a big smooth tar spot, on the Woodland road, between Bethken's and Botchford's, where there is a small stream on the left, that comes up (if there is a lot of rain). I figured it came down from the pasture pond at Botchford's. It was stuck solidly to that tar and I pulled & pulled as gently as I could, so as not to hurt it's shell. We finally got loose (I say we, because now my "beloved Loafers" were stuck in the tar, too.) I left them there while I carried the turtle to the little stream, so it could get to the pond again and then pattered in my socks over to the tar & pulled my shoes free. I was always told there were no turtles in the Woodland Stream itself, because the water was so cold, but that there might be more in the pasture ponds. "
- Linda  

Woodland Creek Still High

The Woodland Valley Creek remained high today after yesterday's torrential rains. Hawley Botchford wrote and told me that his weather station measured 5.99 inches of rain and wind gusts of up to 33 mph (that was around 6 pm). Another WCA member, Mo Winograd, sent me a couple of photos she took today from the Fawn Hill bridge (see above). She took the top one facing upstream and the bottom photo facing downstream. As you can see the water is still running that lovely Yoo Hoo color it becomes after a big storm. The stream gets that color because the high water rips open the clay strata in the stream bed. Hopefully, it won't last too long and the creek will be running crystal clear before we know it.

Photos by: Mo Winograd

Annual Watershed Conference

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene I thought that a lot of residents might be interested in attending the upcoming Ashokan Watershed Conference. The theme is: People, Streams & Floods: Lessons from Irene. The focus is on moving forward after a flood event. Here are the details.

The Third Annual Ashokan Watershed Conference will be held on:
Saturday, April 21, 2012
9:00am - 3:00pm
Bearsville Theater
291 Tinker Street
Woodstock, NY 12498
Lunch catered by Bear Cafe
Cost $10.00
Please Register by April 13th

Here is a link to the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Conference page. You can go to that site to download a registration brochure or get the agenda for the day. Or you can also call (845)-688-3047 0# or email: gr283@cornell.edu for a registration form.

I have heard from many people that this conference is interesting and a lot of good information is presented. So those of you with creekside property might want to attend.

Public Input On Recreational Stream Access

I only received this email today from Cornell Cooperative so it is very short notice but if you are interested here are the details:

Cornell Cooperative Extension Seeks Public Input for Improved Recreational Stream Access in the Ashokan Watershed

The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program is gathering the public’s input at three public sessions on where they would like to see improvements to recreational stream access in the Ashokan Watershed. Some ideas for improvement could be; improved parking areas, green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff, benches along the stream, garbage cans or garbage pick-up, or wildlife habitat improvements. Or maybe you would just like to see more signs along the road indicating where there is public stream access! If you cannot make it make to any of the public outreach meetings or have a new idea, a map and survey that you can fill out and submit online can be found on our website ashokanstreams.org/streamaccess.html.

We are holding 3 public information gathering sessions in the towns of Shandaken, Woodstock, and Olive on the following dates, refreshments will be served.

Shandaken: March 8, 2011 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm
At the AWSMP Program office
6375 State Rt. 28, Phoenicia NY

Olive: March 10, 2011 from 4:30pm – 7:00pm
At the Olive Free Library, in the Community Room
4033 Route 28A, West Shokan NY

Woodstock: March 18, 2011 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Tentative)
At the Woodstock Community Center
56 Rock City Rd, Woodstock NY

Everyone is encouraged to attend! If you have any questions about these upcoming events, please call the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program office at 845-688-3047. To see the finalized dates please visit the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program’s website ashokanstreams.org/calendar.html.

For more information about Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s community programs and events call 845-340-3990 or visit online at www.cceulster.org follow us and Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program on www.facebook.com.

Work Begins on WV Road

The work to repair the stream bed along WV road just before the Fawn Hill bridge began earlier this week. The trucks, heavy equipment and stone have been brought to the site and staged along the side of the curve. If I have the time I will try and get some photos of the progress in the next few days. Drive slowly as you come in and out of the valley to avoid the men and women who will be working on the project.

Stream Bank Rebuild Information

Yesterday I got an email from Cory Ritz who is working on the stream bank rebuild for Woodland Valley Road at the curve just before Fawn Hill Bridge (coming into the valley). He clarified and expanded on the information I already had so I wanted to pass it along to everyone.

Although it is a bit hard to see because of blog photo size limitations, look carefully at the photo on the bottom of this post. It is a good indication of how bad the bank is getting. Notice the people standing down by the edge of the stream. This will give you an idea of how dramatically the bank above is washing away. The top yellow line is Woodland Valley Road. The trees you see leaning on the edge are just off the side of the road. This photo is great because, unless you actually get into the stream below, you don't realize how serious the situation is getting. You certainly can't see it when you are driving. So Cory has provided us a good opportunity to get a idea of what needs to be fixed and how important it is that they do it before the next flood washes that part of the road out.

Here is what Cory had to say:

My name is Cory Ritz and I work for Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District. I am helping to coordinate the Woodland Valley near Fawn Hill stream project. Compete repair to the stream bank will be a cooperative team effort from NYC DEP, Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and the Town of Shandaken. I just read the blog update on Woodland Valley View. I don't have too much to add but if you wanted more info please see below or give me a call.

- We are working with the town and hopefully we'll be selecting a contractor this week.

- I suspect the real work i.e. road interruption, won't begin until September.

- The project consists of a stacked rock wall at the base of the hill, and a bio-engineered wall above it. This still leaves a fairly large section at the top of the slope that will be planted normally with trees, shrubs and grass. Our NRCS engineer modeled the 25yr, 50yr and 100yr floods to help determine the size requirements for the walls. Most likely, residents will only ever see the trees at the top of the road as they drive by. Also, we are working hard to ensure the pool at the base of the rock wall is not changed by our activities.

- The failing bank is approx. 8 ft away from the road. Unfortunately, it is migrating towards the road. I believe the property owner, Ed Twerdack, and former highway supervisors have been keeping their eye on it over the years but it seems like it's time has come (see attached photo).

- Mostly likely, we will not get the 75% matching FEMA funds (as you mentioned in your update). As it stands today, the funding will come from the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program Implementation Fund (http://ashokanstreams.org/). Cornell Cooperative Extension maintains these funds and CCE has committed their support to this project. Also, for clarification, NYC DEP Stream Management Program is the ultimate funder for the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program and they have been supportive with assisting towns with their priority stream projects.

- Cory

Cory Ritz
Stream Project Manager
Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program
(845)-688-3047

Stream Management Community Event

This should interest many of our residents especially stream side property owners.

Ashokan Basin Stream Management
Community Event
Water Quality - Recreation - Ecosystems - Private Property

Working together to benefit the Esopus Creek environment, economy & community through coordinated stewardship of streamside resources

Community Meeting for
Ashokan Reservoir Watershed
Thurs., Sept. 18
6:30pm—9pm

Where:
St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church Parish Hall
Plank Rd., (Old Route 28)

Come learn about and give your input on the
“Ashokan Watershed Council.” The proposed Council
would provide a community voice in how to spend a
$2 million fund for stream management projects.
Light refreshments to be served.

Who Should Attend?
Anyone interested!

For More Information Contact:
Michael Courtney, Extension Educator
email: mcc55@cornell.edu
Kingston office: 10 Westbrook Lane, Kingston, NY 12401
t: 845-340-3990 f: 845-340-3993
Streamside landowners, elected officials, local and part time
residents, outdoor enthusiasts, environmental advocates
and others.

Rain and Wind

Wow! We had a lot of rain! It poured Friday night and almost all day yesterday. About 8:00 pm the rain stopped and the wind got really crazy. It blew hard until the early hours of the morning. There is still some wind today but not as bad as yesterday. Thank goodness it calmed down, several small branches hit my house last night and it was getting a bit scary. Today is sunny but cold.

The creek came up over NWS flood stage twice this week but I don't think there was any flooding locally.

You can go to the Esopus Creek gage http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?dd_cd=01%2C05%2C06&format=gif&period=7&site_no=01362500
or the Woodland Valley gage and check it out.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv/?site_no=0136230002&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
Scroll to the bottom where it says "gage height, feet".

Water Levels for the WV Stream and Esopus

Here is something that some of you might find interesting. You can go on to the USGS (United States Geological Survey) website and get the water levels of the Woodland Valley Stream and the Esopus Creek at any time. The water levels are updated every few hours so you can monitor the rising of the stream and the creek very closely. If you go to the site and scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see a graph that reads “Gage”. That graph gives you the creek height in feet. I find this information particularly helpful in times of flood or draught. I recommend visiting the site a few times when the creek is at normal levels so you get a sense of what “normal” is for the streams in our area. Then you can go back and see it at the higher levels and monitor it yourself during bad storms. If you live stream side you might want to bookmark these links. I am going to give you a direct link to the Woodland Valley Stream info, one to the Esopus Creek info, the page for all available gages and the main USGS website.

Please Note: I am linking to the Esopus at Coldbrook because it is below the portal and would be more accurate for Phoenicia then the information from Allaben, which is above the portal. For those of you that don’t know, the portal is the tunnel under the mountains where the Scholharie reservoir drains into the Esopus and then ultimately feeds the Ashokan. It is opened and closed by the DEP depending on how much water needs to be transferred to the Ashokan.

I am also going to put the direct links to the Woodland Stream and the Esopus Creek information on the list of useful links that is a permanent part of the first page of this blog.

Woodland Creek above Phoenicia
Esopus Creek at Coldbrook
USGS - All Gages
Main USGS site

Free Trees to Fight Streamside Erosion

There is a program available from the NYSDEC for streamside residents in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed called "Trees for Tribs". In an effort to help streamside residents prevent further erosion, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the NYSDEC have done several plantings in the watershed with more planned for spring. The "Trees for Tribs" program is accepting applications for spring plantings of trees and shrubs until March 1st. I called Michael Courtney at the Cornell Cooperative and he told me that the folks along Woodland Creek would be eligible for this program. If you are interested in joining forces with these organizations to plant a streamside area on your property you can call Michael at (845) 340-3990 to apply through the Cornell Cooperative Extension. You can also learn more about the program by calling Kevin Grieser at the NYSDEC at (845) 256-3145.

Also check out the full Esopus Creek Management Plan at http://www.esopuscreek.org. This site has a lot of interesting and useful information and I have made it a permanent part of the blog in the "Useful Links" section on the right.

The Brook on May 23

At the evening’s last pool,
Two bats swoop in tandem and strafe the water,
As I send my line upstream, searching for trout.
The Grandparents’ Pool, where once we laved
Their old anglers ashes,
First he in his year of death,
Then she in her’s.
I think of reincarnation, and worry,
That the reincarnate might bite,
On my Dark Cahill’s barb.
One last cast, times three,
Then, up through dark childhood woods,
Stumbling home,
Troutless, breathless, content.

- By J. Michael O’Neil - WV Resident

Woodland Valley Stream