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FUDR Organizational Accomplishments
Friends of
the Upper Delaware River formed in October 2003. During the first two
months FUDR established a broad-based organization that consists of strong
leadership, experienced Delaware advocates, political educators, a
formidable legal council and professional fisheries management experts.
After the
initial phase of getting its house in order, researching
the FUDR flow plan and recruiting
specific expertise, the FUDR team promptly went to work on its planned
agenda for properly managed cold water releases from NYC reservoirs for
the protection of the Upper Delaware wild trout fishery. Below are the
recent activities of FUDR. We will continue to expand upon these
recent accomplishments until consistent bottom releases from New York City
reservoirs are achieved.
FUDR - FIRST YEAR IN REVIEW
FUDR has made many important strides during its first year. As our
initial order of business, we developed a flow plan based on extensive
research and historical data that addresses the needs of a cold water
habitat, and that will both protect and enhance the entire Upper Delaware
wild trout fishery and its related economy. During the next several
months, we placed an unprecedented educational spotlight on the Upper
Delaware flow issues in an effort to ensure that the fly fishing
community, local, state and federal political leaders, related businesses
and the general public were aware of the issues - including the negative
consequences of the NYCDEP/DRBC's 225 cfs, 3 year non-scientific flow
plan. In our efforts to educate and draw attention to these important
issues, FUDR repeatedly contacted and frequently traveled to meet with
these organizations, businesses and elected officials in all four
contiguous states. One early effect of this spotlight was that it
effectively stopped a proposal, by the DRBC's Flow Management Technical
Advisory Committee, to re-manage the Neversink, East Branch and lower
river corridor as warm water fisheries.
As more and more individuals, agencies, lawmakers, members of the
business community and fly fishing organizations became aware of the flow
problems on the river, FUDR developed a comprehensive, educational power
point presentation designed to help them better understand the needs for a
properly managed wild trout river. The presentation also provides these
vested interests with detailed information on the economic value – based
on economic impact studies FUDR undertook – that the fishery brings to the
local communities along the river; demonstrating that with proper fishery
management, these values will dramatically increase the economic benefit
to already hard pressed areas. ! To date, FUDR has provided this power
point presentation to over three dozen groups, organizations and elected
officials in the four states - this initiative ongoing.
In less than a year, these continuing educational efforts have been
exceedingly successful. As the direct result of a joint presentation with
a number of state representatives from both New York and Pennsylvania,
Assemblyman Clifford Crouch (R-NY), arranged an informational meeting with
a number of his colleagues, coupled with senior staff from the Governors
office, in Albany this past December - the highest level meeting ever
afforded the Delaware fishery (see the related article in this newsletter)
and a similar meeting is currently being arranged in Harrisburg. U.S.
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has called on the DRBC to both establish
an independent oversight committee for the current studies being conducted
relevant to the Delaware and to add, for the first time, fisheries experts to their management process. FUDR has gained the support and
endorsement of over fifty fly fishing groups and organizations, leading
national fly fishing publications, numerous fly fishing websites and
leading manufacturers and retail shops in the fly fishing industry; and
our membership has increased over ten fold in the past six months.
This past season, and for the first time ever, FUDR established a
continuous monitoring – watchdog, if you will – program that monitors
daily releases from the NYC reservoirs and water temperatures on the East
and West Branches and upper Main Stem of the Delaware, and reports
violations to the agencies responsible - helping to prevent unnecessary
fish kills when the water temperatures reach near lethal conditions.
During the first year of this new monitoring program, FUDR identified 71
separate flow and temperature violations, and reported these to both our
membership and the agencies charged with protecting the fishery. In
addition to these monitoring activities, FUDR is also monitoring and
correcting, to the extent possible, any problems with Delaware's cold
water tributaries - used for thermal refuge and spawning grounds for wild
trout.
For a new organization whose leadership and members don't even live in
the same state, much less work in the same building, we're proud of the
progress we've made and we look forward to continuing to build on these
foundations. . |
