Coalitions & Partnerships
The Alliance is comprised of more than 30 organizations from Delaware, Sullivan, and Orange counties united in an effort to highlight the economic and natural resource values of the Upper Delaware River and to secure state funding and other resources for the future protection and restoration of the river.
The CDRW is based in Trenton, NJ and is comprised of more than 140 Delaware River conservation organizations throughout the basin. FUDR is the New York State lead responsible for implementing the federal and state policy priorities of the CDRW. One of the CDRW priorities is adoption and implementation of a Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP) that provides maximum protections for the UDR cold water fishery. Another priority is to increase congressional appropriations for the federal Delaware River Basin Restoration Program which is the source of FUDR’s largest grant award to date.
FUDR enjoys a close working relationship with Delaware County including the Department of Planning and Watershed Affairs and the Soil and Water Conservation District. The county was integral to the formation of the UDRTC and it contracts with FUDR to develop and implement the SCMP for the UDR tailwaters.
FUDR chairs the Hancock Gateway Tourism Council comprised of local community leaders to promote river-based tourism opportunities.
Sherri Resti Thomas is a board member of the Hancock Area Chamber of Commerce which promotes economic growth in Hancock including river related initiatives and activities.
Jeff Skelding is a member of the Board of Directors of the “Hancock Partners,” a group of community leaders working to promote economic growth and community development for the Town and Village of Hancock.
Since 2014, FUDR has partnered with NYLCV, one of the largest and most influential statewide conservation organizations in NY, in a shared strategy to protect and restore the Upper Delaware River.
FUDR works closely with TU at every level including the national organization based in Arlington, VA and the National Delaware River Work Group (NJ, PA, NY TU leaders), the Mid-Atlantic office in NJ, State Councils in NY, PA, and NJ, local UDR chapters in NY and PA, and the TU Northeast Stream Restoration Program. These partnerships are essential to many of our program initiatives and campaigns.
The Pocono-Kittatinny Cluster (PKC) is the northernmost “cluster” created by the William Penn Foundation’s “Delaware Watershed Restoration Initiative”. The goal of the PKC is to work with private landowners to identify land preservation opportunities work with private landowners and to advocate for the adoption of local ordinances that address growth and land use issues associated with river protection objectives.
The UDRTC is comprised of local elected officials (Town Supervisors and Village Mayors) from the NY Tailwater communities of Hancock, Deposit, Colchester, and Sanford. Other members include FUDR, TU, and the UDR Business Coalition. FUDR chairs this coalition which meets the third Thursday of every month at the FUDR office in Hancock. The UDRTC is a powerful voice for the river, including improved water releases from the NYC reservoirs, and its galvanizing theme is the economic benefits derived from a clean, healthy river and fishery.