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are still useful. Past Conferences, Abstracts, and Announcements.
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Thursday
18 May, 2006
Pace University
Pleasantville, NY
Environmental
health. High ecological function. Biological integrity.
What do these things mean in the Hudson River watershed?
What are the best indicators of current environmental
conditions and trends in our region?
How do we
transform our measurements of environmental conditions
into signals and stories that are meaningful to resource
managers and policy makers, as well as to the public at
large? How do these signals and stories compel good decisions?
The conference
will be of interest to environmental scientists, policy
makers at all levels of government, natural resource managers
and advocates, as well as the interested public. Attendees
should leave with a good idea of who is measuring what,
where and to what end.
This
one-day conference addresses the scientific issues and
management approaches for Hudson River marinas and boat
clubs to perform maintenance dredging. While these facilities
are the primary access points for recreational boaters
along the Hudson River, their continued operations are
threatened by loss of use from severe sedimentation and
associated dredged material management problems.
Disposal
options for dredged material in the Estuary, and upstream,
have become severely limited, because of the presence
of heavy metals, and chlorinated organics (DDD, DDE, DDT,
PAHs, PCBs) in many sections of the River’s bottom
sediments.
Even
though the PCB levels, which are found in sediments located
in the lower portions of the River are low, the perception
that these sediments are highly toxic is pervasive. This
leads to especially critical dredged material management
problems for marinas and boat clubs.
This
conference will focus on:
1. Scientific and engineering solutions for managing
dredged material, including sedimentation/dredging minimization;
2. Potential funding sources for facility owners for
costs of sampling, analyses, dredging and disposal or
beneficial use;
3. Responsibilities and opportunities of federal and
state governments in this area.
Human
activities have impacted rivers and their tributaries,
wetlands and urban landscapes in various ways that have
serious detrimental effects. Returning the impacted environments
to a healthy condition is a formidable task that requires
a thorough examination of goals that consider options
beyond simply returning affected areas to their previous
use. The needs and concerns of the public within and surrounding
the affected areas should be considered and incorporated
into planning goals and project designs. Previous conferences
on restoration have dealt with techniques and outcomes
but have not dealt with consideration of the goals in
planning restoration projects or the mid-project reorganization
process needed to achieve restoration goals. Furthermore,
restoration projects are generally considered in isolation
rather than from a river basin perspective. Thoughtful
considerations of the diverse goals of restoration and
the potential for mid-project modifications in design
are important. Practitioners of restoration can profit
from the experiences of others involved with restoration
in the Hudson River Basin.
The
purpose of this conference is to explore the different
processes for defining goals and designing flexible projects
for the myriad types of restoration efforts occurring
in the Hudson River Basin.
Monday,
December 6, 2004
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Holiday Inn
Kingston, NY
Decades
of studies in North America have shown elevated chloride
concentrations in natural waters. Chloride can serve as
an indicator of impaired water quality and is toxic at
high levels to freshwater organisms. The main anthropogenic
source of chloride to streams and rivers appears to be
road salt, with additional contributions from water softener
discharges, sewage and septic effluent, and industrial
wastewater. Thus, chloride contamination of a stream is
reflective of land use and human activity within its watershed.
Concentrations that exceed the levels that cause chronic
and acute toxicities for macroinvertebrates and fish were
recently observed in streams in New Hampshire. The
Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve has documented
increasing chloride concentrations in tributaries within
the Reserve. Similar observations have been
made in other Hudson River tributaries and in other rivers
of the Northeast. Should we be concerned about increasing
chloride concentrations and potential chronic and acute
toxicity? Is this a regional or local concern? Is there
a need for further research?
This
conference will explore long-term trends in Hudson
River tributaries, ecosystem effects, fate
and transport in ground and surface waters, and source
determination in aquatic environments. The realities and
challenges of NYSDOT's road salt and deicing practices
will provide a management and safety perspective.
Who
should attend: Scientists and resource managers from municipal, state
and federal agencies; biologists, geologists, hydrologists,
hydrogeologists and environmental scientists; representatives
from watershed groups, environmental groups, soil and
water conservation districts and state legislative committees.
The
Hudson River and its major tributaries have
a rich three-century industrial and agricultural
history, which include major urban areas as
well as near pristine ecosystems. The river
basin, stretching from the Adirondacks to New
York City, provides numerous challenges in all
aspects of watershed science that must be met
to achieve the goal of a sustainable water resource.
Due to the diverse ecological areas that the
Hudson River possesses there are unique opportunities
to address important scientific issues in the
Upper, Mid and Lower Hudson River. Issues for
the Upper Hudson differ from those faced in
the Mid and Lower Hudson where increased population
densities, extensive transport activity, and
both agricultural and industrial influences
interact with the complexity of tidal dynamics
in the lower estuary. The Upper Hudson is critical
to our understanding of the river, since it
is the location of the headwaters, contains
the major tributaries into the Hudson, such
as the Mohawk, Sacandaga, Battenkill and the
canals from Lake George and is at the head of
the estuary for the river in Troy.
The
purpose of the conference is to bring together
investigators who presently have studies in
the Upper Hudson River Basin to introduce their
work and to provide the opportunity for researchers
to forge new collaborations for future studies.
Student participation is encouraged. Each investigator
will present a 10-minute synopsis of his/her
work with 5 minutes for questions and comment.
There will be a wrap-up session to address future
research directions in the Upper Hudson River
Basin.
Whether
migrating through, or relying on its shores for nesting,
or feeding habitat, hundreds of species of birds depend
on the Hudson River Valley for their survival. Over recent
decades water quality has improved. Some shore areas have
been built up; others have been reclaimed from industrial
blight. Bird populations have responded to all of this.
Some species have prospered as others have declined. Some
require human intervention for survival. New avail diseases
threaten still others. This important conference - presented
by key ornithologists and ecologists - will present a
thorough overview of the current status and the future
of bird populations in the estuarine portion of the Hudson
River Valley.
Tributaries
to the Hudson River Estuary are important in delivering
water and materials to the main stem river as well as
contributing habitat for a variety of organisms. Human
activities often affect tributary streams and so ultimately
influence the Hudson. Paralleling a ground swell of scientific
and community interest in tributaries is an increase in
a wide array of research and monitoring activities.
The
Institute
of Ecosystem Studies and the Hudson
River Environmental Society are co-sponsoring a conference
to provide an overview of the current status of tributaries
to the Hudson River.
Speakers
will address tributaries from physical, chemical and biological
perspectives and how human activities affect tributary
function and have the opportunity to restore function.
Speakers will also present information on water quality,
invertebrates, fishes and other topics. The conference
will identify key findings as well as highlight gaps requiring
future, collaborative efforts
Management
issues such as contaminants, human uses of surface water
and removal of small dams will also be covered.
Leo
Grady Moore, 63, a well known Environmentalist and
Water Conservationist, died at his home, early morning,
Monday, November 22, 2004 in Clifton Park. Grady
was a long-time member of HRES, and was recently
elected to the board of directors.
Born
in Georgetown, S.C. on January 12, 1941, he was the son
of the late Oliver Pittman Moore and Jane Reigel Moore.
Grady served with the U.S. Marines Reserves prior to receiving
his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1963.
He worked several construction related projects prior
to joining the U.S. Geological Survey. He was tenured
with the Survey for 38 years, holding district chief position,
working in Atlanta, Ga., St. Thomas (Virgin Islands),
Washington D.C., Helena, Mont., Bismarck, N.D. and in
Albany, N.Y. since 1989. He received the Outstanding Young
Engineers Award, Montana Society of Engineers Professional
Service Award, U.S. Dept. of the Interior Appreciation
for Exceptional Contributions with Garrison Diversion
Project. Mr. Moore has received the U.S. Dept. of Interior's
Meritorious Award and Superior Service Award. He was instrumental
in establishing working liaisons between R.P.I. and H.V.C.C.
in their Environmental Studies. He retired in July 2003.
Mr.
Moore was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) and a member of the Northeast Woodworkers Association.
He was an avid fly fisherman. Survivors include his wife,
Judy Brackett Moore; a daughter, Jennifer Leigh Blessing
and her husband Wesley of Princetown; two grandchildren,
Colin William and Anna Leigh Blessing; brother, Donald
W. Moore and his wife Merle of Atlanta, Ga.; sister, Olivia
Norgard and her husband John of Colorado Springs, Colo.
He was predeceased by his son, Graham Pittman Moore on
September 25, 1992.
Memorials
may be made in Grady Moore's name to Development Office,
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, 4472 Basin Harbor Rd.,
Vergennes, VT 05491 or to the Hudson River Environmental
Society, 6626 Stitt Rd. Altamont, NY 12009.
~Published in the Albany Times Union on 11/23/2004
I
N M E M O R I U M
Everett
Nack
Everett’s
business card simply read Everett Nack, Claverack, N.Y.
His card offered goldfish, snails, driftwood, and live
bait. Everett was a man who lived for the river and
drew life from the river, savoring everything that nature
had to offer. He knew its seasons and moods as a person
whose spirit and livelihood depended on it. In spring,
the busiest season, he fished for American shad, 300
pound sturgeon, and collected fruit and flowers for
homemade wine. In summer, he picked berries, caught
bait and repaired his nets. In autumn he was considered
by most to be the consummate waterfowler, hunting ducks
and geese on the Hudson. Winter was a time for hunting
white-tails, running traplines, carving basswood into
duck decoys, and jigging for yellow perch lurking under
the ice. This was all fodder for the tales he loved
to tell. People would find themselves spending hours
in his bait shop just to hear his next story.
One of few remaining commercial fishermen on the Hudson,
Everett Nack was single-minded about making sure his
beloved river was protected, no matter whose cage he
rattled. Over the years he took the witness stand in
cases, spoke to the press, wrote to legislators, met
with governors and agency commissioners and interviewed
with film-makers. In every situation he spoke with a
kind of knowledge that few people can match. “There
are less bait fish in the river these days,” he
would say, or “There is too much chlorine getting
into the creeks from the sewage treatment plants and
killing the minnows.” Often he was right, as in
the case of Hudson South Bay, when he alerted city and
state officials about pollution from a discharge pipe
into a tidal wetland. This allowed officials to identify
the problem and fix it.
Everett had wide ranging interests and was always available
to help make things better. He could talk about the
shad run, PCBs, fisheries research, or how to follow
a crow to its nest. He served on DEC’s Hudson River
Estuary Advisory Committee, caught sturgeon for the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery, and supplied
live shad for restocking the Susquehanna River where
the stocks had disappeared due to dam construction.
Researchers hired Everett to collect fish for their
studies. On Christmas Eve he would be out working on
the river the spray freezing on the gunwales, his net
as stiff as a board, and
Everett doing what he loved best.
Everett operated the last commercial haul seine operation
on the Hudson River, a 600 foot net, and trained a new
generation in those fishing methods. On a good day there
would be hundreds of fish in the net of a dozen species.
Everett’s operation was famous for its “all
girl crew,” an assemblage of family and friends
who were available on weekdays to work the net and haul
in the catch. It was a skill he passed on to his five
devoted children and the oldest of his ten grandchildren.
Everett was truly at one with the river. To friends,
he represented a connection to nature and the environment
that has largely been lost. Everett was also a carpenter,
a contractor, businessman, cook and a veteran. Everett
Nack, one of the last Rivermen, was born in Germantown
in 1928, and he died in August 9, 2004.
By
Fran Dunwell
and Tom Lake,
NYSDEC
Hudson River Estuary Program
September, 2004
~IN
MEMORIUM~
HRES
Joins members of the Hudson River Community and the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in mourning the tragic and sudden
passing of Dr. Edward L. Shuster on Thursday, 16 September,
2004. Dr. Shuster, was a Research Assistant Professor
at the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute. HRES and the Darrin
Freshwater Institute have dedicated the Who's
Doing What in the Upper Hudson 2004 to
the memory of Dr. Shuster, a life-long contributer to
Hudson River Research.
Longtime
HRES Member William Pressman passed away Friday, January
2nd after a long battle with Prostate Cancer. The funeral
was held at the Schwartz Brothers Funeral Home in Forest
Hills, and was attended by friends and family.
Bill
was a founding member of HRES and has served the society
for most of the last 30 years as a member of the Board
of Directors. He will be sorely missed.
A hard
copy of the booklet is being sent to city and county health commissioners,
public health directors, State DOH regional and district directors
and DEC (Larry Skinner, Bureau of Habitat). Multiple copies for
public distribution will probably be limited this year.
If you
have any questions or concerns, or would like additional
information, please call me at (518) 402-7815 or (toll-free) at
1-800-458-1158, extension 27815. You may receive calls from concerned
anglers and others regarding these advisories; please refer these
calls to me at these numbers.
Tony
Forti
Research Scientist
New York State Department of Health
Bureau of Toxic Substance Assessment
Flanigan Square
547 River Street
Troy, New York 12180-2215
(518) 402-7815
(800) 458-1158 Ext. 27815
FAX - (518) 402-7819
NYS
Departemnt of Health's 2003-04