Watershed conservation!

February 2, 2008!

Teatown Lake Reservation! Board of Trustees retreat!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

Leo A. W. Wiegman!

Etothefourth.com !Environmental communications!

Croton-on-Hudson, NY!

Slide Show on Croton River Gorge for Teatown Board of Trustees, February 2, 2008

The slide show is a visual tour of the Croton River Gorge and its watershed from the dam upriver in winter to the estuary at the Hudson River down river in summer.

Teatown Lake Reservation < www.teatown.org > is the largest nonprofit nature preserve an environmental education center in Westchester County. Teatown Lake Reservation is embarking on an ambitious outreach to become an environmental and educational resource for the five county Hudson Hills to Highlands region.

Under executive director, Fred Koontz, Ph.D., Teatown has secured funding for a multi-year program, “Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance,” (ELLA) to train local conservation councils and environmental boards in the 39 towns and villages of the 900 square miles of the mid Hudson area. Teatown’s ELLA program will hold its kickoff meeting in mid-2008.

Simultaneously and separately, Westchester County and several communities, led by Croton-on-Hudson near Teatown, are launching an effort to save the Croton River Gorge and its watershed that drains into the Croton Bay estuary. The estuary is a federally designated essential fish and wildlife habitat on the Hudson River. The resulting study sets forth a specific Action Plan of policy recommendations for each of the five municipalities in the watershed to consider. Find the "Indian Brook-Croton Gorge Action Plan" at < www.westchestergov.com/planning/environmental/>.

Sometimes, it is best to let the pictures tell the story.

# # #

Use of images from this slide show in any other format requires permission: contact wired@etothefourth.com

To cite this slide show, please use: Wiegman, L (2008) Slide Show on Croton River Gorge for Teatown Board of Trustees, February 2, 2008 Etothefourth.com

About this slide show

Can you locate these Croton River gems?

MAPS: USGS (1943) http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/

The Hudson Highlands surround the Hudson River, a remarkable waterbody, that may be the most studied river system in the world. !

PHOTO:GOOGLE; (C) 2008 NASA

TEATOWN!

Thousands of residents who live, work, and play in Croton River Gorge share its 3.5 miles and 3,000 acres with bald eagles.!

TEXT!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

Activism by Croton residents in the 1970s (Bob Boyle, Joel Gingold, Ed Rondthaler, Dan Salzburg, etc) led to adequate water flow year round in the

river. !

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

The New Cornell Dam as its bridge was under repair and water was being drawn from the depths of the reservoir (chutes on the right), as well as from

flow over the gorgeous, stone step spillway on the left (2005).!

Croton Gorge Dam Park bridge is under renovation in 2007-8. !

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

Each spring, the DEC stocks the Croton River with 1,200 rainbow & brown trout. Striped bass and shad arrive from the ocean to breed. !

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

Croton-on-Hudson’s well-fields are located in an aquifer 100 feet below this section of the river under a bed of glacial till and clay. !

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

The low head dam at Black Rock Park is a favorite for anglers year round. !

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

The Croton River was the site of 2007 STream water quality monitoring: !it has a “B” rating.!

Halfway to the Hudson, the upstream tip of Firemen’s Island splits the Croton River, as it falls down to its tide-influenced lower section. !

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

Daily tides push no higher upstream than lower end of Firemen’s Island, !a popular Paddler’s spot.!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

The “Lower” Croton River is influenced by the tides up to Firemen’s Island,! 1.5 miles inland from the Hudson.!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

In the 100 acre Croton Bay we find shad and striped bass in spring, and !largemouth bass, brown bullhead, carp and panfish in summer.!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

The Croton Gorge is the “ Cork in the Bottle” For Croton watershed !in the Hudson Highlands.!

“Cork in the Bottle” or!

“Drain in the Tub”!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

The 5 municipalities of the Watershed: !Cortlandt, Croton, New Castle, and both Ossinings.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

Land uses in the Croton Gorge-Indian Brook Watershed.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

The watershed’s Croton River has 5 tributaries.!Indian Brook is the largest & most important.!

Teatown drains to the Croton River via the

Indian Brook Reservoir headwater.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

*Indian Brook is Ossining’s water supply. !**Croton Gorge surrounds Croton’s well-fields.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

Steep Slopes (dark Red here) dominate the gorge.!

One-third of the watershed contains

steep slopes, especially sensitive

to erosion.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

Croton Bay is the dining room &!

the Hudson and Croton rivers are the

chefs that fill it. !

WIldlife Corridors also tie Teatown to the Croton/Indian brook watersheds.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

Wildlife corridors in the watershed

64 BIRD SPECIES breed in the Croton Gorge & Indian

Brook watershed.!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, Baltimore oriole, Barn swallow, Black-and-white warbler, Black-capped chickadee, Black-throated green warbler, Blue jay, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Blue-winged warbler, Brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, Canada warbler, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, Chipping sparrow, Common grackle, Common yellowthroat, Downy woodpecker, Eastern bluebird, Eastern kingbird, Eastern phoebe, Eastern towhee, Eastern wood-pewee, Field sparrow, Gray catbird, Great crested flycatcher, Hairy woodpecker, House finch, House wren, Indigo bunting, Kentucky warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, Mallard, Mourning dove, Northern cardinal, Northern flicker, Northern mockingbird, Northern rough-winged sparrow, Northern waterthrush, Ovenbird, Pileated woodpecker, Prairie warbler, Red-bellied woodpecker, Red-eyed vireo, Red-tailed hawk, Red-winged blackbird, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Scarlet tanager, Song sparrow, Swamp sparrow, Tree swallow, Tufted titmouse, Veery, Warbling vireo, White-breasted nuthatch, Wild turkey, Wood duck, Wood thrush, Worm-eating warbler, Yellow warbler, Yellow-billed cuckoo Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

In 2006 - 2007, erosion, denuded slopes, garbage, overcrowding,!parked cars & a drowning converge. Who is in charge? !

Map Source: Village of Croton-on-Hudson NY 2006

Crazy Quilt Example

By Fall 2006, Charlie Kane & Croton River

Compact Committee had begun to raise

awareness. !

Source: Journal News 2006

In the summer, 200-300 visitors may be using the pools between Firemen’s & Paradise Island on the Croton River at any given hour.!

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

➡ The Action Plan calls for stronger protections in all 5 surrounding communities.!

➡ Implementation is next.!

➡ Teatown can help.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

The Action Plan details!➡ Existing Conditions for each municipality!➡ Recommendations for each municipality!➡ Intermunicipal Agreements everyone signs!Teatown can help educate and bring everyone together.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

➡ 1. Protect natural resources, wetlands, and

groundwater drinking sources.!➡ 2. Manage stormwater to improve water quality.!

➡ 3. Develop sustainable land use and environmental regulations.!

➡ 4. Preserve fish, and wildlife habitat.!➡ 5. Educate the Public.!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

#1. Conduct Streamwalks in the Croton Gorge Basin.!#5. Restore Degraded Wetlands.!

#10. Maintain/Restore Forested Stream Buffers.!#26. Design Croton Aquifer & Indian Brook Overlay

Zone.!#29. Protect Open Space. !

Red= Teatown is doing this already!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

#30. Adopt new Environmental Ordinances.!#31. Prepare a Biodiversity Plan for the Watershed.!

#32. Investigate Croton River Flow Fluctuations.!#34. Develop Community Resource Mgt. Programs.!

#33. Require Board/Committee Member Stormwater Training. !

Red= Teatown is doing this already!!

Source: IBCG 2007 [www.westchestergov.com/planning/]

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

PHOTO: L. WIEGMAN

TEXT!

Credits: Photo of solar powered remote sensing device (above): www.thebeaconinstitute.org Map of Hudson River (left) : hudsonriverestuary.pbwiki.com 2007

SOURCES