07/27/2025
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Our Trout Unlimited Owego Creek project is in full swing, with multiple assessment, outreach and management activities underway. Here's a quick run-down on what we've been doing:
Leon Chandler Chapter jumps in: Our friends up in Ithaca have been briefed on the project and are starting to go out in the field and support our efforts.
Community Science Institute (CSI): CSI volunteers and staff have conducted the Candor dam millpond sediment and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling effort. These samples will be analyzed for toxicity and environmental health as part of an initial assessment of the feasibility of remediating the Candor dam for fish passage.
State Forest Initiative: Using the RIVERS smartphone app for uploading site data, our volunteers have completed recommendations for DEC trout habitat projects on Griggs Gulf, Michigan Hill and Turkey Hill State Forests and are nearly finished with James Kennedy and Hammond Hill State Forests.
Data Loggers: All 30 temperature data loggers are installed throughout the watershed and are collecting water temperatures hourly. They will be pulled in the fall and the stored data will be downloaded and analyzed. This will help us map out year-around vs seasonal trout habitats.
Trout Reintroduction Assessment: The volunteer team at CSI conducted the spring water quality assessments of the five candidate brook trout tributaries of the Catatonk. This effort will be repeated in August.
Video Library: We continue to build our photo and video library of Owego trout, including some great underwater video from chapter member Wayne Teeter. The screenshot of some Owego natives here is from one of his clips.
TU Northeast Crew Habitat Assessment: TU biologist Kyle Glenn and his summer crew have completed their data collection for a detailed habitat assessment on the upper East and West branches. This information will guide future management activities and will also assist DEC in future possible reclassification of the waters.
DEC Electrofishing: DEC, TU staff and volunteers conducted electrofishing sampling on the upper east and west branches of Owego Creek in July to determine standing stocks of brook and brown trout, percent wild vs. stocked fish and to continue trending analyses. We sampled two reaches on each stream. On the upper west branch, we captured 12 wild brook and brown trout of multiple age classes in the first (colder) 500’ section and three in the second 475’ section. On the upper east branch, we caught 19 brown trout, from young of year to 16” in the upstream section that was 66 degrees, and only saw one trout in the lower section that was 72 degrees. The physical habitat was good in all four locations; the fish appeared to be selecting areas with the colder water. No surprises there. Although all four reaches were in stocked sections, no stocked trout were encountered. As an aside, the upper east branch in Harford was running at 56 degrees on July 16.
Tioga SWCD Finishes Blodgett Rd. Project at the Howland Farm: The Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District has completed a major Owego Creek bank stabilization and habitat improvement project on Blodgett Rd. Led by the District’s Mike Jura and Wendy Walsh, this important project protects prime farmland, a power line and a railroad as well as providing improved trout habitat. It will also provide a major reduction in excessive sediment loading from severe bank erosion. The stream was diverted to an oxbow and the project was constructed in zero flow conditions. Tree trunks with root balls exposed were buried into the bank with rip-rap added for stabilization. The high bank was cut back, stabilized and replanted with willow cuttings and stakes. Many thanks and compliments are due Mike and Wendy and the whole SWCD team for yet another great result!
Thanks everyone for all your help!
