Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program

06/02/2026

The 2026 Ashokan Watershed Conference will kick off with a public presentation series titled, “Water Has a Memory: Past floods and building resilience” that will rotate around the Ashokan watershed making stops in three different libraries. These hour-long presentations will combine accessible science, local examples, and shared community experience. The presentations will start with AWSMP’s Stream Educator, Max Kelly, explaining the natural processes that result in flooding. Then, the Ulster County Emergency Manager, Mike Madison, will share advice on how households can prepare for floods. Lastly, each library event will feature a local presenter to offer their knowledge and experience of flooding in that town. Following these brief presentations, the rest of the hour will be open for questions and community dialogue. These events are free to attend and registration is not required.

This series includes:

• June 16 at 4 p.m. - Olive Free Library
o Local perspectives presented by Brian Burns, Town of Olive Highway
Superintendent, and Martha Frankle, Olive resident

• June 23 at 4 p.m. - Woodstock Public Library
o Partnering with Jennifer Zackin and Beth Reichheld, volunteers of the Woodstock Land Conservancy

• June 26 at 4 p.m. - Phoenicia Library
o A deep dive into Shandaken's flood history with Aaron Bennett, Shandaken resident

Visit the conference website to learn more: http://tinyurl.com/watershed-conference2026

05/20/2026

Spring is a great time to reinvigorate your landscaping. Replacing traditional lawn with a native wildflower meadow can enhance the beauty of your property while providing important ecological benefits. Deep rooted native grasses and wildflowers help stabilize soil and reduce erosion. Wildflower meadows also create valuable habitat for native insects and birds, turning underutilized lawn areas into vibrant and resilient landscapes.

The Catskill Stream Buffer Initiative (CSBI) has integrated wildflower meadows as part of riparian buffer improvement projects since 2016. CSBI uses wildflowers alongside deeper rooting plants to create a beautiful streamside that provides multiple benefits for landowners and the ecosystem.

To learn more planting ideas for your streamside property, contact Bobby Taylor, Ulster County CSBI Coordinator: (845) 688-3047 or [email protected].

05/01/2026

Eight professionals from the Ashokan Reservoir watershed recently attended the NYS Floodplain & Stormwater Management Association (NYSFMSA) Conference in Utica, NY thanks to AWSMP scholarships.
From code enforcement to planning and floodplain administration, this group is bringing valuable skills and connections back to support safer, more resilient communities.
Pictured (L–R): Melissa Gray (Town of Woodstock), Sally Rodgers (CCE Ulster/AWSMP), Rob Stanley (Town of Shandaken), Aaron Bennett (NYC DEP), Domenick Covello (Town of Olive), Leslie Zucker (CCE Ulster/AWSMP), Donna LeMoine (Town of Shandaken), Francis Hoffman (Town of Woodstock)

04/29/2026

AWSMP’s Max Kelly recently attended the 10-day River Assessment and Monitoring course taught by Dr. Dave Rosgen. This course was a deep dive into stream stability, erosion monitoring, and sediment transport dynamics.

Max teamed up with Gillian Mathews of Rondout Neversink Stream Program to evaluate salmonid habitats. The AWSMP and RNSP conduct salmonid habitat evaluations pre- and post-restoration to make sure our projects provide excellent habitat for trout during all life stages, and times of year.

Together, they learned how to apply these monitoring metrics to Catskill streams! We’re excited to bring these sharpened skills to our upcoming restoration sites.

04/08/2026

The Town of Shandaken is undertaking a Local Flood Analysis (LFA) for the hamlet of Chichester. The initiative is led by the Chichester Flood Advisory Committee (ChiFAC). This committee was formed to create a comprehensive plan to mitigate flood risks in the area, similar to other completed LFAs in Phoenicia, Mt. Tremper and Pine Hill.
However, the town needs your input! The first Public Meeting on April 25, at Town Hall will introduce the project to residents. The meeting will start with a brief overview of the LFA process, and begin gathering information by providing large format maps for residents to identify their properties and explain flooding issues they have experienced. What are your experiences with flooding? Do you have suggestions? The town and SLR want to hear from you!

To learn more, visit: https://ashokanstreams.org/chichester-local-flood-analysis/

03/23/2026

Rainy and warm spring nights are an excellent opportunity to view amphibian migration in the Catskills. Many salamanders and frogs spend most of their lives on the forest floor. On warm and rainy spring nights they will traverse the landscape to find wet depressions, known as woodland pools, to reproduce and lay eggs.

The migration from forests to woodland pools can be challenging and treacherous as amphibians need to cross busy roads. The Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project is a citizen science project to help record data about migration and assist these woodland creatures.

To learn more visit: https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/oceans-estuaries/hudson-river-estuary-program/conservation-and-land-use-program/amphibian-migrations-and-road-crossings

Photo credit: Amanda Cabanillas

12/11/2025

There are over 500 road-stream crossings in the Ashokan Watershed. Culverts and bridges are essential elements of our road network that allow us to cross the many streams that define our landscape. However, many structures are undersized, in poor condition, and present barriers to fish and wildlife. The recent replacement of two culverts in Shandaken displays how a properly sized structure can work in harmony with streams.

09/25/2025

09/08/2025

September is National Preparedness Month. Flooding is the primary natural hazard in New York. Watershed residents should be prepared for the effects of flooding. If you live in the floodplain, you may consider structural mitigation options that may lessen damage to your property. Flood vents (pictured here) have been proven to reduce the amount of time floodwaters are stagnant in a building. Watershed residents should also learn their evacuation routes, coordinate with family members on an emergency plan, and sign up for emergency alerts. Below are helpful links for signing up for emergency alerts:

Olive: https://townofolive.org/town-of-olive-public-notification-system-sign-up-now/
Shandaken: https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=shandaken
Hurley: https://www.townofhurley.org/disaster-preparedness/pages/receiving-emergency-alerts
Ulster County: To sign up for Ulster County emergency alerts, register on the NY-Alert website at alert.ny.gov or by texting "ULSTER" to 333111

08/27/2025

The Olive Flood Advisory Committee, working under the direction of the Town of Olive Town Board, invites you to attend the first in a series of public meetings to find solutions to flooding in the hamlets of Shokan & West Shokan.

This Local Flood Analysis (LFA) will focus on beneficial and feasible solutions. We’re asking you to help us identify issues and areas prone to flooding within your hamlet.

What are your experiences? Do you have suggestions? Questions? Together, we’ll develop a range of strategies that will be tested for their effectiveness using engineering analysis. Initial results will be reported at a second public meeting to help refine these strategies.

More details: https://ashokanstreams.org/shokan-local-flood-analysis/