Upper Delaware River (UDR) Network Newsletter

April 2025

We received some great news from the Nation's Capital - DWCF RFPs are NOW OPEN! 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), recently announced the federal program that awards grant funding for important restoration work in the Delaware River watershed, are now issued their Request for Proposals (RFP). 

Enactment of the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act (DRBCA) in 2017 and the creation of the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF-administered by NFWF) ) made it possible for non-profit organizations, local governments, academic institutions, and other community based groups to implement more than two dozen stream protection and restoration projects in the Upper Delaware watershed.

These projects generate multiple benefits including water quality improvements, public infrastructure repair, flood mitigation, and enhanced recreational opportunities. DRBCA investments in the Upper Delaware River watershed included culvert repair and replacement, floodplain reconnection, installation of habitat structures, and construction of boat ramps and improved public access to our Delaware waterways. 

Click here for more information on how to apply to the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund

Partnerships on the Upper Delaware River are key to success!

There is more good news on the local front!

The Upper Delaware River Network is excited to announce our third round of re-grant awards supported by funding from New York State. These grants provide support to local organizations to implement projects that protect the watershed and to meet the water resource management challenges faced by local governments. 

The 2025 UDR Network re-grant awardees are: 

County of Sullivan - $100,000

The County of Sullivan, in partnership with the Town of Fallsburg and the Sullivan County O&W Rail Trail Alliance, is constructing a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Neversink River. The project capitalizes on opportunities to connect three long established neighborhood-scaled trails into an excursion length route capable of attracting visitors to the area, as well as providing commuting options, and additional recreational opportunities. 

Trout Unlimited - $30,000

In partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s New York Field Office and as part of the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project, a culvert on Laurel Creek with be replaced. This culvert along with a series of others being replaced by TU will reconnect multiple miles of stream for brook trout.

Friends of the Upper Delaware River- $75,000

FUDR will partner with Trout Unlimited (TU), the Town of Colchester, US Fish & Wildlife Service, private landowners, and NYSDEC to replace a high priority culvert barrier in the Berry Brook watershed. The project will be designed to reduce flooding and provide the town with cost effective solutions for local infrastructure improvements. 

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University - $25,000

This project will increase scientific knowledge of the biodiversity in the Upper Delaware and develop an outreach program for citizens who reside in the Upper Delaware watershed. The Academy of Natural Sciences (ANS) will collect water and soil samples from sites within the Upper Delaware Watershed in the state of New York to analyze for eDNA. 

Featured Watershed Partner - Sullivan County Division of Planning, Community Development and Environmental Management

County of Sullivan Office Building

In this newsletter we are featuring UDR Network member Sullivan County Division of Planning, Community Development and Environmental Management. Thanks for everything you do!

The Sullivan County Division of Planning, Community Development and Environmental Management is responsible for the creation of programs that foster orderly development and redevelopment of the County's physical infrastructure in a manner that conserves natural resources while providing economic opportunity for area residents. The Division of Planning also offers technical assistance to local municipalities and assists with the development of land use policies.  Located in the historic Catskills Region, sixty miles northwest of New York City, Sullivan County is home to over 79,000 year-round residents and a seasonal population more than twice that.

Sullivan County's land area is 1,011 square miles and is composed of 15 towns, 6 villages, and more than 30 hamlets. Its physical environment ranges from historic urban centers to bucolic farming communities nestled within an unsurpassed open space network that includes:  the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Catskill Park, Basherkill Wetland, and Shawangunk Ridge.

We love our collaboration projects with Friends of the Upper Delaware River. We have a lot of mission overlap, and have found we can accomplish so much more in partnership. The Neversink Watershed Management Plan is an excellent example of how Planning and FUDR can work together to help the communities of Sullivan County with resource management.

Stream Assessment Season is underway!

Thanks for taking a moment to read the UDR Network Watershed Newsletter! We hope it helps you gain a broader understanding of all the work happening in the watershed and provides you with an opportunity to meet new partners, learn new strategies, and identify opportunities to strengthen your watershed work! 

If there is an activity or event that your organization would like featured in the next newsletter, please email info@fudr.org. To learn more about the UDR Watershed Network, visit our website https://www.udrwatershed.org.

-The UDR Watershed Network Team

Activities and Important Dates