Wednesday October 15, 2025

9:00 - 9:45

Registration, Coffee & Light Refreshments, Second Floor Mezzanine

9:45 - 9:55

Welcome

Welcome & Introductions - East Room, Molly Oliver, FUDR

10:00 - 11:00

Plenary Session: Science and Data Collection in the UDR Watershed - Latest and greatest updates from partners across the watershed!

Leading Delaware River Scientists Discuss the State of Science in the UDR Watershed 

Featuring:

Tracy Brown, Trout Unlimited; Jeremy Conkle, DRBC; Mike Coryat, Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District; Ryan Coulter, NYSDEC; Jeremy Dietrich, NYS Water Resources Institute; Jennifer Farmwald, NYCDEP; Andrew Gascho Landis, SUNY Cobleskill; Elaine Panuccio, Delaware River Basin Commission; Daniel Stitch, SUNY Oneonta; John Thompson, Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership

11:00 - 11:15

Break

11:15 - 11:55

Breakout Session 1

Option 1: Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community Patterns

Jeremy Dietrich, Cornell University

East Room

This presentation continues the narrative describing how aquatic macroinvertebrate populations within the Upper Delaware River basin are responding to differing thermal regimes within the three major sub-basins within the UDR watershed. The previous Rendezvous presentation showcased the current status of macroinvertebrate communities within the UDR and established that cold water releases from the water supply reservoirs are clearly influencing the abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates within the portion of the Delaware River watershed downstream of the reservoirs. An expanded field sampling effort was conducted during the summer of 2024 to include additional sampling sites within the non-thermally influenced Beaverkill sub-basin. This talk presents a unique perspective demonstrating the quantitative effects local thermal cooling imposes on macroinvertebrate community dynamics within the West Branch and East Branch reaches by using the Beaverkill reach as a de-facto control stream. These results may provide baseline conditions which could be used to determine efficacy of future watershed management policy or implication from globally warming temperatures.

Option 2: It’s everywhere, but is it toxic? A Basin-Wide Survey of 6-PPDq in Brook Trout waters of the Delaware River Basin

Jeremy Conkle- DRBC

West Room 1

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Delaware River Basin face threats from rising temperatures and pollution, including the presence of 6-PPDq, which may affect their populations. 6-PPDq is regularly present in the watershed at varying concentrations, sometimes reaching levels potentially toxic to juvenile trout. Although most concentrations are below known lethal toxicity thresholds, the pollutant's widespread occurrence suggests a need for further research into 6-PPDq’s sub-lethal effects on brook trout populations.

Option 3: DRBC's Water Resources Resilience Plan

Avery Lentini & Joey Fogarty, Ph.D., DRBC

West Room 2

The Delaware River Basin Commission is gathering informal input on the scope of its water resources resilience plan, to understand public and partner concerns about climate change and water resources. Climate change and other hazards impact the Commission's mission to ensure an adequate and equitable supply of suitable quality water for Delaware River Basin water users and the environment and the DRBC's water resources resilience plan will include planning, consultation, outreach, education and rulemaking considerations related to these issues.

12:00 - 12:55

Lunch

Main Dining Room

1:00 - 1:55

Breakout Session 2

Option 1: Introduction to the Office of the Delaware River Master and FFMP 101

Amy McHugh, USGS

East Room

A video presentation will be given on the background, functions, and role of the Office of the Delaware River Master, including its connection to the current Flexible Flow Management Program of the Delaware River Basin.

Brent Gotsch, NYCDEP

East Room

Discuss the major components of the Flexible Flow Management Program and how it impacts the upper Delaware River.

Option 2: Video Screening & Discussion: “How’s Our River Doing?”

Meg McGuire, Delaware Currents

West Room 1

The Delaware River is fascinating -- every mile a story. We can get a little too focused on a specific area that we're working on so this 19-minute airborne tour of the river reminds us about all the places and the issues that we battle every day.

2:00 - 2:25

Break

2:30 - 3:10

Breakout Session 3

Option 1: Wild & Native Trout Recovery in the UDR: Willowemoc Creek Case Study

Tracy Brown, Trout Unlimited

East Room

Review of assessment and restoration in the Willowemoc Creek and our plans for native brook trout recovery in the watershed.

Option 2: American Shad Population Demographics

Daniel Stitch, SUNY Oneonta

West Room 1

This talk will provide some basic background information about the life-history and status of American shad and river herring in and around the Delaware River. Results will be presented from completed and ongoing research about American shad in the Delaware River. Examples will include analyses from the recent American shad benchmark stock assessment, and a study of longitudinal variation in demographics (size, repeat spawning propensity, and growth) of American shad throughout the Delaware River. Finally, current efforts to apply these findings within coastwide population models will be discussed.

Option 3: Knotweed Management for Homeowners

Steve Schwartz, Consultant & John Thompson, Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership

West Room 2

Japanese Knotweed is a common streamside and roadside invasive species that can reproduce from tiny fragments, and it has been expanding along many Catskill rivers and streams. It displaces native vegetation due to its aggressive growth and by forming dense stands that shade out other plants; it lowers quality of habitat for fish and wildlife; and can contribute to stream bank erosion problems. We’ll cover identification and some management options for landowners trying to mitigate the impacts of knotweed.

3:15 - 3:55

Breakout Session 4

Option 1: Moving Forward with the Fisheries Management Plan

Steve Hurst, NYSDEC

East Room

Updates from NYSDEC

Option 2: Freshwater Mussels in the Delaware River

Andrew Gascho Landis, SUNY Cobleskill

West Room 1

Gascho Landis assessed trends in diversity and abundance in the East and West Branches of the Delaware River and the Neversink River by surveying mussel populations on a gradient downstream of the hypolimnetic release reservoirs on all three rivers.  To explore the mechanism controlling the distributions, results of an Elliptio translocation study will be discussed.

Option 3: Strengthening the Water Workforce: Challenges & Solutions

Jess Eckerlin, Syracuse University & Calista Albring, Syracuse University

West Room 2

Water systems across the country face mounting workforce challenges—from staff shortages and skill gaps to succession planning and workforce diversity. At the same time, navigating the complex landscape of funding for water infrastructure adds another layer of difficulty for utilities, especially small and underserved systems. This session will explore how water systems can tackle these dual challenges by leveraging the expertise of technical assistance providers.

Through real-world examples and case studies, participants will gain insights into how organizations like the Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center (SU-EFC) support utilities in workforce development, financial planning, and accessing available federal and state infrastructure funding. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for strengthening their workforce and tapping into the resources needed to invest in long-term water system sustainability. This session is ideal for utility leaders, engineers, local officials, and anyone working at the intersection of workforce and infrastructure in the water sector.

4:00 - 4:55

Plenary Session: Upper Delaware River Network: Building Capacity and Impact through Collaboration

Featuring: FUDR, Trout Unlimited, Sullivan County Planning Department, Delaware Engineering

East Room

Join the Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) and partners from Trout Unlimited and Sullivan County for an update on the work of the Upper Delaware River (UDR) Network — a collaborative coalition of organizations, agencies, and communities working to protect and restore the Upper Delaware River watershed. This session will highlight recent accomplishments made possible through the UDR Regrant Program, which provides funding and technical support to partners implementing on-the-ground restoration and conservation projects. Learn how local capacity-building and shared resources are strengthening the health and resilience of the watershed.

5:00 - 6:00

Happy Hour, Networking, Sponsor Exhibits

Marty’s Lounge & Mezzanine

6:00-8:00

Reception Dinner

Main Dining Room

Thursday October 16, 2025

7:00-8:25

Breakfast

Main Dining Room

8:30 - 9:00

Registration, Coffee and light fare

Second Floor Mezzanine

9:00 - 9:05

Welcome

Molly Oliver, FUDR

East Room

9:10-9:55

Breakout Session 5

Option 1: UDR Tailwater Fishery - 100 years in 30 Minutes

Jeff Skelding, Angling Advocate, FUDR

East Room

This session will tell the story of the creation of a world class tailwater fishery on the Upper Delaware River. It will cover the history of Supreme Court decisions that lead to the construction of the NYC Delaware River basin reservoirs and the evolution of a wild trout fishery that is unmatched in the eastern United States.

Option 2: Preserving Land In Sullivan County- The Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act

Michael Sweeton, Orange County Land Trust

West Room 1

Sweeton will discuss how to protect and preserve land in your Town and the funding mechanisms for how to achieve it.

Option 3: Special Protection Waters Salt Trends

Elaine Panuccio, Delaware River Basin Commission

West Room 2

Presentation about increasing chloride trends in the non-tidal Delaware River.

10:00-10:55

Breakout Session 6

Option 1: Mitigating Summer Water Temperatures in the UDR

Peter Kolesar, Columbia University

East Room

I played a central role in the development of the thermal mitigation protocol that has been incorporated in the flexible flow management program (FFMP). I can describe the analysis that led to the development of the protocol, and how well it has performed since Implementation in 2009.

Option 2: The Secret Life of Streams: Bedload Transport & Its Impacts

Michael Coryat, Delaware County SWCD

West Room 1

This presentation is an overview of the mechanisms of cobble and gravel transport in streams and management implications that arise for fisheries, infrastructure, and landowners. The session will cover altered hydrology due to dams, fish spawning and passage, culverts, excessive depositions, sediment sources, and sediment equilibrium.

11:00-11:25

Closing Session

Brian Maher, NYS Assembly District 101 and Paula Kay, NYS Assembly District 100

Facilitated by Molly Oliver, FUDR

East Room

Optional Field Trips

*Must be signed up in advance*

Box lunches distributed at the meeting location

Option 1: Tour of Roebling’s Aqueduct & Zane Grey Museum

Led by: Professor Paul King

Meet at Zane Grey Museum at 135 Scenic Dr, Lackawaxen, PA 1843512:30pm. Zane Grey is 35-minute drive from Villa Roma.

Option 2: Fishing on the Delaware at Pennsylvania Callicoon Boat Launch

Led by: FUDR & Friends

Meet at 2490 River Road Damascus, PA at 12:15pm. Location is about 15 minutes from Villa Roma.