As distasteful as politics can sometimes seem these days, there is a good news story to tell when it comes to their recent impacts on watershed protection and trout fishing in the Catskills region.
The Upper Delaware River (UDR) watershed offers some of the finest trout angling in the entire country and is often referred to as the birthplace of American fly fishing. However, the story of conservation to ensure the future protection and restoration of the watershed is a bit of a mixed bag. The watershed is divided by the New York City water supply system and can fairly be described as a “tale of two watersheds.” For decades, state and local governments, non-profit organizations, New York City, and an engaged citizenry have worked hard to achieve conservation results while assuring the health of local economies and the protection of private property rights above the Pepacton, Cannonsville, and Neversink reservoirs. This area is often referred to as the “New York City” watershed.
That work hasn’t been easy and there are still spirited disagreements about the best way to achieve conservation and economic harmony in the region. But as a general matter, the dynamic has greatly improved over the years and so has the conservation result. The trout are happier too.
The same can’t always be said for the portion of the UDR watershed that lies below the NYC reservoirs in Delaware and Sullivan counties where a nationally renowned wild trout tailwater fishery attracts anglers from across the globe. While there have been many excellent efforts to protect water quality and habitat over the decades by government agencies, non-profits, and private landowners, they often came in fragmented approaches and unlinked projects. Thankfully, this is changing as the increasing popularity of the river is accompanied by a heightened awareness of the need to holistically protect the watershed which is attracting new resources to advance water quality and habitat protections.
In 2017, a coalition of municipal governments and non-profit organizations completed a comprehensive planning process to protect tailwater streams in Delaware County and a similar effort is now underway for the Neversink River watershed. Perhaps the biggest factor in making a difference in this part of the watershed is the long overdue recognition by New York state and the federal government of the need for a meaningful and dedicated conservation investment.
Since 2017, the federal Delaware River Basin Restoration Program has awarded close to $5 million in grant funds to organizations and agencies who work with multiple partners, including local governments and private landowners, to implement dozens of on-the-ground stream restoration projects below the NYC reservoirs. These efforts generate multiple community benefits including water quality improvement, flood mitigation, fisheries protection, and enhanced recreational opportunities.
The program has enjoyed strong bipartisan support from New York’s congressional delegation since 2017 and our newest member, Congressman Marcus Molinaro, is already demonstrating notable leadership in the early days of his public service in Washington D.C. Back in New York, the general assembly and the governor in Albany are poised to fund a second year of UDR funding in their state budget. This marks the first time the UDR has ever received dedicated funding at the state level and removes the region from underneath the long shadows of the state’s other iconic watersheds.
Lead by NY Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, this effort also enjoys strong bipartisan support from members of the state legislature representing the Catskills region and the southern tier of New York. All of this is occurring amidst a backdrop of increasing pressures on the river including changing weather patterns and increased flooding, post-COVID out-migration, and the proximity of the watershed to millions of people less than a day’s drive away. The adoption of these important funding programs and an increasingly unified public engaged in watershed protection means the future looks brighter for anglers and trout in the Catskills region!
Jeff Skelding is the executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware River based in Hancock. The organization works to protect and restore the Upper Delaware River watershed in New York and northeast Pennsylvania.
