Third Annual Upper Susquehanna Watershed Forum: Connecting New York to the Chesapeake

Join New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) and the Choose Clean Water Coalition for a full-day conference on where the Chesapeake Bay begins and how the health of the Upper Susquehanna River impacts the health of the whole Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The conference will feature special guest speakers and coalition partners discussing local and regional efforts to protect the watershed. 

Co-hosted by NYLCVEF and our partners from the Choose Clean Water Coalition, including the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, Otsego Land Trust, Otsego County Conservation Association, Sidney Center Improvement Group, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Legal Alliance, and the Butternut Valley Alliance, as well as SUNY Oneonta.

Draft agenda

October 17, 2018 

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm –  Boat Tour of Otsego Lake, SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station, Cooperstown, NY

Join members of the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station aboard their research barge on a tour of Otsego Lake.  Staff will describe lake conditions, an ecological history, and current research and monitoring programs being carried out on the lake.

October 18, 2018

8:30 am – 9:30 am – Registration and Breakfast

9:30 am – 9:35 am – Welcome Remarks, Tracy H. Allen, Ph.D., Interim Dean, Schools of Social Science and Natural and Mathematical Sciences, SUNY Oneonta

9:35 am – 9:40 am – Guest Speaker, Congressman John Faso, NY District 19

9:40 am – 9:50 am – Overview of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, Peter Marx, Choose Clean Water Coalition

9:50 am – 10:10 pm – Chesapeake Stewardship Grants Program, Claire Flynn, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation

10:10 am – 10:30 am – Upper Susquehanna Coalition, Wendy Walsh, Upper Susquehanna Coalition

Break

10:40 am – 11:10 am – New York’s TMDL and the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), Lauren Townley, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Mary Gattis, Local Government Advisory Committee

11:10 am – 12:00 pm – Ag Panel: Dairy Farms and Farmers as Stewards for Water Protection, Moderated by Emily Dekar, Upper Susquehanna Coalition

Panelists

• Anthony Capraro, NRCS District Conservationist, (Otsego, Delaware, Sullivan Counties)
• Bill Gibson, Retired Executive Director FSA, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Otsego and Schoharie Counties
• Jennifer Huntington, Owner/Operator, Cooperstown Holstein Dairy Farm
• Jordan Clements, District Manager, Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Ron Ohrel, Director of Environmental Outreach, American Dairy Association North East
• Phoebe Schreiner, Executive Director, Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship 

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm – Networking Lunch

1:15 pm – 1:35 pm – Discovering the Butternut Watershed Via Physical Stream Assessment, Ed Lentz, Butternut Valley Alliance

1:35 pm – 1:45 pm – From the Top of the Watershed to the Bottom of the Bay, Jim Pfeiffer, Friends of the Chemung River Watershed

1:45 pm – 2:15 pm – Mini-Presentations on Local Projects (20 slides for 20 seconds each)

• Aquatic Invasive Species- Paul Lord, SUNY Oneonta
• Otsego County Citizen Science Stream Monitoring- Leslie Orzetti, Executive Director, Otsego County Conservation Association 
• Otsego Lake Water Quality Monitoring Buoy- Kiyoko Yokota, Assistant Professor, SUNY Oneonta 
• Otsego County Buffer Program– Jordan Clements, Otsego County Soil and Water District 

2:15 pm – 2:30 pm – Conservation Easements: Fact and Fiction, David Diaz, Otsego Land Trust 

2:35 pm – 2:45 pm – Break

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm – Networking Breakout Sessions: Topics TBD

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Field Trips Option

1. Otsego County Best Management Practices Farm Tour
Join Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District Manager, Jordan Clements on a farm tour in Otsego County that has employed various best management practices to protect water quality.  Practices range from riparian buffer plantings to covered feed and manure storage facilities.

2. Hike to SUNY Oneonta’s College Camp
Take a hike around this unique facility and highlight the unique habitats of the College Camp.  Staff will also provide a history of the property. This is a great way to stretch your legs after a day of watershed learning. View a map of the trails to SUNY Oneonta’s College Camp.

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Happy Hour Reception*, Roots Brewing Company

*The first round of drinks and appetizers are being provided generously by the American Dairy Association North East.