A Picnic and Some Awards!

The OCWC was invited to yesterday’s annual chapter picnic of the Seth Green Chapter of Trout Unlimited. It was very fun, and we got to see some folks we worked with on the Oatka Creek Park tree project, as well as meet some folks we hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting before.

DaveAgness    

 

Sally Dwyer presenting award to Dave

 

Dave Agness was awarded the John J. Dwyer Coldwater Conservation Award, named for the Chapter’s founder. Dave gave a quick, but remarkable description of some of the efforts in which he has been involved over a number of years. This award is given to people who have, through their long time efforts, created benefits for the natural environment, the fishing community, and society.

AlanMackAward

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan talks about some of his experiences “putting the right fish in the right place at the right time“

Alan Mack, who just retired last month from his position of Superintendent of Fisheries at the Caledonia Fish Hatchery, was presented with the “Order of the Baetis” (mayfly) award. Seth Green TU President Larry Charette explained that though Alan was not a member of the organization, the chapter wanted to recognize his outstanding contribution in coldwater fisheries conservation. A few of us even got to taste Alan’s homemade organic wine!

TUBoardofDir

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TU Directors are also recognized, and Jim Strong was voted as a Director in perpetuity (or was it emeritus?) – anyway, they want him to stay! – You will notice our own Rick VenVertloh on the right!

 

Larry also talked a bit about the Chapter’s accomplishments for the year, and explained that first, and foremost – Trout Unlimited is more than a fishing club,  it is a conservation organization that works to protect and restore coldwater habitats. The membership has been growing and he noted that the Seth Green Chapter had the second highest female membership of all chapters in the State!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Seth Green TU for the invitation!

0615161646

No Comments

Update on Balonek Trees for Tribs Project

0601160945a

From the desk of Chairman Peter Lent:

Hello everyone,

On Saturday we had 9 volunteers helping out. There were four members of the Oatka Creek Watershed Committee, two members from Trout Unlimited, 2 members for the Caledonia Council of Knights of Columbus and one representative from Monroe Co. Soil & Water Conservation District. Our task was to plant the remaining 700 shrubs that were allocated for the project. Previously nearly 700 plants were planted on Wednesday 6/1 by 15 volunteers.

On Saturday we were able to plant an estimate of 300 shrubs. Plants remaining consist of 3 unopened bags of 300 shrubs (2 bags of red osier dogwood with 100 plants in each, and of nannyberry with 100 plants) ,about 50 swamp rose in an opened bag, and about 50 plants consolidated into two 5 gal. buckets. The planting occurred between 9 AM and 3 PM. We had 9 volunteers until noon and 6 stayed in the afternoon. We planted another complete row of shrubs in the mowed area and planted shrubs on the creek side of the fence at  several locations. We found that it took longer to plant the shrubs among the existing vegetation on the creek side of the fence, than in the mowed area.

Josh moved the bagged shrubs up by the barn.  Before we left we consolidated all remaining supplies and plants in buckets to one location in the planting area, but we did not carry these up to the barn ( I guess because we were too “beat”). So the staples, black plastic weed mats, shrubs left in buckets, and other extra buckets will still need to be picked up from the planting area.

I want to thank all the volunteers for all their efforts. We had fewer volunteers than at Oatka Park, but still managed to plant 1100 plants. I also want to thank Mike and Cassandra Balonek for providing the pizza on Wednesday and the subs on Saturday.

Good job by all!! Thank You again !

Pete

 

No Comments

Thanks!

Thank you to our intrepid eight nine that showed up to work on Saturday at the Balonek Dairy Farm! The bulk of the plants made it into the ground – we’ll have a final count when Monroe SWCD folks pick up the remaining supplies.

It seemed much warmer today than at the last planting session, as there was more humidity and less of a breeze. Steve, Pete and Don did the difficult work of planting in among the high brush down by the creek.

Let’s hope the forecast from the National Weather Service is accurate, and we get the rain that is predicted for the next four days.

Here are a few pictures from today:

0604161042a

Pete & Tim

0604161336

We got Josh from Monroe County SWCD to stand still for a picture. Josh is really really fast at digging holes!

0604161433

John and Don

0604161445

A view looking east.

0604161508

We’re packed up and heading home at about 3:30.

Again, thanks so much to everyone who helped out.

Apparently admin is not good at counting. Thanks to all NINE folks that worked so hard on Saturday!

No Comments

See you Tomorrow at the Farm!

Again, here’s our handy list of of items to bring with you on Saturday if you have them:

  • shovel and/or spade
  • planting bar
  • pick axe and/or mattock tool
  • hard rubber hammer, claw hammer and/or medium size ballpeen hammer
  • utility knife
  • empty 5-gallon buckets with handles
  • boots
  • work gloves
  • insect repellent
  • sunscreen
  • water & lunch

Remember to label your tools for easy identification.

Wednesday, though warm, was a real nice day to plant. According to the forecast for Saturday, it is supposed to be a few degrees warmer, so be sure you have water to keep hydrated, and sunscreen so you don’t burn.

The main planting area has been mowed for easier work, and there was a wonderful smell of mint from the mowing, but closer to the bank, some unfriendly plants were pointed out by Monroe County SWCD technician, Molly Swearingen, and confirmed by Charlie Knauf – keep an eye out to avoid them when working on Saturday:

0601161022Cow Parsnip will give you a photosensitive blister- like rash.  Pretty nasty!

admin update: Pete took a look at this plant and tells us it might be in the same family, but it is not Cow Parsnip.  Cow Parsnip has a different type of leaf.  We’re avoiding it anyway.

 

0601161023Stinging Nettle (foreground) – though the itchy rash won’t last much more than a day, it is still good not to get one in the first place.

 

0601161023aAnd Poison Ivy! We all knows what that is like! Steer clear!

Again, thanks to everyone who will be participating tomorrow. See you at 9:00AM! Parking is across the highway at the old gas station.

No Comments

Saturday – Tree Planting at Balonek Farm continues…. Please Lend a Hand

We got a lot of work done on Wednesday, but still need to plant 700 shrubs! Please come help if you can! Thank you to all that worked so hard on Wednesday!

06011614110601160921

From the desk of Chairman Peter Lent:

Hello everyone,

Yesterday a good start was made on the Balonek Farm Trees for Trib Project on Oatka Creek. All the trees have been planted (approx. 300) and about 400 shrubs were planted. There are still approximately 700 shrubs that will need to be planted on Saturday. These will be planted between the tree buffer and Oatka Creek. See planting plan in attached flyer. We had 15 folks help out on Wednesday, with representatives from the following groups: Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District, Oatka Creek Watershed Committee, Wyoming County Soil & Water District, NYS DEC Region 8 Forestry, and Trout Unlimited. The planting on Wednesday occurred between 8:30 to 4:00 PM.   Thank you to all who attended.

We are not done yet, so please consider helping us complete this job on Saturday, if you can.  Please refer to the attached flyer (also sent to you last Friday). Parking is available across Rt 36 from the farm entrance at the old closed gas station, which is adjacent to the DEC Fish Access Parking Lot (see map on the flyer).  Items to bring are listed on flyer.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Pete

 

SaturdayBalonek1

note: Admin has modified the map to indicate new parking arrangements. There is excavation and demolition work being done on the farm which prevents use of the original parking site, so as Pete has said, parking is across the highway at the old gas station (area indicated in orange). Also added was suggested path for easiest access to planting area (in pink!). The easiest path down may change, as Mike Balonek may be moving some dirt around to create a better access path.

Please see May 27 post for flyer. Contact Pete or Jeremy with any other questions. Be sure to wear sunscreen & bring water!

SaturdayWeather2

SaturdayWeather1Balonek2

 

No Comments

Don’t Forget Wednesday Planting at Balonek Farm

Weather1

Weather2

The updated report from the National Weather Service shows tomorrow’s weather will be a little cooler – so it should be a real nice day for some tree & shrub planting (but don’t forget the sun screen!).

We will be meeting up with Jeremy and the gang a little before 9:00AM.  See map for parking area.

Questions? Contact Jeremy!

Don’t forget your gloves, boots, tools, sunscreen, insect repellent, lunch & WATER! Hope to see you there!

Balonek1

No Comments

More Volunteers Needed for Tree Planting!

Spring is a busy planting time for the Trees for Tribs program. This is for the Balonek Farm project in Mumford. The planting area is also along Oatka Creek!

Volunteers Needed

WhatTrees for Tribs Planting Event on Balonek Dairy Farm along Oatka Creek – Plant 270 trees and over 1100 shrubs!!

PurposePlant a riparian buffer strip along the edge of Balonek Dairy Farm to prevent erosion and reduce the amount of sediment entering Oatka Creek.

WhereBalonek Dairy Farm on the corner of Rt. 36 and Rt. 383 just north of the Hamlet of Mumford.

WhenWednesday June 1st at 9:00 AM until as late as you are able, we have a lot of trees, and any help is greatly appreciated! In addition to June 1st, we plan to have a second planting event at the same location on Saturday June 4th starting at 9:00 AM to finish planting the remaining trees. If all 1500 plants get planted on June 1st a notice will be sent canceling the Saturday Planting event.

What to Bringshovels, spades, or planting bars for tree planting. Pick axes or mattock tools may also be helpful. 5 gallon buckets will be needed for watering the plants. Please label your tools for easy identification. We also encourage you to bring friends and family along if possible.

 

Below, there is a general location map for Balonek Dairy Farm, as well as a map of the proposed planting area along the north bank of Oatka Creek.

Volunteers need no prior experience; we will provide instruction on planting techniques. Volunteers will need to wear boots, bring work gloves, insect repellent, sunscreen, water & lunch.

We look forward to your assistance with this planting project. With your help, we can work towards improving Oatka Creek’s water quality. Thank you!

Forecast for Wednesday 6/1 in Mumford NYWeather

It appears that it will be a very warm, sunny day for planting. Please bring lots of water and sunscreen!

 

If you are interested in helping out or have any questions, please contact Jeremy Paris jeremyparis@monroecounty.gov or call Monroe County SWCD at (585)753-7380.

(Soil and Water Planning Technician for Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District). Feel free to pass this notice along to others

Balonek1Balonek2

No Comments

Ag Recycling Opportunity

From our friends at Genesee SWCD:

PLASTIC CONTAINERS:
Ag plastic container recycling is coordinated through Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation.  This is for containers only and includes the large 250 gallon totes.  It is not limited to only Genesee County. Pick-ups are scheduled twice a year, June and September.

Alot of vendors I’m hearing now are picking up their used product containers on a return visit to the farm.  The recycling program is especially great if you have older plastics lying around that you don’t remember who the vendor was or they’ve piled up over time.

Contact information & details are on the attached brochure to REGISTER in advance.

MORE RECYCLING EFFORTS:

Ag bunk covers, ag bags, seed totes/bean totes are not part of the above program, but instead are coordinated through Wyoming County Cornell Cooperative Extension.  Richard Downs will be handling pick-up at farms throughout Wyoming County starting in the next few weeks.  Please call Richard at 786-2251, ext. 142 if you are interested in having him stop by.  If you are outside the county you can still participate by contacting Richard and finding out what dates he will be at farms and coordinating your drop-off.  These pick-ups happen several times a year.
AgPlasticRecycle

No Comments

More News & Upcoming Events

ChemungSWCDScreen shot 2016-05-23 at 11.29.05 AM

Another event that can be found on the Genesee River Watch event page is the “Stream Investigation, Stabilization & Design Workshop” that is being sponsored by the Chemung County Soil and Water Conservation District. This is a 3 Day workshop to be held on June 8 – 10 at the 4-H Building at the Chemung County Fairgrounds and will feature speaker/instructor Dave Derrik, Potomologist, Stream Stabilization Specialist, & VP for 18 years with River Research & Design, Inc.

Space is limited!

Registration:
To register, complete the registration form found at the above link and mail or email it along with your payment to the Chemung County Soil and Water Conservation District by June 3, 2016. The workshop will be Limited to the first 55, so don’t wait to register.
Cost: $300 for State, Federal & Private Sector Employees
$150 for Local Officials & Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Registration includes lunch each day, breaks, handouts and bus to field site(s). For questions about the training or registration, please contact Mark Watts at markwatts@stny.rr.com or 607-739-2009

NYSDECGLportal

NYSDEC

DEC and NY Sea Grant have launched New York’s Great Lake’s Web Portal

“This Web site provides users with a portal of links to New York’s Great Lakes information. This includes links to mini-grant projects, research priorities and findings, and other existing information.” — from NY’s Great Lakes home page

Looks to be a great resource! Check it out!

DrainMarker

The OCWC will soon be marking storm drains in the Village of LeRoy! We’re hoping this effort will help folks remember that what goes into the drain, ends up right in the Oatka Creek. We will be looking for volunteers for this project.

Check back for more news on this, as planning progresses!

No Comments

3rd Annual Genesee River Basin Summit May 25th

GRWLogo

It’s not too late to register for Wednesday’s event that will feature presentations by state, regional and local experts on Streambank Erosion, Soil Loss & Sediment in the Genesee River Basin.

Participate in discussions for developing a strategic plan for reducing streambank erosion in the basin.

The event is being held at the RIT campus, and is free – But registration is required! Complete information found on the Upcoming Events page on GRW’s website.

Register Here

Be sure to download a map & parking permit!

No Comments