Search results for “battenkill river”

TU launches major restoration effort on Battenkill

Published in Conservation, Community

By Jacob Fetterman Stretching from Manchester, Vt., to the Hudson River in New York state, the Battenkill River holds a firm place in fly fishing history.  Beyond the river’s fame and beauty, it has become evident that, without proper stewardship, the wild trout fishery supported by the Battenkill could slip away due to the degradation of quality habitat through factors such as deforestation, sedimentation, channel modification,

A summer in the much-loved Battenkill River watershed

Published in Conservation, Science
A biologist measures stream depth on a tributary of the Battenkill River.

By Jacob A. Fetterman  When I decided to change my major toward the end of my freshman year at Lock Haven University, I had no idea about the journey to follow. I was looking for a career that would allow me to positively impact the natural world I grew up admiring.   Five-and-a-half years later, it is safe to say that I am well

Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative

Flowing from Manchester, Vt., to the Hudson River near Schuylerville, N.Y., the Battenkill is a historic river. It is a significant contributor to the surrounding economy – drawing fly-fishers, paddlers, and outdoor explorers from near and far.  Additionally, several successful agricultural operations that enjoy the fruits of a highly productive and functioning watershed. To ensure the long-term stability of this amazing resource and economic driver,

Snorkeling in frigid water, jumping jacks and a successful restoration project

Published in Restoration

Snorkeling is a relatively easy and cost-effective way to survey streams for trout populations estimates. This summer, TU’s Jacob Fetterman conducted his first surveys on a stretch of Camden Creek, a tributary to the Battenkill River, prior to a habitat restoration project. He will survey the same stretch next to estimate the impacts of the project.

TU in Action: Restoring streams for communities

Published in Community, Conservation

Stony Clove Creek in New York, before restoration (top), and after. Photos courtesy of Hudson Valley One. In 2011, when Hurricane Irene nailed the Atlantic coast, Stony Clove Creek near Chichester, N.Y., carried almost 16,000 cubic feet per second of water down its course, flooding the community and generally making a mess of things. Years

Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative hits the ground running

Published in Conservation, Barriers, From the field

By Jacob Fetterman  In the first official year of Trout Unlimited’s Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative, we are thrilled to have completed two restoration projects and one reconnection project within the watershed.    The projects to enhance cold-water and spawning habitat took place on three tributaries — Camden Creek, Juniper Swamp Brook, and Coulter Brook — all supporting native brook trout.  

Trout Unlimited initiative tackling rising threats to key trout & salmon watersheds

Nation’s largest coldwater conservation nonprofit identifies 200+ “Priority Waters” where work is needed to reverse declines of wild and native fish Contacts: ARLINGTON, Va.—Wild and native trout and salmon, as coldwater fish in a warming world, are facing enormous threats. More than 1.5 million miles of America’s trout and salmon waters are degraded, and populations

Trout Unlimited's Guide to America's 100 Best Trout Streams Receives Prestigious National Outdoor Award

11/30/1999 Trout Unlimited’s Guide to America’s 100 Best Trout Streams Receives Prestigious National Outdoor Award Trout Unlimited’s Guide to America’s 100 Best Trout Streams Receives Prestigious National Outdoor Award Book Highlights the ‘Who’s Who’ of American Trout Streams Contact: 11/30/1999 — — Trout Unlimited’s ‘Guide to America’s 100 Best Trout Streams’ by John Ross, recently

Pigeons, persistence and hope

Published in From the President, TROUT Magazine

I recently read an essay where a priest on a mission to Guatemala discovered that artists from the village painted museum-quality artwork on the inside walls of a bell-tower—a place where only pigeons would see them. The story reminded me of Trout Unlimited’s work—behind the scenes, often unnoticed, complicated, hard, and, ultimately, beautiful.   What a year. We reckoned with racial injustice as a nation, and looked inward to the fact that we need to become

Newsletter highlights TU’s work in New York

Published in Restoration, Conservation

Hello 2022! Trout Unlimited’ s conservation work has continued around the state despite the delays and challenges brought about by the COVID pandemic. We have many highlights from a productive 2021, and some exciting things on the horizon for the coming year. Click below to download the full newsletter. Tracy Brown, the restoration manager for

Ambitious TU volunteers making progress on Battenkill

Published in Community, Conservation, Fishing

Adding large wood to streams can help narrow over-widened channels and also provide a place for trout to hide from predators such as mergansers, which have been found to be decimating trout of certain sizes in the Battenkill. By John Braico The storied Battenkill, long recognized as a challenging river among anglers, faced a steep

Changing climate disrupting phenology up and down the food chain

Published in Conservation

Leptophlebia spinner. Jerry Schoen photo. By Jerry Schoen My introduction to fly-fishing came courtesy of a heavy Hendrickson hatch on the Battenkill River, back in the 1970s. The fish were willing, and it all seemed easy – an impression corrected over the next several days of trial, error and inconsistencies in weather, the behavior of

When ‘fishing ain’t what it used to be’ is a good thing

Published in Conservation, Fishing

The fishing ain’t what it used to be.   We’ve all heard that familiar lament, usually uttered by an angler trudging back to the parking lot after getting skunked. As conservationists, we know it’s too often true. The losses of trout and salmon fisheries relative to their historic distribution are well known to all of us. But this