Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program

The Ashokan Water­shed Stream Man­age­ment Pro­gram (AWSMP) works in partnership with communities to protect and restore stream corridor stability and ecosystem integrity in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed. This watershed includes the upper Esopus Creek, Bushkill, and other streams draining into New York City's Ashokan Reservoir.

The AWSMP is a joint effort between Cor­nell Coop­er­a­tive Exten­sion of Ulster County, the Ulster County Soil and Water Con­ser­va­tion Dis­trict, and the New York City Depart­ment of Envi­ron­men­tal Pro­tec­tion. The three agen­cies work col­lab­o­ra­tively to main­tain the health of streams in the watershed. 

The pro­gram works to improve stream sta­bil­ity and reduce ero­sion threats to water qual­ity and infra­struc­ture, mit­i­gate poten­tial dam­age from flood­ing, and enhance aquatic and ripar­ian habi­tat. AWSMP delivers programs to edu­cate and inform the com­mu­nity about stream stew­ard­ship best man­age­ment prac­tices and coor­di­nates stream man­age­ment activ­i­ties in the water­shed. Stream assessments and stream man­age­ment plans — com­pre­hen­sive eval­u­a­tions of stream char­ac­ter­is­tics with rec­om­men­da­tions and strate­gies for improve­ment — pro­vide the basis for the program’s activities. In addition, the stream program delivers a flood mitigation program that assists municipalities with identifying the causes and solutions to flooding in population centers. The program's work is based in science and engineering supported by research and best professional practices. 

Cor­nell Coop­er­a­tive Exten­sion of Ulster County has provided stakeholder coordination, administration, and stream project implementation in collaboration with local partners for 20 years in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed. The stream management program operating in the NYC Watershed was recently recognized on a national level.

Cor­nell Coop­er­a­tive Exten­sion of Ulster County coordinates a Stream Management Implementation Grants Program for the AWSMP that assists communities in the Ashokan Watershed with implementing stream and floodplain projects that have a public benefit. Over $9.5 million has been granted to complete 96 projects in the watershed since 2009. For more information, visit https://ashokanstreams.org/projects-and-funding/.

Sample some of the youth and family educational materials available from the active Watershed Youth Education Program operating in the Ashokan Watershed.

The AWSMP is funded by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection's Stream Management Program.

Other Stream Management Programs

Depending on funding availability, Cor­nell Coop­er­a­tive Exten­sion of Ulster County is able to apply the knowledge developed in the Ashokan watershed to assist Ulster County communities with coordination of stream management programs and stream and floodplain projects. Stream Management Program staff provide stakeholder coordination, stream management education, and specialized technical assistance in collaboration with our stream program delivery partner Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District (UCSWCD).