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Join us at our Dunking Booth at the Saratoga County
Fair
on Thursday, July 22.
Click here to see who will be in our dunking booth.
Meet the Creek at Kelley Park
Saturday, July 17, 2010
1:00-4:00pm
The Friends of the
Kayaderosseras will hold their 5th annual Meet the Creek event on
Saturday July 17 from 1 to 4 pm at
Kelley Park in Ballston Spa. "We are pleased to be returning to
Kelley Park," says Friends' president Larry Woolbright, "to
introduce some new features and to revisit our favorite sites."
The event is an
opportunity for members, families and friends of all ages to explore
the Romano Nature Trail and to visit displays and demonstrations
that increase understanding of the Kayaderosseras Creek and its
natural features. Those attending can learn about the new J-hooks,
those curved stone structures installed in the creek last Fall to
improve trout habitat by using the water flow to create pools.
Experienced anglers will demonstrate flycasting techniques, and
naturalist Jacqueline Donnely will lead a walk at 2 pm to focus on
summer plants and wild flowers. At 3:00, Peter Brooks will share
ideas about the benefits of returning part of the mowed field to a
natural habitat.
Other stations along
the Nature Trail will include water quality testing, stormwater
runoff and Clean Creek Stewardship. This last program is a new
Friends' project to promote awareness and action to prevent
pollution and conserve water. Using a
12-page workbook, participants earn points towards a
certificate. A one-page version for children will be introduced at
the event. Certificates will be provided for children whose actions
qualify.
The organization will
serve hamburgers, hotdogs and soda throughout the event.
This event is
conducted in cooperation with Children and Nature Saratoga, part of
a national movement to promote health and fun through "come out and
play" outdoor activities.
The Kayaderosseras
Creek and its tributaries drain 189 square miles of central Saratoga
County, through seven towns and the City of Saratoga Springs,
forming the main tributary to Saratoga Lake. It is part of the Upper
Hudson River drainage basin.
Clean Up Dates
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Rain
date: May 15, 2010
Where:
Kelley Park parking lot
When: 9:00am
What
to bring: sturdy footwear and gloves
Participants will break up
into groups to clean access points along the creek. Join us
for cookout lunch back at Kelly Park around noon.
Questions:
Call Karen Totino at 573-6846 or
karen@green-conscience.com
Follow Friends of the Kayaderosseras on Facebook!
FoK News
Annual Meeting
March 8, 2010
Want to have some fun and be a Friend
of the Kayaderosseras at the same time? If so, the Friends of the
Kayaderosseras (FoK) invites everyone to its annual meeting at
7 p.m. Monday, March 8 at the Saratoga State
Park Administration Building, l9 Roosevelt Drive just off
the Avenue of the Pines.
The organization, best known for its
annual cleanup activities which so far has involved the removal of
over 1200 tires and tons of plastic and metal waste, also conducts a
variety of recreational and educational programs to promote the
creek and its watershed as both a natural and community resource.
Such programs will be described at the meeting by President Larry
Woolbright who encourages everyone to take part in an activity they
feel they can contribute to as well as have a lot of fun meeting
like-minded people who enjoy a healthy creek free of eyesores.
There will be after-dinner desserts
catered at the 7 p.m. meeting Monday March 8 which is being held
in the Gideon Putnam room of the
State Park Administration Building.
A highlight of the meeting will also
be a celebration of the five year anniversary of the Friends of the
Kayaderosseras and the contributions made by Ruth Dibelius, who
founded the organization and has been its president for the past
five years. By working with town, county and state government
organizations, the number of public access sites have grown from
zero to six. FoK volunteers have created three new trails and two
launch sites with two more trials and another launch site in the
development stage.
On hand to celebrate the past five
years of significant accomplishments will be Julie Stokes, former
deputy of NYS Parks Department, Alane Ball-Chinian, Regional
Director of NYS’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation, Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, Saratoga County Supervisor
JoAnn Yepsen and Ballston Spa Mayor John Romano.
In addition to the tributes to Ruth
Dibelius for her service, there will be an open forum for everyone
to suggest and discuss ideas to continue the mission to promote
awareness and appreciation of the creek and to inspire action to
conserve and protect the creek.
On an ongoing basis, FoK also
creates and maintains nature trails along the creek such as the Burl
Trail along Route 43, Northline Road, between Rt. 50 and the
Northway, Kelley Park in Ballston Spa and for the Town of Milton’s
Boice Family Park off Rock City Falls Road.
Hands on Educational displays
showing how to keep the creek healthy as well as informative talks
and games for children are not only offered at the annual Meet the
Creek event but also provided by request to organizations like the
Saratoga County Fair and the Saratoga Environmental Exposition.
Canoe and kayak trips are offered by
the Recreational Access Committee and include a spring scouting trip
to identify and help clear the creek of winter blockage.
The Friends of the Kayaderosseras
also offer a variety of programs to keep the creek healthy. A
conservation committee conducts programs explaining the need for
vegetative buffers along the creek to reduce pollutants getting into
the c reek and educational programs explaining how storm water
runoff and soil disturbance can affect water quality. Other
programs include invasive plant removal, water quality testing, and
efforts to protect aquatic life as well as animals depending on the
creek for survival.
Anyone interested in joining the
Friends of the Kayaderosseras to preserve and conserve the creek can
e-mail:
kaydeross@hotmail.com or check the website, Kayaderosseras.org
or write Friends of the Kayaderosseras, P. O. Box. 223, Ballston
Spa. NY 12020
Battle Leads War on Trash in Creek
to Earn
Eagle Scout Certification
Getting youth more involved in
keeping the Kayaderosseras Creek healthy is a goal that FoK met big
time this fall thanks to Vice President Blue Neils who led the FoK
advisory team working with the Boy Scouts Association. It began
with a request by Matt Battle who was
going after his Eagle Scout certification and decided that his best
community service project would be to lead a group to clean up
Kayaderosseras Creek. He submitted a comprehensive three page
plan, and the results from his Friday,
October 2, 2009 Stormwater Kayaderosseras Cleanup speaks
for itself:
An amazing 2,500 pounds of litter
was collected. Most incredible –even though FoK cleared 53 tires
our of this Burl Trail area in 2008 following a 2007 removal of l30
tires -- Matt Battle and his eagle-eye Scouts pulled another 89
tires out of the creek. Matt and his team battled to rid the
creek of eyesores and garbage; especially for aquatic wildlife
vulnerable to toxics. “It was harder work than anyone expected,”
said FoK VP Blue Neils, who noted that after the scout team led by
Matt piled up the tires and debris, it was the Saratoga Spa State
Park officials who hauled away the tires and debris and recycled
them in some cases.
Woolbright Named President of
Friends of Kayaderosseras
Larry Woolbright, professor of Biology and
Environmental Studies at Siena College, has been elected President
of the Friends of the Kayaderosseras to replace Ruth Dibelius who
has served in this capacity since the organization was formed in
2004.
At the recent board
meeting, Ruth, who decided not to complete her term this year
because of other commitments, was elated when the board heartily
endorsed Larry as President for his deep commitment to the mission,
goals and guidelines of the Friends of the Kayaderosseras. Ruth
noted Larry was an important part of the creation and early shaping
of the organization and expressed her pleasure in seeing him return
to a leadership role. She declared, “Larry is well qualified to
lead the organization during this time of rapid growth and I will be
honored to work with him in a supportive role.” Larry has
extensive experience consulting on environmental planning and
community open space design. He has also conducted a variety of
research projects including a National Science Foundation funded
study of the population ecology of tropical frogs.
In thanking Ruth for her
tremendous efforts in starting and leading the Friends of the
Kayaderosseras and the wonderful legacy she had gives us all, Larry
said, “I believe that FoK’s efforts to conserve the creek represent
important work that brings together many people with varied
interests for the benefit of the whole community, and I am pleased
and honored to help further that mission.”
The organization is best
known for its major cleanups of the creek, which involves an annual
summer “Wading for Tires” event that has resulted in more than 500
tires being pulled out of the creek bed, along with metal and heavy
plastic waste. The Friends of the Kayaderosseras organization also
conducts two major fall cleanups along the banks.
In November, the group
spends a Saturday and a Sunday scouring the banks of the
Kayaderosseras for debris. Finds have included a century old gas
streetlight, a rusted out snowmobile and a stuffed toy snake over 20
feet long.
In just the past two
years, a total of 1,111 tires have been pulled out of the banks
along Factory Village and Kelley Park for recycling, and this is
just the “tip of the tireberg” according to scouts planning this
fall’s cleanup.
FoK also creates and
maintains nature trails along the creek such as the Burl Trail along
Northline Road and Kelley Park in Ballston Spa. FoK volunteers are
now working on trail development in the new Town of Milton Boice
Family Park off Rock City Falls Road.
Other events include an
annual Meet the Creek event that provides hands-on displays showing
how to keep the creek healthy, as well as informative talks,
activities for children, and refreshments. Displays such as the
watershed exhibit are requested for use at the Saratoga County Fair
and the Saratoga Environmental Exposition.
Canoe and kayak trips by
the Recreational Access Committee include an early spring trip to
assure the creek is free of debris from winter storms.
In addition to cleanups,
FoK offers a variety of programs to keep the creek healthy. A
conservation committee is dedicated to promoting the need for
vegetative buffers along the creek to reduce pollutants getting into
the creek. Educational programs explain how storm water runoff and
soil disturbance can affect water quality. Other programs include
invasive plant removal, water quality testing, and efforts to
protect aquatic life as well as animals depending on the creek for
survival.
Conservation / Water Quality
Local land use decisions are the most important
factor in determining protection for the creek. Let your local
town board or planning committee know that the Kayaderosseras
matters to you.
If you are a home owner along the creek, maintain
the creek margin in forest or native plants. Lawn is not as
absorptive and will permit larger run-off.
To learn more, check out the following
websites:
A Homeowner's Guide
to Clean Water
www.epa.gov/nps
Center for Watershed
Protection
http://www.cwp.org/
National Assoc. of
Conservation Districts
http://www.urban.nacdnet.org/
Saratoga Plan
http://www.saratogaplan.org/trail_kayaderosseras.html
Adirondack Sports Fitness-Exploring the
Kayaderosseras
http://www.adksportsfitness.com/september2005/articles/paddling.html
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