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Join us at our Dunking Booth at the Saratoga County
Fair Click here to see who will be in our dunking booth. Meet the Creek at Kelley Park
Saturday, July 17, 2010 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: Follow Friends of the Kayaderosseras on Facebook! FoK News
Annual Meeting 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 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 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. To learn more, check out the following websites: A Homeowner's Guide
to Clean Water Center for Watershed
Protection National Assoc. of
Conservation Districts |
