"We All Live Downstream"
(this title came from a NYSDEC poster -- I hope they don't mind me using it)

The title of my column this week has a lot of meaning to me as a fisherman, an outdoors-person and one who is very concerned about the health of our total environment e.g., wildlife, habitat, streams, lakes, oceans, air, earth, drinking water etc. and since we are all part of the environment -- human health. Simply put -- the health of all living things depends upon a healthy environment.

Living on a small lake (Winona) in the Town of Newburgh I see different forms of pollution from different sources -- some of which have resulted in fish kills -- in our small lake. It just happens that our lake is downstream of the juncture of two streams that come from two separate watersheds within the Town of Newburgh and other towns West and North West -- including the Chadwick Lake Water Shed and the Orange Lake Water Shed. What happens to this water after it leaves Orange and Chadwick has been a concern in the past. I should also mention that the stream that comes from Chadwick Lake is called Quassaic Creek. It passes through Winona Lake and several impoundments before flowing into the Hudson River between the City of Newburgh and New Windsor.

Whenever we get an appreciable amount of rain, water volumes and turbidity increases tremendously. Our lake and others turn a color that is similar to coffee and cream. After several days the turbidity dissipates and the lake returns to normal clarity. But one has to understand that the sedimentation that caused the lake to become muddy in the first place has to go somewhere. Some of the heavier particles settle quickly to the bottom of our lake. And some of the lighetr particles travel farther and eventually settle somewhere. Which means that if there are any aquatic creatures e.g., fish, frogs and amphibians with eggs and nesting in the lake will most likely be suffocated and be destroyed. This scenario of heavy “siltation” and suffocation plays out all of the way downstream until all of the material, that is causing the turbidity, settles out, gets carried away to another place or diluted. Other influences that come into play are the size and type of particle that is causing the problem, the carry velocity of the water and the volumes of clear water that follow the event. Over a period of time the lake or body of water will eventually fill in. It will then have to be dredged or it will turn into a shallow body of water and eventually many different types of plants that grow in shallow water will take over. The lake is also susceptible to increases in temperature that allows unwanted algae growth on the surface and the elimination of certain species. Then come the folks who will want to use chemicals to kill the algae and then other impacts will be felt or noticed.

Now how did we get in a situation such as this that seems to have gradually increased to a point of being out of control. Are we alone with this problem or does this scenario play out in other communities across New York State and America? I can assure you we aren’t alone. But how can this happen?

Many towns throughout our state are in the business of overseeing development projects within the town’s borders. In many cases our responsible public servants look at these projects with non-technical eyes. In many cases they look at these projects as single entities and don’t consider the cumulative effects of the particular projects. In other words a project that is being planned to be constructed in an area that may now be a combination of open fields and woods will require X number of square feet of parking lot, roadways and building roof surface will produce X number of gallons of storm water that will have to go somewhere. Where it goes, how it gets there, how much volume is generated and the quality of the storm water is generally not addressed with many projects. To add insult to injury the town will declare itself “lead agency” and make a determination of no impact to the environment when in fact there will be and there already is from previous projects. Other impacts such as increased traffic, air and water pollution etc. is generally not addressed. Who is watching the store? Who is looking out for the environment and the health of the people?

Over the years, Winona Lake has been bombarded with very high volumes of muddy, turbid water -- all caused by poor planning of upstream development.

Contaminants come downstream to us in other ways -- through the air and also underground aquifers that provide our precious and important drinking water. Years of legal and illegal dumping pollutants that eventually works its way down to these important aquifers.

We have all heard about the Hudson River PCB Saga and all of the publicity that it has been getting for far too many years. Clarity and lack of turbidity are not the only measures of clean water. What we see happening to the Hudson River is happening to many waters throughout our state, all over our country and yes even into our oceans. It has gotten so bad that many of our state’s waters are off limits to fishers who may want to eat their catch. I won’t even begin to list the chemicals, poisons, toxics, and many other pollutants here. Nor will I mention all of the impacts and ill effects that they cause -- but as you and I know they are many and far reaching. The only ones who don’t speak-up on behalf of our environment are the big businesses, big governments and the public servants who benefit from big business -- and the profits derived. Whenever I see our public servants getting involved with big business the red flag goes up. Many of the same public servants who form a symbiotic relationship with big business and do so without any concerns from the general public. But you will notice that some of these same individuals will raise a concern when church and state form a similar relationship. Many of our societal, health and environmental problems that we experience today occur when public servants and the business community leaders break bread and exchange big bucks in campaign contributions and other perks.

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Part of my purpose of writing an outdoor column is to inform the MHT/WVT readers of the different outdoor pursuits that are available to all of us here in the Hudson Valley and NYS. For example the Stewart Buffer Lands West of Stewart Airport provides thousands of outdoor folks a place to recreate, and enjoy themselves in the passive recreational activity that they choose to pursue. One of the outdoor pursuits that the Stewart Buffer provides is hunting. This year the Orange County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, through funding from the Orange County Legislature, will be stocking Bobwhite Quail and pheasants this year on the Buffer Lands. NYS has been previously stocking pheasants there. I am receiving reports that many pheasants stocked on the Buffer Lands hold over to the next season and some are raising young in the spring. This means more opportunities for wild pheasants during the upcoming fall season.

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NYS Hunting Licenses are now on sale. The 2001 Deer Management Permit Applications must be postmarked by September 7, 2001. Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 3M which covers most of Orange County is offering 23,600 permits this year.

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“If guns and ammunition are outlawed -- then only outlaws and criminals will have guns and ammunition.”

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Outdoor Liaisons appears every other week in the Times - Frank can be reached at the Times - email forthebirds39@earthlink.net or 845-562-0941.