$600,000 in grants have been awarded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to implement the goals and objectives of the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda 2021-2026. The Action Agenda is a five-year plan advancing efforts to conserve, preserve, and restore the Mohawk River and its watershed and the grants will support local partnerships and initiatives throughout the region.
Located wholly within the boundaries of New York State, the Mohawk River is the largest tributary to the Hudson River and its watershed, encompassing 14 counties and 172 municipalities. DEC developed the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda to bring together local, State, and federal agencies and other stakeholders committed to the conservation and preservation of the Mohawk River, its watershed, and communities.
Designed to mirror and complement DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program, DEC’s Mohawk River Basin Program fosters partnerships regionwide to manage and protect the natural resources of the river and its watershed for a sustainable future. The Mohawk River Basin Program acts as the coordinator of watershed-wide activities, assisting in the development of partnerships throughout the area to provide a framework for collaboration. The success of this program requires the involvement of stakeholders and the creation of partnerships with established programs and organizations throughout the watershed.
Through the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda, DEC, along with collaborating stakeholders and partners, promotes decision-making based on an understanding of the entire ecosystem, recognizing that complex issues within the region cannot be fully resolved by managing certain sectors, species, or pollutants on an individual basis. The Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda strategically identifies four key goals to fulfill the mission of the Mohawk River Basin Program and focuses on projects that prioritize water quality, flooding and resilience, fisheries and habitats, and recreation and stewardship.
The grants awarded will help municipalities, soil and water conservation districts, school districts, colleges and universities, and not-for-profit organizations fund projects designed to preserve and protect the Mohawk River watershed. This is the sixth round of grants awarded through the program. Funded projects are:
Flooding and Resilience:
City of Gloversville, Gloversville Flood Hazard Risk Reduction, $50,000: A flood hazard risk reduction and resiliency study to determine flood risks, flooding area, and impacts to mitigate risks at previously identified priority brownfield sites along the Cayadutta and Mill creeks.
Research Foundation for the State University at New York (SUNY) Cobleskill, Cobleskill Creek Flood Hazard Risk Reduction at SUNY Cobleskill, $50,000: Provide streambank stabilization to mitigate erosion and prevent flooding along the banks of key areas of the Cobleskill Creek on the SUNY Cobleskill campus.
Town of Whitestown, Project 3 – Sauquoit Creek Channel and Floodplain Restoration Project, $50,000: Project 3 is part of the greater Sauquoit Creek Channel and Floodplain Restoration Program designed to reconnect the creek to its natural floodplain and will include enlargement of an existing floodplain bench and construction of a new floodplain bench on lower Commercial Drive.
Recreation and Stewardship:
Erie Canalway Heritage Fund Inc., Needs Assessment for Hand Launch Access Paddler Amenities and Stewardship on the Mohawk River/Erie Canal Section of the New York State Canalway Water Trail, $50,000: A study to identify gaps in infrastructure and services including identifying existing and potential new launch sites, existing and needed amenities, and other services along the 450 miles of canals and interconnected lakes and rivers on the Mohawk River section of the Erie Canal between Rome and Waterford.
Montgomery County, The Walter Elwood Museum Nature Trail, $50,000: Construction of a new 500-foot segment of the Chuctanunda Creek Trail in the City of Amsterdam to provide trail users and museum goers with an interactive learning experience that highlights the natural heritage of the Chuctanunda Creek.
Schoharie River Center, Mohawk Watershed Riparian Education Program, $50,000: Continuation of the Schoharie River Center’s Environmental Study Team, a comprehensive watershed education program, engaging local youths in the Mohawk River Basin, building partnerships and community capacity to improve the quality of Mohawk River and its tributaries through citizen science.
Onondaga Environmental Institute, Inc., Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Leaders in the Mohawk River Watershed, $49,928: Work with educators, scientists, and community leaders to empower students to engage in local environmental issues, particularly those that impact their lives within the broader context of climate change adaptations and solutions in the Mohawk River watershed.
New York Folklore Society, Along the River – A Blue Way Marking Program, $32,165: A project to connect residents and visitors to the Mohawk/Schoharie watersheds through place names and indigenous cultural heritage that is replicable across New York State. This project will focus specifically on place-making within the Mohawk and Schoharie watersheds through creation and installation of signage, development of an interpretive audio and video guide, and teacher training materials to make curricular connections to signage.
Town of Rotterdam, Great Flats Nature Trail Improvements for Accessible Public Education of a Wetland, $23,374.34: Increase education on the important wetland habitat of the Great Flats Trail by making information on topics such as plant identification, bird species, and history of the trail area more available to the public through user-friendly signage that utilize QR codes accessed easily through mobile devices.
Fisheries and Habitats:
Town of Colonie, Colonie Mohawk River Park Waterfront Access Revitalization Project, $47,674.03: A project to mitigate water chestnuts within four to six acres of the park and river shoreline using a professional contractor and community volunteers. This will include maintenance dredging to install a new boat launch at the park, restoring public access to the Mohawk River.
Town of Caroga, Pilot Program to Use Herbicide to Eradicate Eurasian Milfoil in East and West Caroga Lake, $46,650: Project to demonstrate whether the use of an herbicide to eradicate the invasive milfoil plant can be accomplished with no harmful effects on water quality, fish, or native plants.
Town of Niskayuna, Niskayuna Natural Resources Inventory, $15,000: Implement a natural resources inventory for 10 parcels within Niskayuna. Once completed, the town and its partners will engage in public outreach efforts to share this information.
Water Quality:
Oneida County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Waterville Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Stream Stabilization, $32,887.50: A collaborative project between the village of Waterville and the Oneida County SWCD to reduce bank erosion and enhance high flow management in the reach of Big Creek that is in proximity to the Waterville WWTP.
Riverkeeper Inc., A Novel Collaborative Sampling Strategy for Fecal Indicator Bacteria Monitoring in the Mohawk River, $29,615: In partnership with DEC, SUNY Cobleskill, and SUNY Polytechnic, this project will engage students and volunteers in the first watershed-scale assessment of fecal indicator bacteria at 28 sites within the Mohawk River watershed.
For more information on the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda 2021-2026, past grant awards, and funding opportunities through the Mohawk River Basin Program visit DEC’s website.
These grants are supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and administered under DEC’s Mohawk River Watershed Grants program.
Illustrations, from above: Paddler on the Erie Canal Mohawk River near Utica; and a map of the Mohawk River Watershed (courtesy DEC).
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