Posts Tagged ‘Ausable River Association’

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Restoring river banks

Volunteers of the Ausable River Association planted dogwoods and willows along the East Branch of Ausable River in Jay in May. Photo by Mike Lynch

Work has begun in Upper Jay on a project that will help restore the East Branch of the Ausable River to its natural state.

The Ausable River Association (AsRA) has identified 13 sites in the town of Jay where the river, distended by industry over the last century and a half — is in poor ecological health, making it more prone to flooding and ice jams, and less friendly to aquatic life.

The current site, upstream of the Route 9N bridge, is the second of the sites to be remediated. It will narrow the river channel, speeding the flow and making it less conducive to the creation of great slabs of ice that can cause considerable damage and flooding downstream.

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Saturday, July 8, 2023

Ausable River Association to host 5th year of free guided tours

Ausable River Association watershed tour

The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is launching the fifth year of their guided watershed tours in the Ausable watershed and beyond. These tours are free to the public and include paddling, hiking, and interpretive programs. Gear is available for tour participants to use when possible.

This year, ten trips will allow visitors to experience a variety of locations throughout the Ausable and its neighboring watersheds. Tours will include the return of popular programs from 2022 and some new additions based on popular requests. Birding and mushroom walks are back, along with a nature paddling trip on Lake Everest. New for 2023 are a tour of AsRA’s river restoration projects and more botany programs.
“It’s been a joy to play a role in getting so many people outside and learning. I’m looking forward to assisting with this program’s ten exciting tours this year” said Carolyn Koestner, GIS and Science Communications Fellow at AsRA.
AsRA’s free, guided watershed tours begin in mid-July with Riverwalking and will continue through the end of 2023. Tours are free, but pre-registration is required. Learn more about AsRA’s guided watershed tours program, tour dates, and registration on the Ausable River Association website, https://www.ausableriver.org/events/river-tours .

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

What’s next for Ausable River restoration

woman in a river bed

The Ausable River Association’s East Branch restoration project is coming to the town of Keene thanks to a share of a $2 million federal earmark.

Speaking at AsRA’s annual ‘friendraiser,’ Executive Director Kelley Tucker said restoration efforts to this point have been focused on the section of the river between the hamlets of Upper Jay and Au Sable Forks.

In that stretch, AsRA has identified 13 trouble spots that need repair — one has been completed, another is scheduled for this summer and two more are on the runway. But a portion of a $2 million grant earmarked by Rep. Elise Stefanik will extend the study area upriver to Keene.

Gary Henry, AsRA’s stream restoration manager said he hopes that by next summer he’ll be wading the river between Keene and Upper Jay, taking measurements and analyzing the riverbed.

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Monday, June 5, 2023

Ausable River East Branch Restoration Program Continues

ausable river restoration

This summer, the Ausable River Association will undertake the second phase of construction in its East Branch Restoration Program with Project Area 2 in Upper Jay. This comprehensive program, developed in 2019 with funding from the Governor’s Office for Storm Recovery (now the Office of Resilient Homes and Communities), identifies 13 sites in the Town of Jay in need of restoration. Completing these river restoration projects will improve flood resilience, protect communities and infrastructure, and restore habitat for the food web that supports our native brook trout. If you would like to learn more, please join us at the Town of Jay Community Center in Au Sable Forks on June 7 from 4 to 7 PM to meet with our Stream Restoration Manager, Gary Henry. He will be available to answer questions about this project and future projects in the East Branch Restoration Program.

More information here: https://www.ausableriver.org/blog/east-branch-restoration-program-continues-project-area-2-upper-jay

Photo provided by AsRA


Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Volunteers needed for East Branch Ausable River Tree Planting, May 5 and 12

Volunteers at an AsRa tree planting event.

Upper Jay, NY – The Ausable River Association (AsRA) and Adirondack Riverwalking will host two tree planting events this spring – May 5th and 12th. Volunteers will work alongside experienced teams planting native trees and shrubs to create a robust buffer at AsRA’s most recent stream restoration project in Upper Jay.The two groups invite the community to join them in restoring the streamside buffer on the East Branch Ausable River. “So many of our community members value the Ausable River and want to be involved in its protection,” said Carrianne Pershyn, Biodiversity Research Manager at AsRA. “Hosting events like tree plantings are a great way to get people involved and show them a tangible way to help in the community and at home.”


Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Ausable River clean up event set for Earth Day, April 22

Woman cleaning up a roadside.

The Ausable River Association (AsRA), in partnership with One Tree Planted and NRS, is hosting a cleanup along the roadside of the West Branch, East Branch, and Main Stem Ausable River in the communities of Wilmington, Lake Placid, Keene, Upper Jay, and Jay. This cleanup event is slated for Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. All are encouraged to participate in this opportunity to give back to local communities by picking up and removing trash that’s built up throughout the winter.

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Thursday, January 26, 2023

An earmark for the Ausable River

East Branch of the Ausable River.

The massive federal spending law passed by Congress last month contained a handful of earmarks directing money to North Country projects, including Ausable River restoration efforts.

The Ausable River Association garnered $2 million to continue restoration projects in Jay and to carry out a comprehensive study of the East Branch in Keene, a project the town has twice failed to get funded in state programs. The funding ball got rolling after Jay Supervisor Matt Stanley sought solutions in the wake of ice jam flooding in Ausable Forks last year.


Monday, January 23, 2023

Adirondack Lake Survey Corp Merger into Ausable River Association is Complete

Phil Snyder in boat on Hope Pond

The governing boards of the Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation (ALSC) and the Ausable River Association (AsRA) announced that on January 1, 2023, the proposed merger between the two organizations had been finalized. Former ALSC Program Manager Phil Snyder has joined AsRA full-time, bringing extensive field science and laboratory experience to AsRA’s efforts in the Ausable watershed and to watershed throughout the Adirondack Park. Snyder serves as field research manager for the pilot of SCALE – the collaborative Survey of Climate Change in Adirondack Lake Ecosystems.

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Sunday, January 8, 2023

Ausable River Association receives $2 million community flood resilience

Ausable River AssociationA request from the Ausable River Association (AsRA) for $2 million was included in the 2023 Federal Omnibus Bill, signed into law last week by President Biden. AsRA’s request was shepherded through the appropriations process, through subcommittee review and approval, by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. These funds will help build flood resilience, protect water quality, and restore stream health in the Town of Jay. They will advance critical river restoration projects detailed in the East Branch Ausable River Restoration Plan and expand the Plan, which currently includes the Town of Jay, to include the upstream half of the East Branch in the Town of Keene. 

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Monday, October 31, 2022

New signs installed around Mirror Lake describe ecosystem, challenges, & protection efforts

WILMINGTON, NY — Pedestrians along popular lakeside routes in the Village of Lake Placid will find four new interpretive signs describing the Mirror Lake ecosystem, challenges to it, and protection efforts underway. The Ausable River Association (AsRA), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute partnered to design and produce the four educational signs.

The colorful and accessible signs provide information on the aquatic food web, the watershed, road salt impacts, and monitoring efforts on Mirror Lake. Jon Stetler of RPI developed the idea for the signs working with AsRA’s staff. They were designed by Andre Guilbo and produced with funds from the National Science Foundation through RPI and from the Lake Champlain Basin Program and NEIWPCC through AsRA.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Dr. Curt Stager to present at Ausable River Association Dinner, Sept. 28

WILMINGTON, NY — The Ausable River Association will host their first ever “September Shindig” on September 28 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. All are welcome for an evening of fine dining and camaraderie at The Hungry Trout Resort in Wilmington, NY. The night will feature Dr. Curt Stager, author and professor of natural sciences at Paul Smith’s College, as guest speaker. Dr. Stager will present an update on climate change in the Adirondacks based on a long-term study he is preparing to publish.

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Thursday, September 8, 2022

Report: No spring turnover on Mirror Lake

mirror lake

Chloride concentrations in Mirror Lake – one of the region’s most developed lakes – declined slightly last year, but the lake again failed to complete a turnover in spring 2021, according to an annual report from the Ausable River Association.

The report, released earlier this month, attributed the chloride decline to a mild winter season, improvements to the Village of Lake Placid’s stormwater runoff system and a new program to reduce private and public road salt use around the lake.

Mirror Lake is one of the lakes most impacted by salt pollution in the Adirondack Park and has been the focus of the Ausable River Association and local officials seeking to limit salt contamination. Still, researchers measured chloride concentration of 52 mg/L, much higher than chloride levels found in lakes unimpacted by salt runoff.

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Friday, September 2, 2022

Ausable River Association to Auction Adirondack Guideboat

 

WILMINGTON, NY – It’s a rare opportunity to own and row a piece of Adirondack history. The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is holding a silent auction for a ca. 1900 Adirondack guideboat in excellent condition. The guideboat was donated to AsRA by an anonymous local donor to raise funds in support of AsRA’s innovative, science-based programs that protect the freshwater of the Ausable watershed and beyond.

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Thursday, June 23, 2022

Adirondack area organizations announce promotions/new hires

Several Adirondack-area nonprofit organizations, including the Ausable River Association, Adirondack Council, and View Arts Center, recently announced a lineup of promotions and new hires.
Carolyn Koestner joins Ausable River Association and Lake Champlain Sea Grant

Carolyn Koestner. Photo provided by the Ausable River Association.

Wilmington, NY — Carolyn Koestner of Saranac Lake has joined the staff of the Ausable River Association (AsRA). Her position as geographic information system (GIS) mapping and science communications fellow is made possible through a partnership with Vermont-based Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG). Earlier this year, LCSG awarded AsRA a two-year competitive fellowship that provides $25,000 a year toward the hire of an early career professional. A generous donor gave the required match commitment to AsRA to make this new opportunity possible.

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Sunday, May 15, 2022

Ausable River Association announces Spring series of free guided watershed tours

The Ausable River Association (AsRA) has announced the schedule for their free, guided interpretive outdoor programs in the northern Adirondacks this spring.
“We are excited to grow our popular guided watershed tours this year,” said Kelley Tucker, AsRA’s Executive Director. “We’re offering guided tours in all seasons this year, and our spring tours will focus on native wildflowers, birds, bats, and other Adirondack species.”
“This year’s programs include 15 guided trips to locations in the Ausable, Boquet, and Saranac River watersheds,” said Tyler Merriam, Donor Outreach Manager.
Three spring programs kick off the season. The first is a birding walk in a private preserve along the West Branch Ausable River. Dr. Larry Master, conservation biologist/zoologist and past Ausable River Association board chair, and Derek Rogers, ace birder and Stewardship Director with the Adirondack Land Trust, will lead this tour.


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