More money for Lower Esopus Creek management available to nonprofits, municipalities

The Lower Esopus Creek is one of the more closely managed and monitored waterways in the region. Multiple agencies and nonprofits have spent millions of dollars over the years to address issues related to water quality, flooding, and erosion. Now towns and nonprofits will have access to even more funds and a new framework to improve “watershed health.” On the table are grant opportunities to advance projects in the Lower Esopus Stream Management Plan and the adoption of a new framework for collaboration by the Lower Esopus Creek Advisory Council, a coalition of municipal representatives and community stakeholders from the Lower Esopus watershed and the Sawkill and Plattekill sub-watersheds. The framework formalizes shared goals and decision-making procedures for restoration, mitigation, and other priorities determined by Advisory Council stakeholders, building on work that followed the 2013 Order on Consent with New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, which supported the development and implementation of the stream management plan through an Environmental Benefit Projects program administered by the Hudson River Foundation. The foundation is now accepting letters of interest from local governments and nonprofits through April 30, with anticipated awards of $50,000 to $100,000 for projects aligned with the stream management implementation plan and designed to address turbidity-related impacts while improving water quality and public access for recreational purposes. “Caring for the Lower Esopus is a shared responsibility, and the new Framework for Collaboration strengthens how we work across municipal lines to protect this important waterway and the local ecosystems it sustains,” Metzger said, adding, “This grant opportunity will enable towns and non-profit partners to implement projects that enhance water quality, community access, and recreational enjoyment.” While aggressive conservation of the area’s waterways enjoys broad support among residents,