14th Annual Black River Watershed Conference • June 13, 2024
Download the 2024 Black River Watershed Conference program.
Morning Lightning Round
Oneida County Envirothon (Payton Reese, Oneida County SWCD)
Jefferson County Stormwater Coalition MS4 Public Outreach (Sarah Trick, Jefferson County SWCD)
Black River Signage (Nichelle Swisher, Lewis County SWCD)
Japanese Knotweed Treatment in the Town of Webb (Gabrielle Lewosko and Alexis Sprague, Herkimer County SWCD)
Lake Monitoring – The Hyperdrive Version! (Caitlin Stewart, Hamilton County SWCD)
Forestport Boat Wash Station (Louanne Cossa, Town of Forestport)
Stormwater Considerations for Solar Development in New York: Where are we Headed? (Julie Melancon and Ben Fiorese, NYS DEC)
Hydroelectric Projects in the Black River Basin- The Process and Opportunities for Relicensing (Jessica Hart, NYS DEC; John Wiley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Afternoon Presentations
Black River Adaptive Modeling Update (Jasmine James, Ramboll Engineering)
Ducks and Bobolinks: Habitat Restoration on the Keller Mohawk Public Conservation Area (Linda Gibbs presentation, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust; John Fraser’s presentation, Ducks Unlimited)
Climate Smart Lewis County (Cassandra Buell and Lauryn Tabolt, Lewis County Planning)
New York Statewide Reforestation Plan (J.J. Käthe. NYS DEC)
13th Annual Black River Watershed Conference • June 14, 2023
Download the 2023 Black River Watershed Conference program.
Morning Presentations
Black River Adaptive Modeling (BRAM) Project Phase I (Jasmine James, Ramboll Engineering)
Message in a Molecule (eDNA) (Rob Williams, SLELO PRISM)
Emerging Contaminants Panel
Introduction to PFAS, (Paul Hare, Ramboll Engineering)
Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program and its implications for the Watershed, (Sujan Fernando, Clarkson University)
Regulatory Update (Kristine Wheeler, NYS Department of Health)
Afternoon Presentations
Hamilton County’s ADK Waterfest (Caitlin Stewart, Hamilton County SWCD)
Herkimer County’s Agricultural-Plastics Program (Rosalee Walters)
Jefferson County’s Storm Water, Carbon Awareness, and Reforestation Education for Students (Sarah Trick, Jefferson County SWCD)
Oneida County’s Benefits of Protecting Streambanks (Payton Reese, Oneida County SWCD)
Great Lakes Program Updates (Emily Fell, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Cornell WRI)
FERC Relicensing Update (Jessica Hart, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation)
Road Salt (Nichelle Swisher, Lewis County SWCD)
Ice & Snow (Tim Hunt, Lewis County Highway Department)
The State Revolving Funds and Funding Opportunities for Water Infrastructure Projects (Dorian Di Cocco, Environmental Facilities Corporation)
The DWSP2 (Madeline Silecchia and Colleen Bradley, NYS Department of Health)
12th Annual Black River Watershed Conference • June 8th, 2022
For more information about presentations and speakers visit: BRWC 2022 Program Booklet
Japanese Knotweed Control Demonstration • Nichelle Swisher, Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District
MS4 General Permit Updates • George Birth, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District
Agricultural BMP’s for Water Quality Protection • Tim Wimmer, Oneida County Soil and Water Conservation District
Protecting Water Quality with Green Infrastructure Innovation • Caitlin Stewart, Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District
Black River Trash Bash • Jennifer Harvill, Tug Hill Commission
Salt Task Force • Nichelle Swisher, Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District
Beaver River Septic Replacement Program • Casandra Buell, Lewis County Planning
Great Lakes Updates • Emily Fell, NYSDEC, NYS Water Resources Institute
Hydropower Relicensing Update • Jessica Hart, NYSDEC
Municipal Culvert Replacement using NAACC • Joanne Humphreys, Trout Unlimited
NYSDEC Water Quality Monitoring & Citizen Science Programs • Keleigh Roderick, NYSDEC
Urban Forest Sustainability Initiative • Robert Smith, SLELO PRISM. Additional Resources: Urban Forest Sustainability Initiative, Urban Forest Sustainability Guide, Urban Forest Sustainability Municipality Showcase
Drinking Water Source Protection Program • Noreen Gallagher, NYSDOH & Lindsey Drew, NYSDEC. Additional Resources: Drinking Water Source Protection Program Webpage
11th Annual Virtual Black River Watershed Conference (2021 Watershed Wednesdays)
For more information about presentations and speakers visit: BRWC 2021 Flyer
Black River Trail Extension, Regional Bicycle/Pedestrian Connectivity • Watertown-Jefferson County Area Transportation Council
OUTSTEPS.org Research Network: A Community Platform for Stakeholders and Universities in the Lower Great Lakes (m. 39:00) • Dr. Chris Renschler, University at Buffalo
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid in a Changing Climate, Changing Forests and Identification and Management of HWA • Dr Lindsey Rustad, USDA Forest Service Center for Research on Ecosystem Change
Ice and Snow Best Practices: Communication and Consensus • Tim Hunt, Lewis County Highway Department
Weather Resilience: Tips for Improving Your Community’s Ability to Respond to Severe Weather • Mary Austerman, NY Sea Grant & Khristopher Dodson, Environmental Finance Center
Soil and Water Conservation District Municipal Assistance Programming: Presentation and Panel Discussion• Brian Steinmuller, NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee
Hamilton and Herkimer County Conservation Initiatives • Jaime Parslow, Hamilton County SWCD, and Katherine Whitcomb & Robert Tilbe, Herkimer County CWCD
10th Annual Black River Watershed Conference (2020)
For more information about presentations and speakers visit: BRWC 2020 Flyer
Early History of the Black River • Peter Hayes, Constable Hall & Dr. Laurie Rush, Ft. Drum Cultural Resources
Geology of the Black River Watershed – Part 2 • Dr. Chris Ebey, Jefferson Community College
Black River Dam Relicensing: Who is FERC and How to Get Involved • Emily Carter and Allyson Conner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Floodplain Regulation for Local Review Boards • Patricia Burke and Christopher Evans, NYS Department of State
9th Annual Black River Watershed Conference (2019)
For more information about presentations and speakers visit: BRWC 2019 Program Booklet
The State of Hamilton County Lakes: A 25 Year Perspective • Caitlin Stewart, Hamilton County SWCD
MS4 Update • Christine Watkins, Jefferson County SWCD
The Great Lakes Compact, A Decade of Lessons Learned • Peter Annin, Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation
Road Salt Pollution of Surface and Groundwater Resources in the Adirondack Region • Dr. Dan Kelting, Adirondack Watershed Institute
Hydroelectric Projects in the Black River Basin: The Process and Opportunities for Relicensing the Third-most Heavily Developed Watershed in the U.S. • John Wiley, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Geologic Natural History of the Black River Watershed • Dr. Chris Ebey, Jefferson Community College
The Ecological Consequence of Convenience: Plastic Pollution Along the Shore and in the Foodwebs of Lake Ontario • Dr. Eric Hellquist, SUNY Oswego
8th Annual Black River Watershed Conference (2018)
For more information about presentations and speakers visit: BRWC 2018 Program Booklet
Streambank Restoration in Oneida County • Jo-Anne Humphreys, Oneida County SWCD
Natural Channel Design • Caitlin Stewart, Hamilton County SWCD
Soil Health and Stabilization • Nichelle Billhardt, Lewis County SWCD
Stormwater and MS4 Update • Christine Watkins, Jefferson County SWCD
Invasive Species Management • Jerry Smithson, Herkimer County SWCD
Changing Weather in a Changing Climate • David Eichorn, Meterologist
A Winter Balancing Act: Salt, Snow and Safety on Our Roads • David Orr, Cornell Local Roads Program
National Weather Service Flood Warning Services for the Black River Basin • Sarah Jamison, Dan Kelly, Jeane Wallace from the National Weather Service
Connecting Habitat in the Black River Valley and Beyond • Alissa Rafferty, The Nature Conservancy Adirondack Chapter
For more information about previous Black River Watershed Conference programs, presentations, and presenters email Jennifer Harvill, [email protected]