Conewango Creek Watershed Association (CCWA) and the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium (CCC) held their Annual Gala and Member Meeting on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at the Audubon Community Nature Center.
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Ruth Wahl, a leader of the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium. Ruth retired after 30 years as a high-school science education teacher and she has also taught at Jamestown Community College and the Chautauqua Institution. Ruth has been a very active participant with the Consortium by maintaining the membership lists, writing newsletters and news releases, and attending workshops. Her extensive science education background assisted the organization in producing a summer series of public service ads that were published in the local newspaper. Congratulations, Ruth!
Guest speakers were Lisa Ronald and Fred Akers from the Wild and Scenic River Coalition via Zoom. Lisa outlined the group’s advocacy work with Congress and noted that they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic River Program (WSR) in 2018. Fred explained the eligibility process to be designated a Wild and Scenic River. The National River Inventory for the Allegheny Watershed show that 27 miles of the Conewango Creek are pre-qualified to apply to the WSR program.
Elizabeth Dropp, chair of the CCWA board of directors welcomed those in attendance and thanked all the members of the board, donors, and sponsors that contribute to the mission of both organizations. She also thanked Sherry Moore and Jean Gomory who work for the Warren County Conservation District and provide valuable assistance to the organization.
Board member, Sue Nielsen, presented the summary of CCWA activities including the 2022 Cleanup Totals: 98 Volunteers, 659 Hours of time, 3706 Lbs. of trash removed, 6 tires, 3 shopping carts, 4 cleanups, and 6.5 miles of creek or lake shoreline cleaned.
Jane Conroe, board member, reported on the activities of the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium, a Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate, and subcommittee of CCWA. The activities included the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, meetings with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), monitoring of harmful algal bloom (HAB) reports, interpreting satellite imagery for water quality, letter writing, public relations and providing scientific publications to the local media. She publicly thanked three individuals, Paul Stage, John Dilley, and Barbara Blanchard for their extraordinary financial support. She also thanked Dr. Sherri Mason and Michael Koscher for their years of service on the board.
The slate of candidates for director positions will serve a three-year term beginning on January 1, 2023. The candidates are all incumbents and are: Judy Haller, Jamestown; Jane Conroe, Maple Springs; and Elizabeth Dropp, Youngsville. This slate was passed unanimously.
Pictured in the photo above are Liz Dropp, Jane Conroe, and Ruth Wahl.