Reblog: New Federal Executive Order doubles down on invasive species

Considering the amount of invasive species I grew up learning about in the Hudson Valley and the new ones I am being introduced to in central Ohio, this Order from the Obama administration is great to see. Hopefully it is not immediately struck down with the incoming Trump administration and right-controlled House and Senate… In…

Boat Dreams do Come True

And almost exactly a month after I published Boat Dreams, I HAVE A BOAT! She’s a 1988 C&C 24 and there’s definitely some work to do: Turns out boat dreams do come true.

Life Along the Kokosing

I’ve left the Hudson and while I miss her twists and turns and bays full of boats, I’ve settled along the banks of a new river. The Kokosing River runs 57 miles long and her watershed extends hundreds more. She lazily floats by my college, barely deep enough to reach your knees. As you head northeast,…

Fond Farewell: Leaving the Hudson, Heading to Ohio

My cabin has been packed into the trunk of my car. Currently, I’m in my bunk being rocked to sleep by the waves and creaking of the dock lines.  At 0500 tomorrow I’ll be driving the 8-9 hours from Croton to Gambier (from the Hudson to the Kokosing).  Although the river I’ll be near for…

Riverkeeper Boat Log: Water Sampling Patrol from Ossining to Brooklyn

At 0700 hours I boarded the Fletcher at Westerly Marina in Ossining, New York. We fueled up, loaded the sampling bottles, and cast off for the city. I was at the helm, Carol was prepping her sampling supplies, and John started to catch up on emails and phone calls. For the first twenty miles we didn’t have…

DEC Hydrilla Project Update: Croton River Treatment Postponed & Deemed Likely to Fail

August 15th has come and gone and the DEC’s proposed hydrilla treatment on the Croton River has still not happened. The village has promised to issue the DEC a permit for the treatment under the conditions that they move the treatment site further from the aquifer that supplies drinking water to NYC. The DEC is pushing back and…

Boat Dreams

I got lucky in the lottery of life and have always had boats to sail, drive, and sleep on. As I get older and start to realize that I won’t always be living under my parents roof and budget, I’ve started to dream of my own sailboat. She’s a very light blue – slightly closer…

DEC’s Croton River Hydrilla Project: Update

Bill Wegner, a staff scientist at Riverkeeper, emailed with me about the DEC’s plan for Croton River and has reassured me that the herbicide will not have adverse affects on anything except for the target hydrilla. He pointed to the fact that without this treatment, it is unlikely the the invasive hydrilla will be stopped, and the…

Captain Emma Delivers a Boat

DEC Plans to Use Herbicide to Kill Hydrilla in Croton River, Swimming Ban to be Put in Place

Hydrilla, an invasive aquatic weed, has been overtaking the Croton River and has the potential of spreading into the Hudson. It clogs boat motors, reduces oxygen levels, and chokes local plants. A survey was conducted last summer by the DEC and Allied Biological and found that hydrilla has not yet spread into the Hudson, but that…