Debris removed in 11 miles of creek
Supporters of wider recreational uses of the Lower Esopus Creek have cleared an 11-mile stretch of the waterway between the Kingston area and Marbletown.
Kingston Alderman Don Tallerman, D-Ward 5, said the effort grew out of questions regarding how far watercraft could travel on the creek unimpeded.
“My wife and I love to canoe, so last summer we threw a canoe into the Esopus at Stone Ridge, and we were astonished with how beautiful it is — and not just good, but great,” Tallerman said.
“We got this idea to put some energy behind this and see if we could open this up, because it’s dangerous and clogged with fallen trees and dams and all kinds of problems, including muddy water downstream,” he said.
Tallerman said about eight people spent four months clearing some 25 sections of the creek from the Marbletown Town Park on Tongore Road to the state Department of Environmental Conservation boat launch off Sandy Road in the town of Ulster, just outside of Kingston.
“We actually raised money and hired [the Tahawus Trails] crew ... that builds trails and clears wood,” he said. Tahawus Trails LLC, based in Accord, generally provides trail-relates services.
Tallerman said about $2,500 was raised through donations, and that expertise for the creek-clearing effort was provided by the group Friends of Lower Esopus Waterway, the RondoutEsopus Land Conservancy,
the Kingston Land Trust and the Ulster Country Department of the Environment.
The Lower Esopus Creek, which runs for 32 miles from the Ashokan Reservoir in Olivebridge to the Hudson River in Saugerties,
is subject to becoming clogged by debris at points due to both heavy rain and planned discharges from the reservoir.
Tallerman said the creek can be dangerous for recreational users are not familiar with changes causes by increased flows.
“There certainly is a danger zone when it gets above a certain flow level,” he said.
People planning to use the Esopus Creek for recreation are encouraged to check National Weather Service data regarding the reservoir’s level, at bit.ly/ nws-ashokan, and stay out of the water if the level is
higher than 587.1 feet. At that level, the reservoir starts spilling water into the creek and is likely to prompt New York City, which operates the Ashokan, to send water downstream manually.