Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2008NY107B

Application of stream landscape theory for the restoration of Hudson Valley Watersheds

Institute: New York
Year Established: 2008 Start Date: 2008-03-01 End Date: 2009-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $12,500

Principal Investigators: Mark Bain

Project Summary: Protection and restoration of stream habitat is important for sustaining and increasing the abundance, diversity, and quality of aquatic life, especially fishes. The above quoted goal of the Hudson River Estuary Program highlights this need and specific actions are planned for the 2005-2009 period. The HREP is developing a framework for characterizing dams and stream barriers that can be removed for restoration benefits. The HREP also has a target to remove two barriers to reconnect 25 miles of free-flowing streams for improved habitat supporting migratory and freshwater species. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), Bureau of Fisheries goal is to conserve and enhance New York State's abundant and diverse populations of freshwater fishes while providing the public with quality recreational angling opportunities. Both efforts have dedicated funding to habitat restoration activities at the local level that can benefit stream fish and fisheries. We will support the HREP, Bureau of Fisheries, and local conservation groups by providing information to guide the allocation of funding and effort to the most critical locations with the greatest opportunity to enhance Hudson River valley stream fish populations. This project will quantify stream fragmentation for a large portion of the Hudson River valley, test the argument that fragmentation impairs fish populations, present the case for this conservation strategy, and provide data and information to support application of stream landscape theory to watershed restoration by the HREP.