Hoosic River Paddle
There will be a Hoosic River Paddle on Saturday, June 21, at 9 am. Bring your kayak or canoe and paddle eight miles on the Hoosic River. We’ll put in at the NYS DEC public boat launch on RLT’s Hoosic River property in Eagle Bridge and take out downstream just before the Johnsonville Dam. This stretch is flat water with coves and marshy backwaters alive with birds and animal life.
Provide your own boat and PFD. Bring snacks and water. You need to be in good physical condition to negotiate about ¼ mile of dense water chestnut growth at the take out. The Hoosic River boat launch is approximately one mile west of Eagle Bridge on the north side of Route 67, at the DEC sign. The charge is $5, free for RLT members. You must preregister with Paul Schroeder at 518-674-2480 or pschroeder1@nycap.rr.com.
Stream Animals Of Rensselaer County: Workshop And Volunteer Opportunity
This workshop will be held on Saturday, June 21, from 9 am to 3 pm. Find out what lives in our local streams and assist a science research project on stream quality at the same time. Volunteers are needed to help sample the aquatic insects that indicate the degree of human impact on a stream. In this workshop, we will train you to sample streams in Rensselaer County as part of the research project. The New York Natural Heritage Program, in partnership with the Rensselaer Land Trust and the Hudson River Estuary Program, is conducting a year long project compiling data to assess stream quality in the Hudson River Valley. Our goal for the project is to make stream quality data available to those involved in conservation decision making, restoration, management and outreach activities.
On Saturday, June 21, there will be a morning presentation on the project, the aquatic insects living in streams and the method we will use to look for them. In the afternoon, we’ll visit a local stream and practice finding and identifying the insects. There will be an opportunity to assist with further stream sampling in Rensselaer County streams in July and August after participating in this workshop.
Please bring a brown bag lunch, water bottle, knee high or hip boots or shoes you don’t mind getting wet. There is no charge for this workshop. Contact Nick Conrad for the location of the workshop and more information and to register at nbconrad@msn.com or 518-279-1963.