ONE BUG™ BRINGS FISHERMEN, POLITICIANS AND LOCALS TOGETHER IN HANCOCK, N.Y.

Friends of the Upper Delaware River held their 2nd annual One Bug™ fly fishing fundraiser in Hancock, N.Y over the last weekend in April. The 3-day event, designed to create public awareness of the challenges to the Upper Delaware River system, was again a winner for FUDR.

Dan Plummer, chairman of the conservation group said, ” The One Bug is doing a great job drawing attention to the problems on the Upper Delaware River and its tributaries. By getting influential people here and on the river fishing for two days, we can show them first hand what issues need immediate attention. We are getting some great people involved and I feel a positive change is near.”

The main “issue” Plummer is referring to is the current water release plan called the Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP). FUDR, Trout Unlimited, Aquatic Conservation Unlimited, NorDel and other concerned groups have all argued that the FFMP is not getting the job done. “It’s putting people along the river at great risk of flooding during high flows and damaging the ecosystem during low flows,” said Diane Tharp of NorDel.

Local fly shop owner and One Bug organizer Jim “Coz” Costolnick said, “We had 26 fishermen on the river for two days and we only caught 8 fish all weekend. The low water conditions combined with some very hot days caused the fish and the insects to shut down. The current FFMP needs to be completely redone or things will only get worse. For this whole thing to be sustainable, the fish and bugs all need consistent cold water flows”.

Lee Hartman FUDR vice-president and chairman of the Delaware River Committee of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited asserted, ” If we could get more consistent cold water releases from the bottom of the reservoirs, the fishery, the aquatic ecosystem and the local economy would all improve exponentially. We all know the water is there, we just need more of it in the rivers and this can be done without causing anyone to go without”.

Assemblyman Cliff Crouch, a guest speaker at the One Bug, told the fishermen and locals, “I believe in the work FUDR is doing and will help in any way I can. We need to get our area back in shape”. Crouch, who has already helped FUDR and Hancock start stream restoration work to repair local streams destroyed by flooding, explained, “The stream restoration is exactly the type of public-private partnership we need to improve our communities and strengthen the tourism and recreations parts of our economy.”

Newly elected Hancock mayor Celia Vazquez added, “The One Bug has brought some much needed revenue into the area, with all the participants staying in local hotels, eating and drinking in our restaurants, and spending money in our shops. We welcome them all and I’m impressed with the sophistication of the event”.

Everyone involved in the weekend festivities were told by guides, biologists, and other experts that the precious water stored behind the massive earthen dams needs to be shared, Plummer said, “The water is there and it belongs to all of us. FUDR is more than willing to show that putting a release plan in place that works for everyone can be done with just a little more effort”.

One Bug champions Andy “Big Fish” Tumalo and Paul Weamer summed it up by saying, ” These rivers are our rivers too and we appreciate all that FUDR is doing to make them better.”

For further information contact Dan Plummer at (310) 363-7848 or catskilldan@mac.com