New Lisbon – The Butternut Valley Alliance (“BVA”) announced the dates, times, and locations of two public informational meetings on the subject of a study of the Butternut Creek by the Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District  (“SWCD”) that will begin this fall.  

The first public informational meeting will be held on September 29, 2016 at 6:30 pm at the New Lisbon Town Hall, 908 County Highway 16, Garrattsville.  The second will be on October 5, 2016 at 6:30 pm at the Morris Firehouse, Main Street, Morris.  

The Butternut Creek runs approximately 35 miles from Basswood Pond in the Town of Burlington to the Unadilla River near Mt. Upton.  The study, which is being funded by the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (“USC”) and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, will survey the Butternut Creek to identify and document watershed features such as erosion, flooding hazards, channel blockage, and wetlands, among others.  Information collected during the study will be used to assess the overall health of the creek and can also be used in future applications for additional grants to fund streambank remediation and stabilization projects. The BVA and the Otsego County Conservation Association (“OCCA”) are participating in the project.  

Michael Lovegreen of the Upper Susquehanna Coalition and Jordan Clements of the Otsego County SWCD will be at the meetings to explain why, how, and when the study will be conducted and will answer questions that landowners or other residents may have.  Representatives of the BVA and of the OCCA will also be present.  A third meeting in Butternuts will be held at a later date.

“The BVA is excited to be participating in this important project and is pleased to sponsor these informational meetings.  We want everyone in the Butternut Valley to be informed about this project and to have an opportunity to have their questions answered,” said BVA Chairman Ed Lentz.  

“We’re looking for volunteers, so people who think they might want to help out should attend one of these meetings to learn what’s involved and, if they’re still interested, they can sign up to volunteer on the spot,” added Jordan Clements.

For more information regarding the Butternut Creek Study, please contact Jordan Clements, Executive Director, Otsego County SWCD, at 607-547-8337, ext. 4.