Genesee RiverWatch
Dear Friends and Supporters:
Since its inception in 2014, Genesee RiverWatch has been working with partners and communities to improve the water quality of the Genesee River and connect people to the river. This spring we will hold our 11th Annual Genesee River Basin Summit where stakeholders across the watershed will gather to discuss emerging issues that impact the river. Projects continue that aim to improve water quality by reducing phosphorus and sediment in the river and our summer padding program gets underway in June.
We invite you to read about these activities and more in this newsletter. As always, we thank the supporters that make this work possible through their generous donations and volunteer time. Together, we can make a meaningful impact on the Genesee River and its surrounding communities.
Sincerely,
Mike Haugh, President of the Board
George Thomas, Executive Director
Genesee River Basin Summit 2025 “Emerging Issues”
Genesee RiverWatch is hosting its annual Genesee River Basin Summit on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at the RIT Inn and Conference Center. The topic of this year’s Summit is “Emerging Issues”. Join Genesee RiverWatch and fellow stakeholders, experts, and community members for a vital discussion on Emerging Issues affecting water quality and recreation in the Genesee River Basin. This will be a unique opportunity to learn about critical topics impacting our watershed and to participate in meaningful conversations that can drive positive change. The event includes breakfast and lunch; and is free to attend. Learn more and register.
Genesee River Paddling Season 2025
After a very successful 2024 paddling season, our summer paddling season is about to get underway. Since 2018, Genesee RiverWatch has partnered with the Genesee Waterways Center and the City of Rochester to offer this summer series of on-the-water kayak paddles. We feel strongly that the best way to really appreciate the Genesee is to explore it from water level, along with the herons, turtles, muskrat, mink, and occasional eagles that make their homes on the river and its banks. We have scheduled the following six events in partnership with the Waterways Center and the City Recreation Department. Registration takes place through the Genesee Waterways Center as dates get closer. DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Please check the Genesee Waterways Center website for more information.
- Saturday, June 21, 10-1 – Waterways Center to Lock 32, passing through Lock 33.
- Saturday, July 12, 10-1 – Learn to Paddle (free event – with ice cream!)
- Thursday, August 14 – 5:30-7:30 – Red Creek & Clean-Up
- Saturday, September 6, 10-1 – Seth Green to Petten Street
- Saturday, September 27, 10-1 – ROC the Riverway Rochester Skyline
- Saturday, October 11, 10-1 – Clean-Up
This year’s season will start with real excitement. If you have never kayaked through one of the Erie Canal’s huge locks, you have missed a unique Rochester experience. On June 21st, our group will paddle from the Waterways Center, up the Canal, through Lock 33 to Lock 32 in Pittsford. Shuttle buses will bring us back to the starting point.
On July 12th kayaking instructors from RiverWatch and the Waterways Center will be available to help you learn the basics of kayaking. Afterwards, join us for ice cream from Lugia’s. Last year’s inaugural event was a blast and, best of all, it’s free for City residents!
Improving Water Quality
Our work to improve water quality includes stabilizing and restoring eroding streambanks and applying agricultural best management practices to reduce sediment and phosphorus loads to the river. These actions also slow the rate of erosion, preserving agricultural land and fertile topsoil and improve wildlife habitat in and along the river by establishing wild plantings in the riparian zones.
Babbitt’s Farm – Genesee River Streambank Restoration
The project will restore 850 feet of highly eroded streambank on Babbitt’s Farm north of Caneadea, NY. We will also install river training structures to prevent further erosion at the site and downstream, affecting 2,250 feet of riverbed. The project is funded by a $200,000 grant from the Great Lakes Commission and a $50,000 in-kind match by the landowner, Babbitt’s Farm. We have submitted the environmental permit applications to the NYDEC and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The archeological assessment is underway and construction is planned for this summer.
Rush Creek Riparian Restoration
A $212K grant from National Fish & Wildlife Foundation/Sustain Our Great Lakes with $245K matching work by Allegany County Highway Department and Allegany County S&WCD will enable us to stabilize and re-direct the flow of Rush Creek to prevent erosion both on the creek itself and on the West Bank of the Genesee, where the creek meets the river. This is a complex project with significant regulatory/environmental issues and several landowners involved. We are working toward a design for this project and have begun preliminary investigations on landowners impacted. We have also started the archeological assessment.
Oatka Creek
In 2024, Genesee RiverWatch completed an evaluation of novel streambank restoration techniques on Oatka Creek. The study used bio-engineering techniques that create aquatic and riparian habitat, making maximum use of materials available on-site and minimizing purchased materials and equipment from off-site. These sites were inspected in the fall of 2024 and in February and March of 2025 and are performing as expected. Learn more and read the White Paper.
Genesee RiverWatch Provided Comments on NYSDEC’s Proposed Water Quality Guidance Values (GVs) for Phosphorus
On December 20, 2024, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) released new proposed water quality guidance values (GVs) that will advance the State’s regulation of the nutrient phosphorus to protect human health and aquatic life in both flowing and ponded ambient freshwaters. Comments were requested and Genesee RiverWatch submitted ours on February 16, 2025. Learn more.
Additions to Genesee RiverWatch Staff
Genesee RiverWatch has added two staff members to strengthen our organization.
Susan Brayer has joined the Genesee RiverWatch as our new part-time development director. Susan brings 15 years of experience in nonprofit development in the Rochester region, having successfully led fundraising campaigns and forged key collaborations through her work at the YMCA, Literacy Volunteers of Rochester, RMSC, and the local chapter of the National Kidney Foundation. We are confident that she will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission and strengthening our development efforts.
Maresa Carmody has been hired as our part-time financial assistant and will play a key role in advancing the organization’s fiscal responsibility and sustainability. She holds an MBA from St. John Fisher College, and a BS in Business Commerce from Niagara University. With extensive expertise in financial management, she brings a wealth of knowledge to our organization.
Genesee RiverWatch Welcomes New Board Members
We welcome Sue Boyle, Bob Kiley, and Don Zelazny to the Genesee RiverWatch Board of Directors.
Sue Boyle is Principal Consultant at Haley & Aldrich. Sue has extensive experience in environmental consulting and facilitating multi-stakeholder groups to make things better – for her clients’ organizations, Haley & Aldrich’s own project teams, and the greater community. Her professional qualifications combine formal geology and environmental engineering education with extensive experience applying Lean Thinking to improve the effectiveness of organizations operating in the built environment.
Bob Kiley is the Deputy Director of the Monroe County Parks Department. In this role, Bob oversees the Department’s strategic planning, capital projects, personnel, budget, and grant administration. After several years working for the Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District, Bob joined the Town of Irondequoit, first as Deputy Commissioner, and then as Commissioner of Public Works / Superintendent of Highways from 2014 to 2022.
Don Zelazny’s professional career has focused on environmental protection, restoration, applied research in water quality and invasive species control, and sustainable watershed management for over 40 years. He has served in a variety of professional positions including the U.S. Coast Guard’s marine environmental response program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Great Lakes program, private environmental management consulting, and a countywide non-profit watershed protection organization. Don is retired from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Support Our Mission by Making Your Tax-Deductible Gift Today
As the weather grows warmer and the colors of spring start to bloom, we invite you to join Genesee RiverWatch in protecting and celebrating the Genesee River. When you give to Genesee RiverWatch your donation helps support our work to improve its water quality, to inform and educate the communities around the Genesee River and partnerships with local communities to increase access to the River.
With your generous support, together we can create a healthy and sustainable Genesee River ecosystem that is an environmental, recreational and economic asset for all generations. Please consider making your gift in the form of an online donation or check today!
Quick Notes:
- In case you missed it, Jon Goehring of local radio station Warm 101.3 interviewed our Executive Director, George Thomas, about Genesee RiverWatch. Take a listen to this 15-minute recording and learn interesting facts about the Genesee, how to enjoy the river, and Genesee RiverWatch’s work to improve its water quality.
- Heading out on the River? The Genesee River Blueway Map is your guide to paddling the Genesee from its headwaters in Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario. It shows safe access sites and provides the river mileage between these points. Currently, the map is available as a tri-fold brochure at many of the access sites and is downloadable from our website. Also on the website is an interactive map.
- Do you know that the Genesee River Valley is a vital resource for the millions of migrating birds that are flying north to their breeding grounds this spring? From song birds, to waterfowl, to raptors these birds need safe stopover points. The Genesee River Valley with its clean water, forests, wetlands and agricultural fields provides just that. Check out birdcast.info to track the numbers and variety of birds migrating through the area.
