Genesee RiverWatchTLC for the Genesee: Final 2025 River Cleanup 11/15/2025
Saturday, November 15, 2025 – 10:00-11:30am at the Flats near Seth Green Drive
A Joint Project of Our Lady of Mercy High School and Genesee RiverWatch
Join us the morning of Saturday, November 15, for the season’s final cleanup of the Genesee River shoreline in Rochester. This cleanup event is the brainchild of Heidi Duran, a senior at Our Lady of Mercy High School who is doing a capstone project on the Genesee. Heidi asked Genesee RiverWatch to help organize the effort, and we readily agreed to partner with her.
The event will give you an opportunity to visit one of the more unusual and dramatic settings on the Genesee – the flats near the base of the Lower Falls in Rochester. A historic hydroelectric plant and the Driving Park Bridge loom just upstream while Seth Green Island and the heavily forested sides of the river gorge can be found downstream.
Hundreds of anglers visit the area each fall to fish for spawning salmon and trout, and they leave litter and debris that needs to be removed. Heidi is recruiting other Mercy students to join the cleanup, but there’s a considerable area that needs to be cleaned, so more volunteers are welcome. The City of Rochester has agreed to provide work gloves and plastic bags, and to pick up the trash that we collect.
The Mercy-RiverWatch event runs from 10 a.m. to 11:30 am on the 15th. If you come, dress warmly in clothes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty. Wear shoes or boots with good, solid tread so you can walk safely on the rocks that line the shoreline. You must be fit enough to walk a half-mile down into the gorge on Seth Green Drive and then walk back up again. If you have a grabber or a pole with a hook, you might bring that with you.
There’s a parking lot at the top of Seth Green Drive; it’s not enormous and if you can share a ride with someone, that might be helpful. The pin on this map will help you find the lot. https://maps.app.goo.gl/6y82h8wxVfDepkDKA
Hope to see you there!
Kaeti Stoss Receives the 2025 Elizabeth Thorndike Environmental Leadership Award
At our 2025 Summit, Genesee RiverWatch recognized its 2025 Elizabeth Thorndike Environmental Leadership Award recipient – Kaeti Stoss. This award is given to individuals, organizations, projects or events in recognition of significant contributions to our mission of “championing solutions that improve the water quality of the Genesee and initiatives that connect people to the River”. The award is in honor of Elizabeth Thorndike, longtime supporter of Genesee RiverWatch and one of the founders of its predecessor organization, the Center for Environmental Information.
Award winners have demonstrated success in (1) improving the water quality of the Genesee River Basin; (2) creating environmental, recreational, and economic assets for their communities; and/or (3) connecting people to the river by encouraging them to explore, experience, and celebrate the river.
Congratulations, Kaeti!
Kaeti Stoss
Kaeti Stoss is an Environmental Education Specialist in RIT’s College of Science where she has delivered high quality environmental education for our region with a focus on water quality, the Genesee River, and other water bodies. She has led community engagement and education efforts for numerous projects related to water quality and plastic pollution. Kaeti translates science for the community in a way that is accessible and actionable.
Some highlights of her accomplishments include:
- Many environmental stakeholders in the Rochester area had their first interaction with Kaeti in her role as the Program Director for Delta Environmental where she used her passion for creating community partnerships to enrich local environmental education for many years.
- Co-creating the Environmental Education Genesee River program with Lisa Wing of Corn Hill Navigation. The program takes over 500 fifth graders from the Rochester City School District out on the river aboard the Riverie (Corn Hill Navigation’s tour boat) during the month of June. The students examine the river’s biological, chemical, and physical characteristics to determine if it is healthy for us and other living organisms. They also learn how to protect water quality. With support from NOAA, Kaeti is incorporating new material on stormwater and plastic pollution.
- Creating a plastic pollution curriculum for out-of-school educators. This information was shared both online and through teacher training supported by a grant from NY Sea Grant.
- Partnering with a variety of community organizations to develop and deliver the Community Action for Stormwater Cleanup and Debris Elimination (CASCADE) program. The CASCADE program is supported by the National Sea Grant Office, Marine Debris Program through grants to New York Sea Grant and RIT.
- Translating research outcomes about plastic debris and microplastic pollution for projects supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
- Leading RIT’s efforts on the Community Engagement Core (CEC) for the Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health
As a life-long contributor to the environmental improvement of western New York and to the health of the Genesee River, Kaeti Stoss is a perfect example of the spirit behind the Thorndike Environmental Leadership Award.
TLC for the Genesee: Walk or Paddle Cleanup Along the River – August 31, 2025
Join us on Sunday, August 31, for a major Genesee River cleanup effort that will feature both land- and water-based trash removal near Rochester’s Genesee Valley Park.
Genesee RiverWatch is partnering with Walking for Rochester, an established group that has done dozens of cleanups in local neighborhoods, to stage the cleanup. Genesee Waterways Center is a partner as well.
The event comes on the heels of Genesee RiverWatch’s annual cleanup paddle, which was held on August 14. This year’s event was highly successful, drawing about 30 people who filled bucket after bucket with trash.
The August 31 cleanup will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. It will begin at the Waterways Center, located in Genesee Valley Park at 149 Elmwood Avenue (in back of the pool and ice rink).
Waterborne volunteers will collect refuse from the river shoreline while walkers can gather trash along the shore and the many trails near the Waterways Center. Cleanup equipment will be provided.
Experienced kayakers and canoeists with their own boats may launch at the Waterways Center. Kayaks are also available for rental at the Center at the reduced rate of $25 for a single-seat boat and $40 for a tandem.
Participants are required to sign standard waivers.
For more information and to sign up, visit Walking for Rochester’s website.
The Erie Canal and Genesee River Water Quality
As part of Channel 10’s series on the Erie Canal, Genesee RiverWatch weighed in on a topic most people haven’t thought about: The effect of the Erie Canal on the water quality of the Genesee River.
Watch the Channel 10 segment here:
This topic was recently addressed at the Genesee River Basin Summit by Dr. Joseph Makarewicz. For more than a century, the Genesee River and the Erie Canal have exchanged water at a point on the southern edge of the city of Rochester where the two waterways meet. Eastward-flowing canal water is pushed north into the Genesee while northward-flowing river water is pushed east into the canal.
Water quality in the Genesee has been studied thoroughly, and the impacts of erosion, farmland runoff, septic systems, and sewage treatment plant discharges have been well-characterized. But the impact of the water from the Erie Canal on the Genesee’s water quality hasn’t been carefully examined – until now.
Two researchers from SUNY-Brockport, Lindsay Donahoe and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Joseph Makarewicz, have just published a study that quantifies the impacts of the confluence of a man-made canal and a natural flowing river. Joe, a longtime Genesee RiverWatch board member, presented their findings for the first time at Genesee RiverWatch’s 2025 Genesee River Basin Summit.
Genesee River Basin 2025 Summit Wrap-Up: “Emerging Issues”
Genesee RiverWatch hosted 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 was “Emerging Issues”. Approximately 100 stakeholders, experts, and community members participated in vital discussions on Emerging Issues affecting water quality and recreation in the Genesee River Basin. It was a unique opportunity to learn about critical topics impacting our watershed and to participate in meaningful conversations that can drive positive change. In addition to the presentations, 10 organizations exhibited their work on subjects such as recreation opportunities and improving the environment.
Each year at our Summit, the Elizabeth Thorndike Award is given to individuals, organizations, projects, or events in recognition of significant contributions to our mission of “championing solutions that improve the water quality of the Genesee and initiatives that connect people to the River”. This year’s honor went to Kaeti Stoss, Environmental Education Specialist at RIT. Congratulations, Kaeti!
Summit presentations included:
Welcome and Opening Remarks: Why Emerging Issues – Presenter: George Thomas, Executive Director, Genesee RiverWatch
Methods to Sample Dissolved Greenhouse Gases in the Genesee River – Presenter: Katie Gregory, Doctoral Student, University of Rochester’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Presentation Summary (Presentation not available)
The Impact of the Erie Canal on Water Quality of the Genesee River – Presenter: SUNY Brockport Distinguished Professor Emeritus Joseph Makarewicz. Presentation Summary
Characterization of Plastics in the Genesee River – Presenter: Christy Tyler, Professor, RIT’s Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences. Presentation Summary (Presentation not available)
Wood Debris Removal in the Upper Genesee – Presenters: Rebecca Rowley of Genesee River Wilds and Rando Morgan, Founder/CEO of River Rangers International, Inc., Presentation Summary
Exhibitors included:
Genesee River Paddling Season 2025
After a very successful 2024 paddling season, our summer paddling season is 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 events in partnership with the Waterways Center and the City Recreation Department. Click here to register on the Genesee Waterways website. Pre-registration is required.
- Thursday, August 14, 5:30PM-7:30PM – Genesee River Kayak Cleanup
- Sunday, August 31, 2:00PM-4:00PM – TLC for the Genesee: Paddle or Walk Cleanup along the River (Register on the Walking for Rochester website). Join us for a major Genesee River cleanup effort that will feature both land- and water-based trash removal near Rochester’s Genesee Valley Park.
- Saturday, September 6, 10:00AM-1:00PM – Lower Genesee River Exploration – Click here for more information and to register
- Saturday, September 27, 3:00PM-6:00PM – ROC the Riverway Rochester City Skyline Paddle – Click here for more information and to register
Stay tuned to our social media pages for more paddle event information as the dates get closer! (Paddle dates are subject to change.)
Spring Newsletter 2025
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.
Genesee RiverWatch Provides 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 GRW submitted ours on February 16, 2025. Genesee River Watch has been advocating for a phosphorus standard for flowing waters for some time and it’s good to see that NYSDEC is moving in that direction. In addition, RiverWatch comments included recommendations on how the values could be applied to new and existing wastewater discharges. See attached document for our detailed comments.
Genesee River Basin Summit: “Emerging Issues” – Wednesday, May 28, 2025
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.
Emerging issues to be discussed include:
- Methods to sample dissolved greenhouse gases in the Genesee River. Learn more
- The impact of the Erie Canal on water quality of the Genesee River. Learn more
- Characterization of plastics in the Genesee. Learn more
- Wood debris removal in the Upper Genesee. Learn more
The event includes a continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments, exhibitors, and is free to attend.
The link to register and the complete agenda are below.
>> REGISTER HERE for the May 28, 2025, Summit <<
Agenda
| Time | Topic | Presentation(s) | Presenter(s) |
| 8:00 to 8:30 | Registration | Continental Breakfast | VISIT EXHIBITS |
| 8:30 to 9:15 | Opening Remarks | 1. Welcome 2. Why Emerging Issues | 1. Mike Haugh – Genesee RiverWatch 2. George Thomas – Genesee RiverWatch |
| 9:15 to 10:15 | Greenhouse Gases | Methods for Continuous Sampling of Dissolved Greenhouse Gases and Other Environmental Variables in the Genesee River (Presentation highlight) | Katie Gregory – University of Rochester |
| 10:15 to 10:45 | BREAK | Coffee Refresh | VISIT EXHIBITS |
| 10:45 to 11:45 | Erie Canal | Impact of the Erie Canal on Genesee River Water Quality (Presentation highlight) | Joe Makarewicz – Genesee RiverWatch |
| 11:45 to 12:45 | LUNCH | Provided | VISIT EXHIBITS |
| 1:00 to 1:15 | Awards | Elizabeth Thorndike Environmental Leadership Awards | Mike Storonsky – Genesee RiverWatch |
| 1:15 to 2:15 | Plastics | Characterization of Plastics in the Genesee (Presentation highlight) | Christy Tyler – Rochester Institute of Technology |
| 2:15 to 2:45 | BREAK | Cookies & Beverage Provided | VISIT EXHIBITS |
| 2:45 to 3:45 | Logjams | Woody Debris Removal Project in the Upper Genesee River Basin (Presentation highlight) | Rebecca Rowley and Rando Morgan – Genesee River Wilds and River Rangers |
| 3:45 to 4:00 | Wrap-up | Thank You | Genesee RiverWatch |
George Thomas Discusses Genesee RiverWatch Initiative on Warm 101.3
Jon Goehring of local radio station Warm 101.3 recently 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.
