AsRA hires stream restoration scientist

WILMINGTON | A geoscientist from Peru, New York, has been hired to coordinate stream restoration projects for the Ausable River Association (AsRA). Gary Henry will work with AsRA Executive Director Kelley Tucker to manage surveys, assessment, design, construction, and long-term monitoring of major restoration work that has been in research and design for several years. Henry will also coordinate the construction of climate-ready culverts used to remediate flood damage to local roads, property, and the river habitat. "A licensed geoscientist, Henry started working on geomorphic river surveys nearly 20 years ago while a graduate student at Baylor University in Central Texas," the River Association said via email. Henry moved to this region in 2009 when he joined the faculty at Clinton Community College. At CCC, he created a program to train technicians for soil and groundwater remediation and the wastewater treatment industry. He also established the CCC Environmental Science program. Henry was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in 2017. This year, Henry will oversee two restoration projects, one on the East Branch Ausable River in the hamlet of Keene and another in the hamlet of Upper Jay, according to an announcement from the River Association. Work planned this year also involves the survey and design of a priority project on the main stem Ausable River in Au Sable Forks. "I'm excited for the opportunity to work with an organization that allows me to pursue my lifelong fascination with the form and processes of rivers," Henry said in a news release. "The beauty of this watershed is immeasurable, and there is important work to be done here as we work to restore and maintain the self-sustaining functions of the Ausable and its many tributaries." Tucker said Henry's skill and knowledge will allow AsRA to better meet the growing demand of their healthy streams programs. "Gary will work with our partners at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy Adirondacks, and others to continue our efforts to assess, monitor, and, when needed, restore the health of our Ausable streams," Tucker has managed and grown AsRA's restoration and monitoring projects for seven years. Comprehensive planning over that time has worked to address river health, remediation, and local, state, and federal concerns with ice jams, flooding, and storm damage. The River Restoration Program encompasses a long-term vision based on science. The primary goals are: To create flood resilience in Ausable River communities, and to increase habitat potential and stabilize/decrease temperatures on the East Branch to support wild fish populations. Funding for ongoing work comes via the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery, which was established after Tropical Storms Irene, Lee, and Sandy. Six projects have moved to the conceptual design phase of 13 identified in the East Branch of the Ausable River Program final report. Maps and engineering research of Ausable River Restoration programs completed are accessible online. Find out more about the Ausable River Association : ausableriver.org

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AsRA hires stream restoration scientist

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