MISSION

The Mission of the Northeast Rivers and Streams Technical Committee is to foster information-exchange on technical issues pertaining to Rivers and Streams, including coldwater, coolwater, warmwater, systems in the Northeast Region.

NEED

There are several new groups that primarily focus on, or have a high interest in, river and streams as well as long-standing interagency river basin programs and smaller informal ad-hoc groups, examples include:

• National Fish Habitat Initiative
• Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture
• Instream Flow Council
• Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission
• Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program
• Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee
• Delaware River Fish Restoration Program
• Northeast Barriers Group

There are dozens of river basin restoration groups made up of cooperating agencies, focused on diadromous fish restoration throughout the Northeast.

There are new funding opportunities and plans available outlining needs that include programs such as the State Wildlife Grant Program and the associated State Wildlife Action Plans, including larger scale projects that would provide regional benefits.

APPROACH

• Work to identify and organize regional priorities among these various organizations.
• Position rivers and streams professionals to be more competitive for funding opportunities (private grants, federal assistance, multi-state grant, competitive grant programs) or seek additional monies from congress or existing programs. Get ahead of the curve on some potential new grant programs that may be developing (several proposed – WCRP using LWCF, pollution credit program, etc).
• Identify training needs and provide them (e.g., fluvial geomorphological assessments,, EPA rapid assessment, modifications by states, instream flow models). Develop workshops to share information on sampling approaches techniques. (Funding assistance could be enlisted from AFS (NE and Mid-Atlantic Divisions)
• Provide opportunities to increase and share knowledge as so many of the elements in the previously mentioned topic areas are very dynamic, due to new information or study findings. Many states involved in similar work have similar priorities, but are taking different approaches. Bring in experts from outside our region (funding needed – AFS).

The Committee is currently designed for information-sharing and addressing charges from the Northeast Directors or Northeast Fisheries Administrators (NEFAA), not policy–making.

Why have a committee jointly operated by NEFAA and AFS-NED?

• Many of the resource manager and administrator members would be under the auspices of NEFAA.
  
• Having an officially sanctioned committee, through the Northeast Directors, will increase the likelihood of agency support for involvement under increasingly restrictive work and travel environments.
  
• State and Federal agencies will benefit by having a committee in place to address topics and issues identified as important by administrators through assigned charges.
  
• AFS has a clear connection and long history in other regions in this area. Other AFS regional committees are highly successful and viewed as critical tools for the benefits mentioned earlier. AFS could provide financial support, set up and manage an account to make the group able to offer or defray costs of meetings/training/workshops etc.
  
• There are many non state and federal agency fisheries professionals that can provide valuable input and support on Committee activities and their involvement is viewed as essential.
  
• AFS-NED would benefit by enhancing its role in freshwater aquatics in the Northeast and could increase membership and involvement.
  

NEXT STEPS

The NERSTC is still under development with regards to the AFS-NED. Actions to more fully and permanently establish and expand the committee with lasting benefits will require the support from the AFS NED membership and Executive Committee, which has consistently occurred.