BUTTERNUT CREEK FLOAT – 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Join the Otsego County Conservation Association for a leisurely paddle on the creek where you will learn about the natural and human history of our region, take in the sights, and have fun. Bring your own craft or reserve one of OCCA’s. Please come dressed for the weather with food, water, etc. Free, registration required. Bailey Rd., Gilbertsville. 607-547-4488 or visit occainfo.org/calendar/butternut-creek-float/
EARTH FESTIVAL – 1 – 7 p.m. Fun Online Events to celebrate the little blue marble floating in space that makes us all possible. Celebrate with Otsego County Conservation Association. 607-547-4488 or visit occainfo.org/earth-festival/
BVA’s Graham Stroh and daughter Asher, 8, examine a “riparian buffer” off Route 23 east of the Village of Morris. (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
People entering Morris on Route 23 from Oneonta kept asking Bob Thomas, town historian and a Butternut Valley Alliance board member, “What are those tubes across from the cemetery?”
With his nudging, couple of weeks ago an enticingly titled Zoom presentation, “Mysterious Tubes Along Butternut Creek,” provided the answer to 27 participants, some landowners who may sign up to host mysterious tubes of their own, according to BVA Executive Director Graham Stroh.
The program’s been going on for a decade, according to Lydia Brinkley, Upper Susquehanna Coalition buffer coordinator, “riparian buffers,” that is.
If you’ve only noticed the mysterious tubes lately, it’s because there are more of them, part of the USC’s federally and state-funded efforts to clean up Otsego County’s streams, and thus contribute a bit to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, 250 miles south of Garrattsville.
“Riparian buffers are essentially wooded areas along creeks and rivers, for purposes of reducing erosion and stabilizing stream banks,” said Stroh, formerly an urban planner in Washington D.C. who moved back three years ago to manage the family’s property. (He was raised in New York City; his dad, Leslie, in Morris.)
The Butternut Valley, and with the collaboration of the Middlefield-based Soil & Water Conservation District, all of Otsego County’s streams, are part of a “huge, huge region,” said Stroh, where efforts are underway to clean up the tributaries to the Susquehanna River, which eventually runs into the challenged Chesapeake, where pollutants have been destroying the rich fishery for decades.
FUN PADDLE – 1 – 4 p.m. Take in the sights, sounds on beautiful creek, learn about plants, animals, history of this diverse region with Otsego County Conservation Association. Bring your own (cleaned, drained, & treated) canoe or kayak or reserve one of OCCA’s. Bring water, a snack, & sunscreen. Free, registration required. Butternut Creek. 607-547-4488 or visit occainfo.org/occa-calendar/
The Butternut Alliance plans to reintroduce American Eels into the Butternut Creek at Bailey Road, Town of Morris, at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), according to Graham Stroh, executive director. The time is a best guess depending upon traffic from Havre de Grace, Md., where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. This American eel was taken from the Susquehanna near Cooperstown in 2018.
BOOK FAIR – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Find rare, interesting books and ephemera the Cooperstown Antiquarian Book Fair. Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. Call 607-547-2800 or visit www.cooperstownantiquarianbookfair.com/
SPRING FEST – 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Features music and events including the Ross Park Zoomobile and a Fishing Derby by Trout Unlimited. Copes Corner Park, on Rte. 51 between Gilbertsville and Mt. Upton. Info, www.townofbutternuts.org/copes-corners-park/
FLOWER SHOW – 5-7 p.m. Opening reception of The Cherry Valley Flower Show on display to June 4. The Cherry Branch Gallery, 25 Main St., Cherry Valley. Info, call (607)264-9530 or email info@cherrybranchgallery.com or visit cherrybranchgallery.com
