Latest News

NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) approved a $9,740 payment to the Town of Tusten on January 27 to support completion of its new town-wide Natural Resources Inventory, Open Space and Recreation Plan.

Tusten initiated Phase 1 of its project in 2024 with a $10,000 TAG award to develop a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) identifying key environmental and open space resources such as wetlands, wildlife habitats, flood zones, and forests within the town, with public engagement through meetings and a survey to list protection priorities.

Phase 2 in 2025 built upon the NRI to establish a vision for an appropriate balance of open space, public access, natural resources, and public recreational opportunities.
As a recommended action in the town’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan, the Open Space and Recreation Plan creates a roadmap for implementation of future conservation projects, new recreational opportunities, and priorities for open space protection, with ongoing public involvement to seek community consensus and appropriate methods to complete such projects.

Available at www.townoftusten.gov/media/3236, with more information on its process at www.tustenopenspacerecreation.com, the plan can serve as a model for other Upper Delaware River Valley communities.

The Town of Tusten Conservation Advisory Council, comprised of Chairperson Jane Luchsinger, Cathleen Breen, Spencer Branch, Alexandra Climent, Bernie Lohmann, and Donovan Sylvest, guided the project in collaboration with the town board and staff.

They received technical assistance from MJ Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Land Surveying, P.C., project liaison Peter Manning from Genius Loci, the Sullivan County Planning and Real Property Services Departments, and the Delaware Highlands Conservancy.

The plan was also supported by a $75,000 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund grant administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

This close-out finalizes the UDC’s Fiscal Year 2025 Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) program, which had also awarded $3,000 to the Town of Deerpark to update its “A Map of the Town of Deerpark: Gateway to the Upper Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River” brochure and $260 to Berlin Township to commission a set of 52 publicly accessible tax maps.

From 1988 to 2026, the UDC has awarded $968,463.50 to its member municipalities to fund 270 projects that support the objectives of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in New York and Pennsylvania.

Please visit https://upperdelawarecouncil.org/grant-program/ or contact UDC Resources and Land Use Specialist Kerry Engelhardt at kerry@upperdelawarecouncil.org or (845) 252-3022 for more information.