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Photo: Facilitator Buck Moorhead leads the UDC and partners through a strategic planning exercise at an Oct. 3 retreat held at the Narrowsburg Union.

NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council, Inc. (UDC) unanimously adopted a new strategic plan and mission statement to guide its activities through 2025 at its Jan. 7 annual meeting.

The Five-Year Operating Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2021-2025 is posted online to read or download at https://upperdelawarecouncil.org/publications/. A hard copy or five-page Executive Summary of the 57-page document with attachments is also available upon request.

The Plan highlights the following new mantra for the UDC, which has coordinated the cooperative management of the 1978 Congressionally designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in New York and Pennsylvania since 1988:

“The mission of the Upper Delaware Council is to conserve, enhance and promote the Delaware River corridor’s natural and cultural resources and social and economic vitality, by fostering cooperation among public and private partners, to implement the River Management Plan.”

The new Five-Year Plan lists eight Areas of Focus, along with various action strategies to address them as the opportunities arise. The focus areas are:

• Viability of the Council as a non-profit organization
• Maintaining quality of the resource
• Responding to changing demographics in the region
• Optimizing the UDC’s working relationship with the National Park Service
• River access and recreational opportunities
• Communication infrastructure
• Economic development
• Education and outreach

Initiated last March to update the prior Five-Year Plan that was due to expire on Sept. 30, 2020, coronavirus pandemic meeting restrictions delayed development of the new document

A steering committee that included representation from the UDC board, staff, Upper Delaware community, National Park Service, and National Parks Conservation Association worked with facilitators Buck and Remy Moorhead from the Buck Moorhead Architect firm of Callicoon, NY and New York City to conduct preliminary research and guide the process.

A socially distanced Strategic Planning Retreat took place on Oct. 3 at the Narrowsburg Union to build upon the results of a widely circulated survey that sought opinions on the UDC’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; asked respondents to rank priority issues; and to comment on a draft mission statement.

The National Park Service granted the UDC an extension to submit the Operating Program in conjunction with its previously executed Cooperative Agreement and five-year budget for Fiscal Years 2021-2025. The UDC also produces an annual work plan.

For more information on the Council and its activities, please visit the UDC website, subscribe to its free tri-annual newsletter “The Upper Delaware”, or connect with its social media pages: www.facebook.com/UpperDelawareCouncil; Instagram @upperdelawarecouncil; and www.linkedin.com/company/upper-delaware-council. The UDC also has video channels on YouTube and Vimeo.

The bi-state organization maintains a business office at 211 Bridge St. in Narrowsburg, NY 12764, mailing address P.O. Box 192, phone (845) 252-3022, and general email info@upperdelawarecouncil.org.