RK’s 2014 patrol season begins

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We’ve started patrols this year with an 18 foot skiff on loan. I’m interested in testing the utility of a fast shallow draft boat which allows patrols to areas where we have been draft restricted. The trade off is complete exposure to the elements so this boat is “weather” restricted. We’ll see how she works out. The Fletcher will be back in the water very soon and is already heavily scheduled May through November.

For example, I’m able to get up very close to marsh and creek areas which are normally too shallow for the Fletcher. This is Freemont Marsh in Sleepy Hollow. Tracy Brown at Riverkeeper has started a wonderful environmental education project in the local headwaters feeding this marsh.

Found a dead Shad near the Tarrytown Lighthouse. Seems only recently dead. This is a Gizzard Shad – a resident species which does not migrate in from the sea. American Shad (which do) should not be migrating into the Hudson quite yet.

Pile driving continues at the Tappan Zee construction site. Cranes are driving piles from south to north on each side of the ship channel. I can hear the pile driving strikes inside my home in Nyack two miles away.