 The
social characteristics of communities impacted by streams are important
to consider when producing any stream management plan. The Upper Esopus
Creek runs mostly through the Town of Shandaken, NY, and crosses neighboring
Olive, NY for about 1 mile before reaching Ashokan Reservoir. The Town
of Shandaken has 2,666 housing units and a population of 3,235 (U.S.
Census, 2000). Slightly more than half (55%) are full-time residents
and about half are part-time residents, with many part-time residents
having a primary residence in the NYC metropolitan area. Shandaken ranks
last (21st) in Ulster County in household and family median income.
Along the Upper Esopus, approximately 238 households are located directly
adjacent to the Creek. Approximately 1,200 additional households are
adjacent to the major tributaries of the Esopus Creek Watershed.
Age is an important factor to consider in designing stream management
efforts, especially in the area of public education and involvement.
The median age of people in the Town of Shandaken is approximately 46
years as compared to a statewide average of 36. Significant percentages
of adults are distributed in the 40-55 and 65-75 year-old age ranges.
The watershed contains several hamlets of relatively concentrated residential
and commercial development, including the hamlets of Boiceville, Mount
Tremper, Phoenicia, Shandaken, Big Indian, and Pine Hill (the latter
being in the Birch creek drainage). The Town of Shandaken has experienced
a steady increase in population since the 1940’s, reaching population
levels equal to a previous population peak in the 1890’s with
the railroad and tannery industry boom. It is difficult to predict future
trends in growth for the area however.
The Upper Esopus Creek valley is a popular tourist destination. Angling,
whitewater activities including “tubing,”
canoeing, and kayaking as well as hiking and swimming
are major recreational uses of the stream. The Esopus and its tributaries
provide artistic inspiration and spiritual fulfillment for many residents
and visitors as well.The
corridor includes a zone along the stream and a few hundred yards up
some of the larger tributaries at their confluence with Upper
Esopus Creek. Readers should note that stream management plans
have previously been completed for Stony Clove Creek and Broadstreet
Hollow Creek – both tributaries to Upper Esopus Creek. It is hoped
that additional work in these and other tributaries will continue to
provide more complete coverage of the entire watershed.
Because streams are a function of their watersheds,
the social and physical watershed
characteristics of Upper Esopus Creek are summarized briefly here.
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