Upper Delaware 30-Year Retrospective

Date: October 3, 2008

Upper Delaware 30-Year Retrospective On Nov. 8 Invites Public Participation

The 30th anniversary of the designation of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River will be commemorated on November 8 with a symposium at Central House Family Resort in Beach Lake, PA co-sponsored by the National Park Service (NPS) and Upper Delaware Council (UDC). Reservations are requested by October 31.

The “Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Thirty-Year Retrospective” will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the evolution, current operations, and future of this valued unit of the National Park System.

On November 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 96-625, the Omnibus Parks Acts, which included among its provisions the establishment of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.

That enabling legislation led to the drafting of a River Management Plan and to the 1988 incorporation of the Upper Delaware Council to coordinate implementation of the forerunning federal-state-local partnership management model that remains successfully in effect today.

The Retrospective will reunite many veterans of those formative years - dating back to the 1968 passage of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act - to discuss the controversies, compromises, and outcomes of the objective to recognize and conserve the Upper Delaware River’s outstanding values.

After providing that historical context, speakers will address key issues and accomplishments of the first 30 years, the missions of the NPS and UDC, threats to river valley resources, and the vital contributions of partner organizations and volunteers. The presentations will conclude with a roundtable discussion to envision the next 30 years in the Upper Delaware.

The public is welcome to attend.

The Saturday, Nov. 8, event opens at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast available in the resort’s Carriage House. The program will begin at 9 a.m. and end at approximately 5 p.m.

A registration fee of $25 per person for this historical symposium includes breakfast, a hearty buffet lunch, and refreshments during breaks between the panel discussions. A cash bar will be offered at the end of the day for old and new friends to socialize.

A a brochure with an itinerary of the program and a registration form is available online at www.nps.gov/upde or www.upperdelawarecouncil.org.

Reservations, with checks payable to “UDC” and a notation in the subject line for “Retrospective”, may be dropped off or mailed to: Upper Delaware Council, P.O. Box 192, 211 Bridge St., Narrowsburg, NY 12764, by Friday, October 31.

For additional information, please contact Laurie Ramie at [phone] or Sandra Schultz at [phone].