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Flack takes helm at County Soil & Water

By Melanie Lekocevic

CAIRO — After nearly 20 years under the tutelage of Rene VanSchaack, the county’s biggest environmental watchdog group has new leadership. Well, new leadership of a sort - the program’s former manager, Jeff Flack, has returned to the organization as its new executive director after a 20-year absence.

Flack first joined the Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District as a technician in 1980, and was later promoted to manager. After he left in 1988, VanSchaack joined the agency under a newly created title — executive director — and he was there ever since.

Until, at least, VanSchaack left the group to join forces with the Greene County Industrial Development Agency as its Director of Community and Environmental Programs in January of this year. That left a gaping hole at GCSWCD, one which Flack was appointed to fill last month.

GCSWCD is a local environmental conservation watchdog group whose mission is the prevention of soil erosion and the preservation of water quality. That means the group takes a strong interest in all things environmental countywide, and with a county as diverse as Greene County, the concerns are far reaching.

In portions of the county in the mountaintop — like in Hunter, which is part of the massive New York City watershed — water quality and preventing soil erosion is a top concern. There are strict state and city regulations governing how water is handled, and much of the town’s land is state-owned.

“The western part of the county is in the New York City watershed, so their primary concern is turbidity, which means we want to keep the water clean and clear,” Flack said. “A major portion of our program is working with the streams, a large part of which is in the watershed. We also work elsewhere in the county on streams, like in Durham, where we are working on improving the fishery habitat.”

In areas that are undergoing significant development, like the valley towns of Catskill and Coxsackie, stormwater is a big issue. Stormwater is of particular concern in areas where there is increasing development because the soil can no longer absorb water.

“Stormwater is becoming a major issue as well, particularly as the county gets developed,” Flack said. “As sites are developed, you increase the amount of impervious surfaces, so there is increased stormwater runoff because the water is no longer absorbed into the soil. We advise planning boards on environmental issues, and how natural resources are impacted.”

Also topping his list of concerns is agriculture, and working with local farmers to reduce soil erosion. Farms, especially those housing animals, are of special concern environmentally because if they are located near a water source — which they usually are — then maintaining water quality is of critical importance.

“We work with the farmers to improve water quality, and avoid contamination issues like E. coli,” Flack added.

Countywide, though, one of the biggest concerns, according to Flack, is maintaining open space in the face of mounting development pressures. GCSWCD has long served as an environmental advocate, advising the county’s towns and villages on how to best preserve their cherished rural character.

“The county has seen considerable development pressure, and I would like to help ensure that we maintain a certain amount of open space,” Flack said.

And if anyone has the background to head up a county program overseeing environmental concerns this diverse, it is Jeff Flack. He has a degree in forestry from the University of Maine, and his resume, in addition to his work 20 years ago with GCSWCD, includes stints with the New England Forest Research Station in Maine and the Hike Preserve in Rensselaerville.

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