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Soil and Water director details projects, cites $17M DEP contract and requests 3% appropriation increase

Ulster County Legislature 3 Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts, and Agriculture Committee · August 5, 2026
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Summary

Jake Wiedemeyer described completed and ongoing conservation projects, a $17 million DEP contract for stream restoration, equipment purchases supported by ARPA, and asked the committee for a 3% increase to the district's appropriation (about $187,000 last year).

Jake Wiedemeyer, executive director of the Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District, summarized a portfolio of completed farm and stream projects and the district's revenue sources. He said the district manages a $17 million contract with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection for Broad Street Hollow stream restoration and has delivered roughly $24 million in work over the last 25 years under related programs.

Wiedemeyer highlighted technical assistance (irrigation projects, rotational grazing, riparian buffers), shared equipment acquisitions funded with ARPA and climate-resilient farming funds (row mulcher, lime spreader), and sales of native trees to the public. He told the committee the district brought in about $696,000 in funding sources for 2026 and that his formal ask to the committee is a modest 3% increase to the district appropriation (the 2025 appropriation was cited at approximately $187,000). "I'm asking for a 3% increase," Wiedemeyer said, noting insurance and health-premium pressures as a key budget driver.

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