Catharine Creek is a roughly stream that flows through
Chemung and
Schuyler counties in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
The creek, named after
Catharine Montour, is a major tributary to
Seneca Lake.
Course
While the other waterways of Chemung County are part of the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
basin, Catharine Creek is part of the
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
basin. It flows into
Seneca Lake, the largest of the
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...
, which drains into
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
via the
Seneca and
Oswego rivers.
Catharine Creek rises atop a ridge in the
Town of Veteran in
Chemung County. It flows south to an area known locally as the
Holding Point The Holding Point is an area in the Town of Horseheads, New York that is the site of the Horseheads Industrial Center.
The name dates back to World War II, when the federal government used eminent domain
Eminent domain, also known as land acq ...
in
Horseheads. It then flows back to the north, mostly alongside
Route 14, through the communities of
Pine Valley,
Millport,
Montour Falls, and
Watkins Glen.
History
The
Chemung Canal ran through the Catharine Creek valley from Horseheads to Seneca Lake during the mid-19th century, facilitating transportation and shipping between the southern New York region and the United States' east coast. Some remnants remain in Catharine Creek Marsh, a wetlands complex located between Montour Falls and Watkins Glen. After the canal closed in 1878, the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
took over much of the canal's right-of-way.
Recreation
The
Catharine Valley Trail, a
rails to trails
A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corridor with active railways, ligh ...
project, has been under development since the early 2000s by New York State and volunteers. Following former railroad beds and canal towpaths near Catharine Creek, the multi-use trail is intended to eventually link Horseheads to Seneca Lake.
As of 2016, of the trail are open to the public, with plans for the trail to grow to in length.
The Catharine Creek
Wildlife Management Area
A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife.
New Zealand
There are 11 wildlife management areas in New Zealand:
* Horsham Downs Wildlife Ma ...
, managed by the
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protecti ...
, protects a large wetlands complex near the creek's mouth. Although camping is prohibited and no formal recreation facilities exist, the area is open to the public for hunting, hiking, bird watching, boating, and fishing. A spur of the
Finger Lakes Trail
The Finger Lakes Trail consists of a network of trails in New York (state), New York. The trail system is administered by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference (FLTC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization composed primarily of volunteers.
Description ...
passes through the marsh.
[
Catharine Creek is a regional ]sport fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...
destination each spring, as anglers target the numerous rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
that enter the creek during their annual spawning
Spawn is the Egg cell, eggs and Spermatozoa, sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of freely releasing eggs and sperm into a body of water (fresh or marine); the physical act is ...
runs.brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
and landlocked Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...
take place in the fall.
See also
*List of rivers in New York
Rivers in the U.S. state of New York include:
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with tributaries indented by order of confluence, from mouth to source.
New York Harbor
Block Island Sound
*Peconic River
** Little Riv ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of New York (state)
Rivers of Schuyler County, New York
Rivers of Chemung County, New York