The New York State Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association (NYSFSMA) hopes that you’re having a great start to 2025! We’re also pleased to announce several exciting upcoming events.
On January 16, NYSFSMA hosted a webinar, “Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)” which was well attended. On February 26, NYSFSMA hosted another webinar, this time on the topic of “Flood Insurance Rate Maps, Flood Insurance Studies, and Letters of Map Change.” Be sure to check Our Events page on the NYSFSMA webpage (nyfloods.org) for upcoming webinars. While they may not be on the schedule yet, we have several more exciting webinars (for credit) and “lunch-and-learns” (noncredit) in the works.
We’re also pleased to announce that the 2025 NYSFSMA Annual Conference will be held this year on April 22-24 in the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center in Ithaca, NY. Our original hotel block at Hotel Ithaca is now full, but we've secured an additional block at the Canopy by Hilton (324 East State Street), just a short two-block walk away from the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center. Our hotel block cut-off date is March 31st, so be sure to book before then. Registration materials are available at nyfloods.org. Register before April 7 to avoid late fees. Want to save even more money? Become a NYSFSMA member and save $50 off the full 3-day conference registration or $40 off a single day registration. If you’re interested in exhibitor space please fill out the form on the NYSFSMA Conference webpage. Attendees can expect to receive continuing education credits for CFM, and certain sessions will be eligible for PE credit and/or NYS Code Officer credit.
Looking ahead we hope to have a mini-conference focused on downstate/Long Island issues this fall. If you’re interested in helping organize this conference, please reach out!
At last year’s Annual Conference, you may recall the Lego models that showed a 3D representation of FEMA elevation certificate diagrams. In addition, NYSFSMA also owns a Ward's Floodplain Model. Both of these are excellent teaching tools whether they be for adult or youth audiences. We’re working on getting a system together to loan both these models out. If you’re interested in borrowing either of these models please inquire.
Elections for Board members are going to be held this year. Candidates must be members of NYSFSMA. If you or someone you know is interested in a board position, please nominate them! We currently have vacancies in Regions 5 and 7 but you can run for any Region that you live or work in. Regions correspond to NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Regions. Interested parties should email the Elections Committee at jthigpen@chemungcountyny.gov stating your name, what Region you are in/running for, and why you should be elected to a board position. The election will be conducted via online survey and winners announced at the Annual Membership Meeting at the NYSFSMA Conference April 22-24.
This newsletter is also looking for contributing writers. Have a topic or story idea (related to floodplain or stormwater management) that you think would be of interest? Feel free to drop us a line or better yet, draft an article yourself. We’re always looking for content for this newsletter to keep our members informed. Email vicechair@nyfloods.org with draft articles or topics you’d like to see more of.
Finally, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the recent California wildfires. New York State also experienced widespread and destructive fires last year during the regional drought. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to experience mudslides and flash floods following extensive fires depending on weather conditions. The US Army Corps of Engineers has several excellent resources on post-fire flood concerns.
We have a lot planned for this year and we hope to see you at many of our in-person and virtual events!