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NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council, Inc. (UDC) announces hiring Pete J. Golod of Milanville, PA as its Resource Specialist effective April 23, 2016.

Golod is providing staff support to the non-profit organization on land use development and resource management activities relevant to the Congressionally-designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor.

The new employee is a 10-year military veteran with experience in fisheries, biological science, and research who most recently completed a seasonal position with the National Park Service studying the sustainability of young-of-year American shad and wildlife in the Upper Delaware.

Golod grew up in Bergen County, NJ, graduated from Paramus High School in 1994, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1994 to 2004. He was first deployed aboard the flagship USS Blueridge for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, a command ship for the Amphibious Task Force and Landing Force Commanders, where he became a Quartermaster (navigator) before joining a specialized mobile diving and salvage unit.

While stationed in Galveston, Golod earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University in 2004.
Employment followed with NOAA Fisheries to protect sea turtles and marine mammals from the impacts of underwater explosives being used to remove offshore oil and gas structures; AIS, Inc. as a maritime fisheries observer; and the U.S. Geological Survey as a fisheries biological science lab technician at Lake Ontario.

Upon moving with his convalescing parents to Milanville in June of 2012, Golod worked for Bluestone Environmental, Inc. in Honesdale, then as a marketing consultant with Bold Gold Media in the Pocono Lake Region before joining the National Park Service as a biological science technician from May to October 2015.

In addition to shad sampling, Golod developed monitoring protocols; tested water quality through the Scenic River Monitoring Program; operated water craft; maintained equipment; assisted the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with electrofishing surveys for smallmouth bass and Hudson River shad, respectively; assisted The Nature Conservancy with herbicide spraying of Japanese Knotweed; mitigated other invasive plant species; participated in meetings for Monarch butterflies and pollinators with New York Renaissance Conservancy; and offered some educational programs for Eco Practicum students and visitors to the NPS Zane Grey Festival.

His parents, Mike and Maria Golod, purchased a 40-acre property they call Eagle Farm in Milanville in 1995 after spending many summers, weekends, and holidays at family property along the Delaware River in Beach Lake, PA.

“I think that’s where my love and appreciation for the outdoors came. It’s a good place to learn more about nature that I couldn’t get in suburban New Jersey,” Golod says.

When the UDC’s Resource Specialist position became vacant following the Feb. 22, 2016 departure of Travis O’Dell of Long Eddy, NY, Golod was enthused to apply.

“What interested me most was the UDC’s mission of conservation of natural resources and river resources with the understanding of the importance of landowners’ rights in the river valley. The River Management Plan really strikes that balance,” the 39-year-old says.

Golod married his wife, Urszula, on Jan. 31, 2015 after meeting the former Brooklyn resident during a 2012 Labor Day camping weekend at the Delaware River family property. She is a fine artist and graphic designer who currently works at The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, PA.

In his free time, Golod enjoys kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, camping, writing, cinema, and books. He published a book of prose poetry called “Vision” in 2007.

Golod writes a music-related column, “Greetings from Eagle Farm”, for Bold Gold Media’s Wayne-Pike News.com; follows hockey and soccer; and has been a martial arts practitioner for 20 years.

He may be reached at pete@upperdelawarecouncil.org or (845) 252-3022. The UDC office is located at 211 Bridge St. in Narrowsburg, NY.

The Upper Delaware Council was established as a non-profit organization in 1988 to oversee the coordinated implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, in partnership with the National Park Service.