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NARROWSBURG – Shohola Township, PA Representative George J. Fluhr was sworn in as the 2009 chairperson of the Upper Delaware Council, Inc. at the UDC’s annual meeting held January 8 in Narrowsburg.

Justice Ronald J. Edwards, magistrate for PA District 22-3-04, administered the oath of office to Fluhr, who succeeds 2008 UDC Chairperson Alan Bowers of Westfall Township, PA. Fellow elected officers are Vice-Chairperson Harold G. Roeder, Jr. of the Town of Delaware, NY, and Secretary-Treasurer John B. Niflot of the Town of Fremont, NY. A reception with cake and coffee followed the monthly business meeting.

Fluhr has served as an alternate or representative of Shohola Township on the UDC since the non-profit organization’s inception in 1988. He was the first recipient of the Council’s Distinguished Service Award in 1989, recognizing his role as a founder of the Conference of Upper Delaware Townships, a drafter of the “River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River”, and a strong advocate for local governments taking the lead in protecting both the river and private property rights.

A retired educator with degrees from Manhattan College and Columbia University, Fluhr was elected as a Shohola Township Supervisor for six consecutive, six-year terms from 1977 to 2008.

He has also served as the township’s official historian since 1972 and as Pike County Historian from 1977-87 and 1996 to the present. Fluhr is a current member of the Shohola-Lackawaxen Multi-municipal Comprehensive Plan Committee, a life member of Shohola Volunteer Fire & Rescue, a founding member of the Shohola Area Lions Club, and author of seven historical books, numerous articles and pamphlets.

Fluhr previously chaired the UDC in 1992 after two terms as vice-chairperson in 1991 and 1997. He is a member of all three of the UDC’s standing committees. Harold Roeder, who has represented the Town of Delaware on the UDC since 1997, was sworn in as the 2009 vice-chairperson. He chaired the Council in 2000.

The Hortonville resident owns and operates Roeder’s Appraisal Service. He holds two academic degrees from Ithaca College. A classically-trained musician, Roeder was formerly a music teacher at Roscoe Central School and Ithaca College, a one-time regional distributor of pianos and organs, and is a current member of the Pleasant Valley Hunting Club.

“Jack” Niflot was elected 2009 UDC secretary-treasurer for his eighth, non-consecutive term. He filled the position from 1997-99 and 2005-08. He was first appointed to the UDC as an alternate in 1994 and became the town’s representative in 1997.

Niflot has served as a councilman on the Fremont Town Board for 15 years, since 1994. The Mileses resident is also a founder and the current president of the Basket Historical Society of the Upper Delaware Valley.

The Upper Delaware Council is a not-for-profit corporation which has operated since 1988 under a Cooperative Agreement partnership with the National Park Service to oversee the coordinated implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a component since 1978 of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Council members are eight NY towns (Hancock, Fremont, Delaware, Cochecton, Tusten, Highland, Lumberland, and Deerpark) and five PA townships (Berlin, Damascus, Lackawaxen, Shohola, and Westfall) that border on the Upper Delaware River, as well as the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Wayne County, PA townships of Buckingham and Manchester remain eligible to join to complete the full roster of municipalities. The Delaware River Basin Commission is a non-voting member. The National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River is a partner.

Monthly meetings take place at the UDC office located at 211 Bridge St. in Narrowsburg on the following regular schedule: Upper Delaware Council, 1st Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Water Use/Resource Management Committee, 3rd Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; Operations Committee and Project Review Committee, 4th Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and approximately 7 p.m., respectively. All meetings are open to the public.