Greetings and well wishes for 2026 from the NYSFSMA Board of Directors. We have a lot planned for this year that we think can benefit you. Here is just a sampling of the some of the upcoming offerings that are available to our members.
High on our list is that our 2026 Annual Conference that will be held at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Utica, NY from April 28-30. Visit our Events page for more details on hotel bookings and registration. The Conference Planning Committee has been hard at work preparing our agenda. We received lots of fantastic abstracts for presentations that we are sure you’ll find useful and informative. Remember, coming to the conference can earn you up to 12 Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) continuing education credits depending on how many days/sessions you participate in. We are also working to get Professional Engineer (PE) and NYS Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) continuing education credit for applicable courses.
One of the highlights of our conference is the awarding of the NYS Floodplain and Stormwater Advocate of the Year Award. Several emails from NYSFSMA were sent out with more information on eligibility criteria. The deadline has also been extended to March 15. Past nominees who did not win are welcome and encouraged to apply again. If you have questions about eligibility or wish to submit a nomination, please email vicechair@nyfloods.org.
On the horizon, NYSFSMA is preparing to produce several educational videos using the Ward’s Floodplain Model and the custom-built Lego Elevation Certificate Diagram models. We hope to have more information on that in the coming months.
NYSFSMA could not function without its volunteers including its officers, board directors, and committee members. In this quarter’s newsletter be sure to check out the article by Treasurer and Membership Coordinator, Bill Nechamen, on the different committees that are available to NYSFSMA members. If you’re interested in getting involved do not hesitate to reach out! Anyone on the Board will be happy to help you.
While the State of New York has been mostly spared from devastating floods of late (if anything the State and much of the Mid-Atlantic region has been in unusually dry if not outright drought conditions) other parts of the country have not been so fortunate. It is important for us not to be complacent. It is on you, the local floodplain and stormwater managers, to continue to beat the drum of mitigation in your communities and ensure that Town, Village, County, City, and State officials keep focused on ensuring that all floodplain and stormwater laws and ordinances are enforced. This is easier said than done in a world
of competing priorities and limited budgets at all levels of government. However, with uncertainty at FEMA and the federal level continuing, it is on the local officials, now more than ever to ensure the continued enforcement and proactive engagement in floodplain and stormwater management activities and projects.
Yours in floodplain and stormwater management,
The NYSFSMA Board of Directors