Bedford launches boat rental program on Muscoot Reservoir

BEDFORD, N.Y. - Ever wanted to fish the Muscoot Reservoir, pull a largemouth bass or rainbow trout into a boat that—for a few hours at least—you can call your own?

Bedford officials will tell residents next week the few steps you’d have to take to make that happen.

Two town-owned boats are now on-hand for a pilot program that will allow resident anglers to fish the reservoir, a major contributor to New York City’s municipal water supply, Supervisor Ellen Calves told the June 2 Town Board meeting.

The boats, 12- and 14-footers, are expected to rent for $25 for four hours. Everyone on the boat must be fishing, per rules of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which oversees the reservoir, Calves said.

“We'll have an info session [next Wednesday, June 24] to help people understand the program,” she said. Among the basics: you must be a Bedford resident and at least 14 years old, have a state fishing license, a free land-access permit issued online by the city DEP, and a time reservation through Town Clerk Allie Whalen’s office.

Whalen said details will be posted online. “We're working on a web page to share the information with the public and link our reservation form to sign up to rent [one of the boats],” she said. Next week’s “launch event” is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Bedford Hills Community House.

“I think we're doing four-hour rental periods,” Calves said. “But that includes time to pick up the oars and the life jacket [at the Bedford Hills Community House], go get the boat, spend a couple hours on the reservoir fishing, and then return the oars and the life jacket.”

The DEP permits fishing, either from shore or on the water, from boats that meet DEP criteria and remain stored at the reservoir. “We've seen for years how many boats are all over the [reservoir’s] shore, but there are never really that many people out in the boats fishing,” she said. “This will make it far more accessible for people who just want to try it a few times or see if they would like to fish more frequently.”

Natural Resources Inventory

Bedford has been awarded a $63,150 state grant to update its natural resources inventory for use as a tool for comprehensive and long-range planning.

Bedford's last natural resources inventory was recorded on paper and completed in the 1980s, the Conservation Board chair, Marina Kubicek, told the Town Board. “Our new NRI will be online, easily accessible and searchable,” she said. “We have partnered with the Westchester County GIS Department, which will compile our digital map layers and host them online.”

 The grant, from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, will cover consultant fees for analyzing the maps. A report will be available online describing Bedford’s natural resources and making recommendations for their development and conservation.

Digital wetlands and aquifer maps “will greatly facilitate applications coming before Bedford's regulatory boards and commission,” Kubicek said.

Planning Board Members

Nilus Klingel and Jared Antin have been reappointed to the Planning Board, effective immediately, for terms expiring Jan. 20, 2031, and Jan. 20, 2027, respectively. Calves said she was happy the two would continue their service on the board.