NARROWSBURG, NY — The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) will host a public presentation on the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Oral History Project on Thursday, September 5 at 7 p.m. at the Upper Delaware Council office, 211 Bridge St., and on Zoom.

The co-presenters will be Alejandro Garcia-Maldonado, cultural resource specialist at the National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River; and Avery Ohliger, who has interned as a cultural resource management program assistant.

The Upper Delaware’s oral history collection spans more than 40 years of regional and river history. It is narrated by local residents and former park unit employees.

The archival program was conceived in 1983 when former cultural resources specialist Mary Curtis proposed capturing stories to preserve the river valley’s cultural history. The NPS received funding for staff to begin collecting interviews in 1986. Among the first topics covered were Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, Zane Grey, and the Erie Railroad. 

The scope then expanded to focus on places, activities and artifacts in the river valley.

The status of these 150-plus recorded interviews, transcriptions and publication plans to make the tapes available for educational and research purposes will be discussed.

Garcia-Maldonado, whose Upper Delaware tenure began on May 13, 2022, serves as manager of the Cultural Resource Management Program, curator of the Zane Grey Museum, an interdisciplinary historian and is the tribal relations coordinator.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Edgewater, NJ, Garcia-Maldonado earned a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies (history, humanities and fine arts/music), a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, and a master’s degree in history.

Ohliger began interning with NPS Upper Delaware two years ago through the Wayne/Pike Workforce Alliance program. The Honesdale High School 2024 graduate is the son of Lisa Macchia-Ohliger and Jason Ohliger.

His primary responsibilities have been transcribing and converting the oral histories to a web-accessible format, along with doing research and assisting with other cultural resource tasks.

Ohliger plans to double major in history and political science at Tufts University.

The UDC’s monthly business meeting will immediately follow the presentation.

All UDC meetings are open to the public. To request the Zoom link to participate remotely, call UDC administrative support staff member Stephanie Driscoll at 845/252-3022 or email stephanie@upperdelawarecouncil.org.

Check www.upperdelawarecouncil.org  or UDC social media pages for any meeting updates.