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Save the Date, 4th Annual Ashokan Watershed Conference, April 27th at the Ashokan Center

By GretchenRae
1/30/13 - 11:09 am

SAVE THE DATE

The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program's 4th Annual Watershed Conference to be held at the Ashokan Center on Saturday April 27th.

Registration material will soon be available at www.ashokanstreams.org

Olive First Aid is looking for your help

By Vincent Pease
1/23/13 - 12:41 pm

Registration open for Lifespring lifelong learning for adults age 55+

By Marvelene Beach
1/24/12 - 1:13 pm

Planet Earth: Geology of the World, The Art of Memoir, and Geneology 101 are three of thirteen six-week courses offered by Lifespring, the Saugerties-based lifelong learning program for persons age 55 and over this spring. Registration is open now for current and new members. For a complete listing of courses and more information about Lifespring: Saugerties Adult Learning Community go to www.lifespringsaugerties.com or call 845 246-2800 ext. 452 to request a catalog. Registration forms must be postmarked by Feb. 28. Classes will run from Apr. 17 to May 22. Cost for this semester only is $40. Classes are held at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, Glasco Turnpike in Saugerties. This facility is accessible to persons with disabilities.

Tkaczyk proposes ban on out-of-state fracking waste

By Lissa Harris
5/16/13 - 12:38 pm

State senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, an outspoken opponent of hydrofracking, is proposing new legislation that would prohibit out-of-state drillers from disposing of fracking waste in New York State.

On Wednesday, Tkaczyk held a press conference about the proposed bill. In a prepared statement, Tkaczyk argues that if New York State is still on the fence about whether to allow hydrofracking, it doesn't make much sense for the state to accept toxic waste from Pennsylvania drill sites. From the statement:

Senator Tkaczyk’s bill would ban “the treatment, discharge, disposal, transportation or storage of high volume hydraulic fracturing waste products in New York State.” While this type of fracking is not currently being conducted in New York, landfills and treatment facilities in the state are accepting tens of thousands of tons of fracking waste from sites in Pennsylvania. Read more

Snow today, hard freeze on the way

By Lissa Harris
5/13/13 - 1:56 pm

Proof that there really are only two seasons in the Catskills -- winter and the Fourth of July. Photo taken at 1:45pm on Monday, May 13 at the Watershed Post's headquarters in New Kingston.

As if the snow falling out of the sky wasn't warning enough: Gardeners across the region should be alert for fast-dropping temperatures. A freeze warning has been issued by the National Weather Service covering a large swath of eastern New York and western New England.

The tune that saved the Ashokan Center

By Lissa Harris
5/13/13 - 9:52 am

Above: The Jay Ungar and Molly Mason Family Band performs "Ashokan Farewell" at the Folk Alley studio in 2011.

You know the tune. The first two notes give it away. By the third note, it has you already transfixed in some haunting memory, whether you've heard it a few times or a few hundred.

In a recent feature, New York Times reporter Dennis Gaffney tells the story of how fiddler Jay Ungar's bittersweet "Ashokan Farewell" -- a modern composition with the soul of a Civil War ballad -- rescued the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge from the brink of oblivion.

('Oblivion' being, in this case, New York City's watershed land acquisition program, which was poised to swallow the old SUNY New Paltz environmental education center until Ungar stepped in to broker a deal.) Read more

DEP: Boat rental businesses can store boats at reservoirs

By Julia Reischel
5/11/13 - 11:49 am

On Thursday, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced that it would allow boat rental businesses to store rental vessels directly on the banks of the NYC reservoirs. The policy change will make things easier for rental companies, which had to store their boats elsewhere last season and schlep them to and from the lakes for every paddler.

The DEP, working with the Catskill Watershed Corporation, has purchased storage racks to house 120 rental boats, but it's unclear how they will be split up between the reservoirs.

Read the full press release about the change below:

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ANNOUNCES PROGRAM FOR WATERSHED BUSINESSES TO STORE RENTAL KAYAKS AND CANOES AT NEW YORK CITY RESERVOIRS

Rental Boats Will be a Boost to Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Economy in Catskills Read more

This Weekend: Catskills Mother’s Day Events

By Anne Pyburn Craig
5/10/13 - 11:30 am

Above: Who says moms always have to be nice? The Kindred Spirits Steakhouse and Pub in Palenville is serving up a Naughty Mother’s Day Brunch featuring ribald songstress Lex Grey from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, May 12.

Whether it's affection or guilt that motivates you, odds are you're looking to spend quality time with Mom this weekend. Julia Ward Howe founded Mother’s Day on this continent in 1870, calling out for an international celebration of peace and motherhood. Before that, there was "Mothering Sunday" in England -- working class folk were given a day off to go see Mom, and they also took a day off from Lent. We may have largely lost the knack of matriarchy and Goddess worship, but if you’re looking for a way to celebrate yo’ mama, the Catskills have plenty of options lined up.

Here's our county-by-county guide to 2013 Mother's Day events in the Catskills.

DELAWARE COUNTY

The Annual Mother’s Day Wildflower Hike to Kelly Hollow is a four-mile ramble sponsored by the Catskill Mountain Club You’ll enjoy sparkling streams and an active beaver pond, and have a chance to experience spring ephemerals like violets and jack-in-the-pulpit. Participants will gather at the Old Schoolhouse 2.2 miles west of Margaretville at 10:30 on Sunday. There’s a limit of 20 people- call Howard Raab at 845.586.3112 for reservations.

Also in Margaretville, prep Mom for a season of gardening at gardenFest, a Main Street extravaganza of gardeners, food vendors, petting zoos, live music, and all things flowering and green on Saturday from 10am to 3pm.

Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch with Lindsey Webster and an awesome menu will be served up at the Andes Hotel in Andes between noon and 3pm.

At Catskills Escape in Franklin, Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday includes a Mandarin Souffle lovingly crafted of local eggs, organic citrus, and butter, and your table will be resplendent with a seasonal bouquet.

The Roxbury Arts Group has a very special treat lined up for Mother’s Day Eve. On Saturday night, the First Lady of Woodstock, folk-rock stunner Melanie, will perform with her son Beau Jarred Schekeryk in Roxbury.

At Tay Home in Andes, the mother-daughter chef team of Mary Elizabeth (mother) and Chef Nicole Roarke (daughter) will share recipes and stories from their cookbook "Cooking Across America" from 10am to 6pm on Sunday. Tastings and demos will abound.

GREENE COUNTY

Read more

Letter to the Editor: The Unprofitable Catskill Mountain Railroad Company, Inc.

By WP Newsroom
5/10/13 - 9:39 am

Dear Editor:

The Catskill Mountain Railroad Company, Inc. (CMRR) Is a for-profit company. It was organized in 1983 to make money for its owners. Its main asset was a lease of the rail line from Ulster County. The goal of the company, as I understand it, was to make money by running trains, both passenger and freight.

Like many start-up companies it has failed to realize the profitable dreams of its founders. And like many start-up companies, it appears that the CMRR was undercapitalized from the start. It never did make the investment in the road bed, capital equipment or marketing that would allow it to achieve what its investors hoped it would.

Also, like many start-up companies, Catskill Mountain Railroad Company, Inc. has depended on people working for little or no pay. It is not, and never has been, a non-profit working for the public good. Sometimes people work for stock in a start-up, hoping that someday the shares they were paid would soar the way Facebook did, or Google. Sometimes, like the boys who whitewashed Tom Sawyer’s fence, people work for no pay because they are playing not working. Read more