A man died on Thursday, June 16 in the Sullivan County town of Bethel when a two-story apartment building caught fire, according to the New York State Police.
The fire, which fully engulfed a building located at 1240 Route 17B, possibly began in a downstairs apartment as a result of a cooking accident, police said in a press release.
The New York State Police are investigating the death of a 31-year-old Middleburgh man who died after being struck by a Schoharie County Sheriff's Office patrol car on Friday, June 17 while fleeing from the deputy on an unregistered dirt-bike motorcycle.
The man, Joshua C. Camp, was stopped on his dirt bike in the village of Middleburgh by a Schoharie County Sheriff's deputy driving a marked patrol car around 7 p.m. on Friday night, according to a press release from the New York State Police.
Above: The ruins of the Overlook Mountain House. Photo by Alan Via.
Trees growing in the ballroom? Porcupine teeth marks on the fuselage? In addition to scenic views and cascading waterfalls, many Catskills trails and roadways boast abandoned ruins and wrecks of times past. Hike, bike or drive past some of the more accessible abandoned places.
1. OVERLOOK MOUNTAIN HOUSE
The remains of the Overlook Mountain House on a Woodstock mountaintop offer dramatic photo opportunities. Two previous hotels occupied the site; both were destroyed by fire. Rebuilt in its concrete form, it was never completed. From Woodstock, take Route 212 to Rock City Road. Continue through the intersection. Mead’s Meadow Parking Area is two miles on the right. Hike 1.6 miles to the ruin. Note that the trail is extremely popular and parking is limited. If the parking area is full, try again in an hour or so. Be sure to carpool; leave additional vehicles in the municipal lot on Rock City Road.
Above: The stone foundations of Coykendall Lodge. Photo by Rebecca Andre.
2. ALDER LAKE AND COYKENDALL LODGE
Samuel D. Coykendall, railroad magnate, built the lodge and Alder Lake in 1899. The stone foundations of the lodge and some outbuildings remain. From Livingston Manor, turn right from Old Route 17 onto Beaverkill Road. Continue 12 miles. Turn left onto Alder Road Continue 2.2 miles; enter through the gate on the left. The ruins are on the left, immediately past the parking area.
3. STOPPEL POINT PLANE CRASH
Hiking to Stoppel Point on the Escarpment Trail, you can’t miss the 1983 wreck of a small private plane. It’s a long and challenging hike, so plan for a full day’s outing. Turn onto Route 18 from Route 23A in Haines Falls. Turn right on Schutt Road; right again into the parking area. Walk up Schutt Road and across Route 18 to find the Rock Shelter Trail. Follow to the Escarpment Trail (approximately two miles). 7.5 miles round trip.
Above: The wreckage of a cargo plane on Kaaterskill High Peak. Photo by Heather Rolland.
4. KAATERSKILL HIGH PEAK PLANE CRASH
Above: Director Tansy Michaud and cinematographer Adam Carboni shoot “Enjoy Your Intermission," a film about the Hi-Way Drive-In Theatre in the Greene County town of Coxsackie, in 2014. Photo by Philip Doueihi.
Officials have spent years trying to build up the Catskill region's appeal to the film industry. Now new legislation might make things a whole lot easier.
Above: Finkle Road in the Delaware County town of Andes. Photo by Denick Herrin, entered in the 2016 Catskills Outdoor Guide Photo Contest.
With the 2016 legislative session drawing to an end in Albany, state lawmakers are pushing for the creation of two land banks in the Adirondacks and Catskills which would allow the state to approve small public projects within the forest preserves without amending the New York State Constitution.
Above: Tim Cox shared this photo of a Flag Day observance at the American Legion in the Ulster County hamlet of Shokan on Tuesday, June 14 in the Watershed Post Flickr pool.
Above: A video clip of the meeting of the Walton Cemetery Association on June 6, shot by the Walton Reporter and posted on Facebook.
Above: A black bear in the Catskills. Photo by Rebecca Andre.
Spring in the Catskills is a breathtaking season of roaring waterfalls, eagles taking flight and pastures covered in blooming wildflowers—and, thanks to our resident black bear population, of overturned trash cans, destroyed bird feeders and dented vehicles.
In May, Region 4 of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which covers a portion of the Catskills, received dozens of complaints about bears, according to Joshua Choquette, a DEC wildlife technician. By May 23, the agency had received 54 complaints about bears from its nine counties, Choquette said.
The majority of the complaints the DEC receives each year are calls from homeowners reporting that their trash or bird feeder is being feasted upon by a local black bear, according to Choquette.
But about 20 percent of the calls each year are of a more serious nature, with a bear causing damage to vehicles, property or agriculture, he said.
Above: A black bear and a cub stop traffic in the Ulster County hamlet of Phoenicia around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8. Photo by Burr Hubbell.
Above: A donkey basketball game at Margaretville Central School in April 2015. Photo by Pauline Liu, via Facebook.
A once-popular fundraiser will not happen at Margaretville Central School this year.
Above: The logo for "Taking Flight: Birding in the Catskills."
For over a century, birdwatchers have come to the Catskills to enjoy the staggering variety of feathered species on display. This weekend’s “Taking Flight: Birding in the Catskills,” held at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, is tailor made for them in more ways than one.
