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.
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
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.
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.
('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
A burglary at the American Legion Post 950 in Shandaken and a car chase down Route 28 on Saturday ended with the arrest of a Dutchess County man, police say.
On Saturday, Shandaken police and New York State troopers responded to a burglar alarm at the American Legion hall at 1045 Old Route 28, and found that the hall had been burglarized.
According to a New York State Police statement, after arriving on the scene, police broadcast a description of a suspicious vehicle to responding officers. State troopers saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle on Route 28, and attempted to stop it. Driver Daniel P. Touhy fled eastbound on Route 28, pursued by troopers, and was taken into custody in Kingston.
Touhy, a 45-year-old resident of Lagrangeville, is charged with possession of stolen property in the third degree, unlawfully fleeing a police officer in the third degree, driving while intoxicated, and several traffic offenses. He was arraigned in Town of Hurley Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail without bail. Read more
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
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 inAndes, 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.
The other day I learned that Crossroad Ventures, the developers that have been proposing to build a golf course on a mountainside for about 15 years, are now proposing that the State owned Belleayre center purchase the former Highmount ski area, which Crossroads owns. The proposal envisions the Belleayre ski center improve lifts and trails on Highmount (at tax payers' expense), and the developers would construct additional ski lodges and housing facilities on their adjacent property. In effect, the development would enjoy easy access to the slopes on our dime, while divesting itself of property that doesn't figure into their resort footprint.
Needless to say, the asking price for the Highmount property is vastly more than the price paid by Crossroads for the long-neglected parcel a few years ago. Read more
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
