CATSKILLS PHOTO + WRITING CONTEST
WINNERS BUSINESS RESILIENCE IN THE CATSKILLS SAND TARTS SUFFRAGIST RECIPE STEWARDS IN THE TIME OF COVID
ISSUE 3 2020
CONTENTS 3
ODE TO ONTEORA
4
CONTRIBUTORS
6
RESTAURANT RESILIENCE
11
COMMON MERGANSER FAMILY
12
THE MARK PROJECT
14
KAATERSKILL FALLS — BLACK+WHITE
15
STEWARDS IN THE TIME OF COVID
20
A WILL LYTLE COLORING PAGE
22
BAKING FOR A CAUSE
25
EUREKA
30
A GARDENER’S GIFT
32
EXPLORING DIVERSITY IN THE CATSKILLS
33
SEPTEMBER
34
ENDNOTE
Cover Photo: Heather Phelps-Lipton
Writing Contest Winners CHILDREN / YOUNG ADULT CHARLOTTE A N N E S M I T H
ODE TO ONTEORA
O
h, Onteora the hills of the skies Your beauty fills my eyes. My favorite place to
gather with family and friends Your mountain roads with curves and bends. The lake full of fish, surrounded by trees The water, so cold, it takes ages to walk into, just to your knees! The flowers are breathtaking and smell so sweet The leaves on the forest floor crunch under your feet. Hike up to the top of the forest filled peaks, Go into the woods and play in the creeks. Oh, Onteora the hills of the skies Oh how the time there flies!
CONTRIBUTORS 2020 RESILIENCE
JEFF SENTERMAN Jeff is a Catskill native and when he’s not steering the ship that is the Catskill Center, can often be found atop a local peak. For this issue, he discusses the changing circumstances in the Catskills as a result of Covid-19 in his column, Endnote. Jeff is the Executive Director of the Catskill Center.
HEATHER PHELPS-LIPTON Heather edits, contributes to and designs the magazine. For this issue, she photographed the restaurant Brushlands in Bovina and test-baked and photographed a recipe for sand tarts. Heather is the Catskill Center’s Director of Communications.
KELLI HUGGINS Kelli is an educator, historian, and native Catskillite. For this issue, she contemporizes an old recipe for sand tarts. Kelli is a Visitor Experience Coordinator at the Catskills Visitor Center. She also copy-edits the magazine.
WILL LYTLE aka Thorneater Comics Will is a Catskills native comic artist and illustrator. Deeply influenced by the natural environment of the Catskills, Will tries to capture the form of magic they inspire. His beautiful drawing of the resilient beaver centers this issue.
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2020 RESILIENCE
ANDY MOSSEY Andy has a knack and a passion for speaking up for public lands. He’s the Stewardship & Advocacy Coordinator for the Catskill Center and shares the experience of the Catskills Stewards in this summer of heavy Catskills visitation.
FRANK SANCHEZ An early graduate of the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University in the 1960s, Frank has worked in Historic Preservation for over 50 years at numerous government agencies and non-profit organizations. In this issue, Frank shares with us a bit about growing up in the Catskills as a Puerto Rican kid.
JAMES CRONIN James Cronin is a writer and editor living with his partner in the woods of the Hudson Valley. For this issue, James explored Catskill businesses’ reactions to the pandemic .
NOELLE MARTIN Noelle helped compile this issue and in it chats with Peg Ellsworth, Executive Director of the MARK Project. She holds an M.A. in English from SUNY New Paltz.
ABOUT US: Since 1969, the Catskill Center has protected and
43355 State Highway 28
fostered the environmental, cultural and economic well-being of
Arkville, NY 12406
the Catskill region. Our mission is to ensure a bright future for the Catskills by preserving our environment, expanding our economy and celebrating our culture.
845.586.2611
Become a member at: catskillcenter.org/membership
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CATSKILL CENTER
5
JAMES CRO N I N
RESTAURANT RESILIENCE SUPPORT FOR NEIGHBORS DURING PANDEMIC ON DISPLAY
It was a difficult decision to make, but it didn’t take long once the pandemic was in full swing for Sohail and Sara Zandi to realize they would need to let their employees go from their Brushland Eating House restaurant in Bovina, NY. The husband and wife co-owners shut down their eatery in mid-March, a few days before the governor’s mandatory closure of restaurants would have required them to stop operating due to the quickly-spreading coronavirus. "It’s a small team that feels most like a family" instead of co-workers, Sara Zandi wrote in an email.
CATSKILL CENTER
7
Restaurant
the
small producers," he continued. "We
country could tell a similar story
owners
love to explain why our product is
of trying to stay afloat as COVID-19
wonderful and special. We love to
raced
landscape,
talk face to face. We want people to
once-thriving
know how special our area is and
across
shuttering
across
the
their
businesses.
how many great people do fantastic things around here. My business
It takes someone with a taste for
was missing its soul during this
a certain amount of risk to open
period."
a restaurant in the first place. As tragic as the loss of life and
The two-person Brushland crew
livelihoods has been, eatery owners
saw its own opportunity to pivot.
have made dramatic shifts in their
They knew the mass appeal and
business models to keep the doors
accessibility of barbeque fare would
open.
allow them a transition to a takeout menu, so they started focusing
At Roman Roaster Coffee in Delhi,NY,
fully on that soulful cuisine.
owner Andrea Ghersi watched as his friends and customers had to close
From Monday through Thursday,
down their own shops and eateries.
Sohail started smoking meats and braising greens alongside mixing
While so many restaurants were
creamy potato and pasta salads.
reeling from nonexistent dining-
The pair liked the idea of giving
in sales, the retail side of Ghersi’s
people the option of dining out while
business started to grow, especially
staying home, so to speak. And
online orders. This offered "a small
it scratched their itch of feeding
positive note during this strange
people with nourishing meals.
and isolated time," he wrote in an email.
"If there was one thing it seemed that people needed more than
"The
small
food, it was comfort," Sara wrote.
business owners in the Catskills
"Barbeque was both of those things,
aren’t motivated by revenue only
so we kept it up." The customers
– it is the human interaction that
at Brushland are primarily folks
makes us thrive as artisans and
that have eaten at the restaurant
8
reality
is
that
2020 RESILIENCE
we
before and live nearby or have a
the town organized a food delivery
vacation home in the area. However,
program
Sara thinks about a quarter of the
particularly vulnerable to the virus
current clientele are people "that
or couldn’t get food otherwise.
fled cities for fresh air."
Local restaurants that participated
for
people
who
were
include Woodnotes Grille, Phoenicia
PHOTOS: HEATHER PHELPS-LIPTON
Combined,
they
make
up
a
Diner, Brio’s Pizzeria, Peekamoose
recurring group that the Zandis get
Restaurant & Tap Room, Maeve’s,
to feed each week. "It’s really nice to
Catskill Rose, Phoenicia Market,
see the same faces, even through
Rocco’s and Woodstock Brewing.
cracked windows or from the top
Collectively,
of the steps, because it recreates
hundreds of meals three times a
that feeling that Brushland did, of
week over a three-month period..
they
delivered
community," Sara wrote. Support for community is strong in That sense of community has
the Catskills. People here identify
been on full display in Shandaken
deeply with the region’s natural
during
beauty, its cascading waterfalls and
lockdown.
the In
state-mandated conjunction
with
hemlock forests, its high peaks and
Ulster County’s Project Resilience,
deep cloves. They also hold local CATSKILL CENTER
9
businesses close to their hearts,
"If your business doesn’t require the
and do what they can to support
use of masks by all, then you put
them. It’s encouraging to know
your employees and customers at
that, even in such troubling times,
risk of becoming infected," she said.
people find a way to shine through the darkness.
Mason has been a longtime patron of local businesses, seeing it as
But as much as people have worked
an investment in her community.
to help one another through this
But now there are three businesses
dark
community
she no longer shops at because she
members have instead embraced
and her husband are at high risk of
division
dying if they are infected, she wrote.
time, by
some not
wearing
face
coverings. "Instead, I’ve bought what I need Diana Mason is a registered nurse
online, much to my dismay," Mason
and educator living in the hamlet
wrote. "I’ll do almost whatever I can
of Denver, NY. She has been startled
to keep buying local – but don’t ask
by some businesses which refuse
me to put my life in jeopardy for
to follow state COVID-19 guidelines,
your business."
by not wearing masks, not requiring customers to wear masks and
-JC
not providing social distancing in stores. Have you seen this fish? Irregular blotches
Pectoral Fin above Pelvic Fin
Long Anal Fin
THE NORTHERN SNAKEHEAD Snakeheads prey on and compete with other fish and could impact the Upper Delaware River watershed. Learn more at catskillinvasives.com/updates 10
2020 RESILIENCE
Archives 2020 Catskills Photo Contest FIRST CHOICE
KATHLEEN C O L L I G A N
COMMON MERGANSER FAMILY
NOELLE MART I N
THE MARK PROJECT IN THE DAYS OF COVID-19 A CONVERSATION WITH PEG ELLSWORTH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Could
you
briefly
describe
the
How has the COVID-19 pandemic
MARK Project’s mission and main
impacted
priorities right now?
mission? What is it that you
PE We’re a not-for-profit community
dropped? What is it that you
and
development
refocused on?
deals
PE We had several public programs
economic
organization housing,
that
business
mainstreet about
with
assistance,
revitalization—just
anything
that
needs
running:
the
MARK
Andes’
Project’s
mainstreet
project, two income eligible home
to
repair programs, several planning
happen in our communities we kind
projects, a couple more public
of step to the plate and take on.
benefit projects like pocket gardens and ample theaters, a first-time
Back in 2011 when the flood hit
homebuyers program, things like
[Tropical Storm Irene], we saw an
that, that just got shut down.
absolute immediate need and that was mirrored when we got word of
These shutdowns were for a number
COVID-19. So we kind of dropped
of reasons. Construction wasn’t
everything we were doing to address
permitted;
the immediate need at hand.
construction, because a lot of the
it
wasn’t
essential
projects were home improvements.
SOMETIMES THE OUTREACH TO FIND OUT WHO IS ACTUALLY SUFFERING AND IN NEED IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN WE ANTICIPATED.
12
RESILIENCE
We were able to continue on a few of the home repair projects, because health and safety issues were at stake; otherwise, we had to put the rest of the projects on hold.
Are they on hold indefinitely?
so you may think you’d hear that so
PE No, we picked them up again last
and so hasn’t had food for a week,
week.
but that’s not necessarily been the case.
How is the MARK Project reacting to this impact?
The flipside of that is we gained
PE We were a very close-knit staff
administrative fees from our public
and when all of a sudden we’re all
programs, so we were able to end this
operating remotely, and trying to
fiscal year in good, healthy shape;
stay connected, it’s been a challenge
but we don’t know what next year will
to bring us all back together again.
bring in the absence of being able to
We’re finally back in the office;
write grants for more programs that
we’re of course adhering to all of the
have administrative fees in them.
proper protocol, but there have been
It was a long conversation at our
some hurdles. And so it’s more about
board meeting on Monday, and there
reinventing how you maintain that
are ongoing conversations about
level of dedication and camaraderie
it. We’re moving forward, but we’re
as we move forward with our masks
cautiously optimistic.
on. How can folks best help to further What
are
your
organization’s
plans
for
future
the
the MARK Project’s cause at this
and
time?
to
PE markproject.org/donate. And we
achieving your mission in the world
also welcome communication from
of COVID-19?
anyone willing to volunteer. We can’t
PE I think it just means that the
always put volunteers to work in a
mission gets broader and more
level that is safe and comfortable
diverse and continues to move the
for them. But we have an eight-unit
region forward in a safe and careful
affordable housing for seniors that
manner.
sometimes just needs a phone
reimagining
your
approach
call to see if they’re doing okay— Sometimes the outreach to find
things like that tend to fall on the
out who is actually suffering and
back burner when we’re doing relief
in need is more difficult than we
efforts.
anticipated. We live in a small town, CATSKILL CENTER
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Archives 2020 Catskills Photo Contest PUBLIC CHOICE WINNER STEVE AARON
KAATERSKILL FALLS — BLACK AND WHITE
ANDY MOSSEY
STEWARDS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 While cities and the world economy
more people than ever are getting
have slowed to a bare creep due to
outside. The COVID-19 pandemic
the COVID-19 pandemic, nature has
has forced us all to change our daily
prevailed. Those who seek solace
behaviors in an effort to protect not
in the natural world have turned to
only ourselves, but others and those
their favorite trails in hopes to take
we love. When we turn to recreation
a break from the long lines at the
in the woods and wilderness, are
grocery store and confronting the
we
new reality of watching our favorite
behaviors on the trail with us? And
businesses shutter their doors for a
when we finally get outside, are we
seemingly indefinite period of time.
doing our part to help care for the
taking
those
newly-learned
natural resources that are fulfilling
IT’S NO WONDER WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TURNING TO NATURE NOW. NATURE IS ALWAYS HERE FOR US AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE HERE FOR US. When we feel sad, down, or are becoming stir crazy, nature is ready to receive us and fill our psyche with endorphins and our noses with the beautiful fragrance of fresh blossoms. For decades the Catskills have been a refuge of nature; and in 2020, due to our current circumstances,
our needs? As the Catskill Stewards roll into the 2020 season, we are taking some of the lessons we have learned from the past two seasons and applying them to this new reality. The Catskill Center’s Stewards are focused on outreach; we are regularly speaking with a great number of people— over 70,000 to date. So what are we to do when being socially distant? What is the definition of socially responsible? How are we to protect our precious natural resources if we cannot speak with our Catskill Park visitors? CATSKILL CENTER
15
Personal Protective Equipment
We need our visitors in the Catskills.
(PPE) is implicit, but our stewards
We need each visitor to recreate
are expanding their caution. Just
responsibly and visit thoughtfully.
a few of our protocols include:
The Catskill Stewards Program gives
sanitizing, keeping our equipment
all people a baseline of information
spotless and disinfected, and
and skills to work with. Catskill
keeping socially distant. As
Stewards encourage people to think
stewards we pride ourselves on
about their footsteps, cumulative
being able to connect with visitors
impacts, and individual choices
in an effort to help people feel
while in the woods.
more comfortable while we share our priceless information about responsible recreation and natural resource protection. This is a unique moment in time when we must smile with our eyes and navigate stewarding with masks. Fortunately with thoughtful precautions, we can keep a responsible distance while still communicating the Catskill Stewards mission.
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2020 RESILIENCE
For the foreseeable future, our natural resources and human resources are at equal risk. The choices people make for recreation will have a ripple effect on
the
communities
and resources available throughout the Catskill Park region.
ACROSS THE STATE, MANY FOREST RANGERS HAVE BEEN PULLED FROM THE WOODS TO HELP ADMINISTER COVID-19 TESTING FACILITIES. THIS MEANS OUR WILD SPACES HAVE FEWER CARETAKERS THAN EVER TO RESPOND TO MORE VISITORS THAN EVER. As parts of the economy begin to open and each of us begin to wander a bit further from home, all of us at the Catskill Center
ask
choose
to
that
you
recreate
responsibly. #RecreateResponsibly is more than an ask, it is a movement among outdoor enthusiasts and organizations during the time of COVID-19. Join us and help us care for the vitality of the Catskills. -AM
CATSKILL CENTER
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Your tax-deductible donation supports healthy ecosystems and vibrant communities throughout the Catskill region. Catskillcenter.org/membership Or complete this form and mail to:
Become a Member Individual ($35) Dual / Family ($50) Senior/Student ($25) BENEFITS INCLUDE SUBSCRIPTION to the Catskill Center’s quarterly Catskills magazine with news from the Catskill Center and across the Catskill Region. 10% DISCOUNT on purchases at the Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center, all Catskill Center facilities and Campmor in Paramus, NJ with presentation of member card.
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MEMBER ONLY INVITATIONS to the Annual Gathering, lectures and special events. MEMBER PROGRAM SERIES ACCESS TO THE CATSKILL CENTER ARCHIVES at the Erpf Center in Arkville. Please contact the Catskill Center to schedule an appointment. MEMBER PACKAGE Members receive a membership package in the mail, including a member card and Catskill Center cling sticker.
ZIP
AMOUNT CARD # EXPIRATION CVC
Member Snapshot GLEN FAULKNER MEMBER SINCE 2014 "As a life-long resident of the region, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found employment opportunities which have allowed me to remain in these amazing Catskill Mountains and enjoy all of its lifestyle benefits. "Representing the fourth generation living in the New Kingston Valley, I have experienced growing up in a time when dairy farming was still at its peak and learn from the seasoned old-timers who appreciated and depended upon the land. "During my lifetime, many family dairy farms have ceased operation due to the inability to sustain operations for workforce and financial reasons. Subsequently, there has been a transition from the "seasoned" life-time residents to a new generation drawn to the Catskills seeking the opportunity for a healthier lifestyle, enjoyment of its natural beauty, interest in locally-sourced food supply, and general PHOTO:HEATHER PHELPS-LIPTON
enjoyment of the fresh Catskill Mountain air & wide-open spaces. "This new generation’s heartfelt desire to adopt these lifestyle attributes has opened my eyes and renewed my appreciation (too often taken for granted) to the benefits the region offers." READ MORE ABOUT GLEN FAULKNER’S REASONS FOR BEING A CATSKILL CENTER MEMBER AT CATSKILLCENTER.ORG/BLOG/GLENFAULKNER CATSKILL CENTER
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A WILL LYTL E C O L O R I N G P A G E Download a high-res pdf to print and color at bit.ly/beavercoloringpage
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2020 RESILIENCE
BUSINESS MEMBERS MARGARETVILLE TELEPHONE CO. SPOTTED DOG VENTURES, INC. FOXFIRE MOUNTAIN HOUSE WOODSTOCK CHIMES FUND PART 2 EVENTS LAMONT ENGINEERS, PC PRICE CHOPPER NBT BANK SLUITER AGENCY, INC. COLDWELL BANKER TIMBERLAND PROPERTIES PINE HILL TRAILWAYS SAFECO ALARM SYSTEMS, INC. BREAD ALONE BAKERY CAMPMOR CENTRAL CATSKILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SPILLIAN
Thank you for your support. We would like to recognize these businesses for their generosity to the Catskill Center. When you conduct business with them, you support the entire Catskill region.
CATSKILL CENTER
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Vintage Recipe
BAKING FOR A CAUSE K ELLI HUG G I N S 2020 MARKS THE CENTENNIAL OF WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE IN THE UNITED STATES. FOR DECADES, BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1800S, GROUPS OF CATSKILLS WOMEN ORGANIZED AND FOUGHT FOR THE VOTE.
A
t
Catskills
Dealt that blow, suffragists reorganized.
suffragists were met with
each
step,
A statewide vote on the suffrage issue
resistance,
set
in 1915 was the next real chance to win
backs, and disappointment. Still,
rights. Women fought back, mobilizing
they carried on. If we are to talk
the “traditional” and “feminine” skills
of resilience, you would be hard-
they had, including baking. The Delhi
pressed to find more persistent
Equal Suffrage Club held bake sale
people.
fundraisers in 1914 and 1915 to support
ridicule,
their club activities.
PHOTO: HEATHER PHELPS-LIPTON
They worked hard to convince their families, friends, and neighbors that
The Delhi suffragists weren’t the only
women should have the right to vote.
resistance bakers. The first American
Leading up to the 1894 New York State
suffrage cookbook was published in
Constitutional Convention, suffragists
1886 and others followed. The Suffrage
held rallies in every county in the state
Cook Book, released in 1915, was filled with
and the Catskills meetings were well-
serious and satirical recipes from leading
attended. Still, the opposition was
suffragists. Among the contributors was
greater and the Convention struck the
national suffrage leader Carrie Chapman
measure down.
Catt, who spoke in Delhi in 1915.
CATSKILL CENTER
23
SUFFRAGE SAND TARTS While the 1915 vote failed across the state (voters in the four counties of the Catskill Park—Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster—all resoundly voted against suffrage), suffragists continued their work. Ultimately, the vote for women’s suffrage succeeded in New York in 1917. National women’s suffrage was to follow. Food can be political, which is something Catskills
suffragists
recognized.
If
they were expected to be in charge of the kitchen, they could use that to their advantage. Sometimes the best strategies come from the least expected places. This recipe is modified from The Suffrage Cook Book. Read the book in its entirety at bit.ly/Suffrage_Cookbook
1 cup light brown sugar 3/4 cups softened butter 2 cups flour 1 egg Splash of milk Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, and egg. Add just enough milk to form a firm ball. Wrap dough and chill. When chilled, roll the dough out very thin (1/8th of an inch). Roll between wax or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Cut out shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. You can brush with egg whites and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you like Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8-10
-KH
minutes or until golden and crisp.
I imagine these cookies gracing a suff sale table sitting in front of women try change people’s minds through their s 24
RESILIENCE
Writing Contest Winners POETRY
JOSHUA KI E R N A N
EUREKA
uffrage bake trying to ir stomachs.
Eureka was a town crucified for a city Reclaimed for the Rondout and buried in the flood there’s no trace of it now not even a chimney for a periscope. But I imagine it. I imagine its clapboard houses and the stone grey gristmill with its water wheel licking the creek. The farm boys tapped maple for the sugar house and the old wooden bridge creaked hauling lumber and hay on its back, and the moonlighting blacksmith who pulled teeth for a quarter. I imagine its sounds, the whistle of Wood Thrush and Warbler the crunch of the Autumn leaves, how Fall makes a grave for itself, and the crackle of burning wood In the reincarnation of Winter.
CATSKILL CENTER
25
I
imagine a spring emerging from a womb of mountainous rock,
the birth pangs of a river. I imagine the sound of two brooks merging into one and the ritual of ferns along its bank and the hawk’s call that echoes in the valley like rippling water, these songs of the Catskills. I imagine its meadows of Queen Anne’s Lace and Meadowsweet. I imagine reading Whitman by the fire and Supper talk about fly fishing and planting corn sweet as molasses. I see old relatives in the soft light of Summer’s end sitting around the long table a blueberry pie at its center.
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RESILIENCE
We circled it like the sun with each slice cut it looked more like the moon until there was darkness. I scraped the bottom for moon rocks. I imagine my days of cowboys and Indians ducking under the stone wall that marked our turf, jumping from rafters onto stacked hay in the red barn of my youth, I was once a snow-drift stuntman sledding down the happy hills of Lackawack and Sugarloaf. The table is empty now the old and young dead or dispersed across oceans of urban isolation, but the memories linger preserved in my mother’s jam jars. I stand in awe at the changing leaves the earth’s terrestrial rainbow that cover the hills like the rolling waves of a clapboard sea, the Catskills slumber under heaven’s quilt. I stand on the shore of the Reservoir ankle deep in mud and mulch, trees shedding their golden leaves to bear their winter coat. Memories whisper from the forest Eureka sleeps with the legends. CATSKILL CENTER
27
I wonder, was there a church was there a graveyard in Eureka with its residents now twice-buried? Did they move the dead with the living? And what of the trees birch, maple, oak and beech were they sacrificed in the fire? And what of the white-tailed deer Did they raise their white flag? We used to fly-fish the Beaverkill and Biscuit Brook by McKenley Hollow. Now I fish for lost Eureka my Atlantis, the Jesus of towns hanging on its soggy cross lamented by willows. The storm stirs up the sediment of trapped memory, the Brookies and Browns breach at dawn and dusk only to return to the deep where memories fade until they become fish bones. I don’t know if this sacrificial town was like my vision of Utopia. But I imagine it so.
Eureka was one of three towns in the Catskills reclaimed and destroyed in the 1940s to make way for the construction of the Rondout Reservoir, built to satisfy the growing demand for water from New York City. -JK 28  
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GET READY FOR A FABULOUS NIGHT IN. FALL GALA 2020 IS GOING TO BE A WHOLE NEW BOX OF TRICKS.
FALLGALA VIRTUAL
Saturday, October 24 7:00pm
CATSKILLCENTER.ORG/FALLGALA
CATSKILL CENTER
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Writing Contest Winners PERSONAL ESSAY KATHLEEN CO N K E Y
A GARDENER’S GIFT
M
y mother was a gardener.
perennials that didn’t come back,
An Army family, we moved
annuals that looked lonely when
across the country at
there were too few of them. And I
regular intervals—the old Rambler
remember she would always call
packed to the gills with four kids,
me for help: Run and get the hand
two
camping
hoe, Kathy; water that area I just
equipment to make it from old home
planted; Watch how you have to
to new home, coolers full of food,
spread the roots out when the
everyone’s clothes, toys, books, and
plants are root-bound. I’d watch
games for the long trip. And there,
from the front yard: as friends
tucked at my mother’s feet in the
passed on their bicycles, I was
front seat passenger side, were half
stuck helping my mother garden.
adults,
enough
a dozen or so plants pulled from the old home’s garden, potted up for the
When I bought a home in the
trip, destined for the new home’s
Catskills 25 years ago, the last
garden, a thousand miles away.
thing I wanted was to start a garden. No! I would spend my
I never understood it. It was hard,
time biking, hiking, exploring the
back-breaking work. It had to be
woods, birdwatching, anything but
done on its schedule, whether the
gardening. The place had some old
weather cooperated or not, and
peonies, two lilacs, a stand of day
the results, to my mind, were often
lilies. That was enough for me—no
less than aesthetic. A moonflower
need to muck around in the dirt.
there, a wilting rose bush there, 30
2020 RESILIENCE
The very first day I was at my
but it is the camaraderie and
Catskills house, my nearest
love of the good people of the
neighbor came to introduce
Catskills who helped me build
himself, bringing fresh honey
these gardens—so gracious, so
from his own bees. He explained
welcoming, so generous—that I
that he and his partner did a lot of
most treasure about the Catskills.
gardening and the bees were good for pollination. A few days later his
-KC
partner brought a big box of herbs,
neighbor came to introduce herself,
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bearing a tray full of perennials she
For all sorts of Catskill goodness.
dug up from their garden, and said: "In case you want to start an herb garden. I needed to thin these out anyway." A few days later, another
had thinned from her garden, she said: "Just in case you have some spots to fill in around the house." Well, I couldn’t just let these gift plants die, could I? An herb garden might be nice... perennials don’t take that much work... there were some bare spots around the house... 25 years later, I have eight flower gardens, an herb garden, an orchard and a vegetable garden; many of the gardens started with gifts from neighbors and friends. Working in the gardens, I often laugh at how I tried to resist a hobby that is clearly in my blood, inherited from my mother. My gardens bring me great joy, CATSKILL CENTER
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GROWING UP IN THE CATSKILLS IN THE 1940S AND 50S SEEMED PERFECTLY NORMAL TO A CUBAN/PUERTO RICAN LIKE ME. Maybe it’s because the Catskills
by one vote!) Or maybe it’s because
were historically a multi-ethnic
I went to Onteora Central School
resort destination and accustomed
and married a classmate, Jane Todd,
to diversity. Maybe because my
whose parents and grandparents
parents fell in love—with each
grew
other and with the mountains—
Shandaken.
up
in
Fleischmanns
and
while vacationing at the Hispaniccatering
Hollywood
Hotel
in
Becoming an Historic Preservationist
Highmount in the late 1930s. Or
in the 1970s changed the way I looked
maybe it’s because Pine Hill, where
at the Catskills. All of a sudden I saw
they decided to settle in 1944, was
the buildings, the beauty of the tiny
such an accepting place.
hamlets, the relationship between the architecture and the history, in
My
the
a new way. Through my work, and
community, even though my father
through my service on the Catskill
never lost his Spanish accent
Center Board, I’m pleased to have
and my grandparents only spoke
had a small part in protecting that
Spanish. (In a way, that difference
heritage. The Catskills were good to
was even celebrated; one year my
me, and it’s one way I can return the
father ran for mayor and only lost
favor. - FS
32
family
fit
right
2020 RESILIENCE
into
PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK SANCHEZ, HERE SHOWN IN THE FOURTH GRADE WITH HIS FUTURE WIFE STANDING NEXT TO HIM.
Exploring Diversity in the Catskills with Frank Sanchez
Archives 2020 Catskills Photo Contest THIRD PRIZE KELLY SIN C L A I R
SEPTEMBER
Planned Giving. Secure the health of the Catskills for generations. catskillcenter.org/plannedgiving
YOUR LEGACY
THE FUTURE OF THE CATSKILLS
Endnote The COVID-19 pandemic has tested
The sheer number of people coming,
the strength of us as individuals and
in the midst of a pandemic, has made
of the Catskills as a whole. As we
it hard to provide the unique mix of
have done historically, once again,
greetings and education that are so
we have risen to the challenge and
central to the success of our Stewards
have found ways to continue our work.
program. While our Stewards have
It hasn’t been easy, but it has been
experienced challenges, we’ve been
inspiring to witness the resilience of
able to continue efforts to greet and
our community. Here at the Catskill
educate visitors at these sites so
Center, the way we work has changed
they are better equipped to recreate
dramatically, but our commitment
responsibly in the Catskill Park.
to the Catskills remains steadfast. We now work remotely across the
High levels of use are evident
region, hold virtual events, have found
throughout the entirety of the Park
creative ways to re-open the Catskills
from trailheads to mountain peaks.
Visitor Center, and have equipped our
Parking areas that previously only
Catskills Stewards to continue their
filled on a holiday weekend now
work safely and effectively. We have
overflow on weekdays. Routes up trailless peaks where it used to
COVID-19 HAS INTRODUCED UNANTICIPATED CHALLENGES TO
THE
CATSKILL
PARK
THAT WE MUST NOW WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE. seen visitorship increase dramatically across the Park, but most significantly at the locations that were already popular, like Kaaterskill Falls and Peekamoose Blue Hole.
34
2020 RESILIENCE
be difficult to see any evidence of humans are now so worn that the soils and vegetation have been significantly impacted. Over the past several years, a steady increase in the number of visitors has been evident. That increasing use has been a main driver for the advocacy work of the Catskill Center and our efforts to lead the Catskill Park Coalition -- ensuring that the Park receives resources to manage
the level of use we are experiencing,
At the Catskill Center we’ve found
as well as future levels.
ways to overcome some of these challenges, such as providing visitors
What does still surprise us is just how
services at the Catskills Visitor Center
fast the growth has happened in 2020.
through a walk-up window and
We have to imagine that many who
properly equipping our Stewards to
had not previously considered outdoor
be out in the field, but these are all
recreation are turning to it in light of
temporary measures. The Town of
the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack
Hunter has changed their parking
of other options for exploration and
policies and begun towing cars that
wellness. These new visitors represent
park in no parking areas, and we
an incredibly diverse spectrum of
imagine other towns with congested
people who have not traditionally
trailheads may soon follow suit. As we
enjoyed the great outdoors, and as an
work through the rest of this season,
organization that prioritizes making
we must remain flexible and open
the outdoors more accessible, we are
to new ideas, and remember that
glad to see this change. But how can
we are all working together toward a
we welcome so many new explorers
common goal: to be able to both enjoy
and the much-needed boost to local
and protect our beautiful Catskill
tourism that they bring while still
Park.
continuing to protect the Park, keep our communities healthy, and grow
As a member of the Catskill Center
our economy?
you have already taken an important step in contributing to our work to
In addition to likely being responsible
protect the Catskill Mountains. In
for this recent spike in Park use,
this extraordinary time, as we enter
COVID-19 also makes responding to it
truly uncharted territory, we offer our
far more challenging. Solutions that
sincerest gratitude for your ongoing
could have worked pre-pandemic
support.
such as a shuttle service, increased guided tours and events, or expanded visitor services inside our visitor center are almost beyond imagination
JEFF SENTERMAN is the Executive
today.
Director of the Catskill Center.
CATSKILL CENTER
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RESILIENCE
Delivered directly to Catskill Center members.
A periodical celebrating New York State’s glorious Catskills.
PO Box 504 43355 State Highway 28 Arkville, NY 12406
The Catskill Center for Conservation & Development
