EXCERPT: THE CATSKILL PARK

BOOKSHELF:

THE CATSKILL PARK: INSIDE THE BLUE LINE

Given that the Catskill forest preserve is constitutionally protected as a collection of "forever wild" natural areas, with no timber harvesting or deliberate habitat alteration allowed, one might assume that there would be no need for any kind of management or stewardship of those lands once they are acquired —that they simply need to be left alone while nature is allowed to take her

course. Certainly one of the primary reasons for protecting the most mountainous lands in the state as forest preserve is to safeguard natural ecosystems and preserve whole landscapes where resources are not extracted and natural cycles may continue without interruption or disturbance. The forest preserve exists not only for the benefit of nature, however, but also for the benefit of people. The citizens of the state, who collectively own the forest preserve, demand access to these lands for outdoor recreation, nature study, and personal enjoyment and reflection.

There has been a long history of outdoor recreation in the Catskills. Long before the forest preserve was established, the mountains were filled with people who loved to fill their lungs with clean mountain air as they stretched their legs among the streams and forests. The great trout streams of the Catskills have always attracted fishermen from New York City and elsewhere, and for centuries people have turned to the hills for hunting game in the fall. Walking among the scenic areas of the mountains was a favorite pastime of the upscale clientele who stayed at the famous and numerous Catskill Mountain hotels during their heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After the forest preserve was created, the Catskills became home to the first hiking trail commissioned by the state (authorized in 1892), leading to the summit of the Catskills’ tallest peak—Slide Mountain. As the acreage of

the forest preserve increased over the years, and as the recovering and regenerating forests began to mature, the building of public trails and lean-tos also increased, as did the recreational use of these public lands. Hiking and outdoor clubs such as the Appalachian Mountain Club, the NY/NJ Trail Conference, and the Adirondack Mountain Club came

to the Catskills more and more for

recreation, and the Catskill 3500 Club formed to recognize those people who ventured to all of the highest peaks in the region. Today there are over three hundred miles of marked

foot trails in the Catskill Park, and these clubs often work with the state

land managers on trail maintenance projects and help make the Catskills a great place to hike and camp.

So, who determines what activities, recreational or otherwise, are allowed on forest preserve lands? Who determines which, how many, and where, human "improvements" such as hiking trails, horse trails, snowmobile trails, footbridges, kiosks, lean-tos, parking areas, campgrounds, and even ski areas might be allowed and built on forest preserve land to accommodate the public demand for recreational access and opportunity? Excerpt from The Catskill Park: Inside the Blue Line, published with permission from Black Dome Press.

The Catskill Park is a history of the Catskill Park (established 1904) and the Catskill Forest Preserve (established 1885). This region is one of the earliest experiments in environmental conservation in the United States, wherein wildlands coexist with private property within the blue line of the Catskill Park.

The Catskill Park: Inside the Blue

Line is illustrated with 32 pages of color photographs and more than 70 historical and

contemporary B&W photographs, and includes the Carpenter Report, an 1886 inventory of the Catskill Mountains, including its streams and rivers, game forests, and industry. It was originally published in 2004 and has just been reprinted.

The Catskill Park: Inside the Blue

Line is available from Black Dome

Press and local retailers including the Catskills Visitor Center.