BACKYARD INVASIVE: GIANT HOGWEED
REMEMBERING CATSKILLS BOTANICAL ART SHERRET CHASE VINTAGE RECIPE: CORN FRITTERS
FALL 2021
CONTENTS 4
WHAT’S NEW AT THE CATSKILL CENTER
6
FEATURED ARTIST: WENDY HOLLENDER
8
STEMMING THE TIDE OF GIANT HOGWEED
12
REMEMBERING SHERRET CHASE
22
VINTAGE RECIPE: CORN FRITTERS
26
COMMUNITY SCIENCE IN THE FALL
30
ENDNOTE
STAFF CONTRIBUTORS FALL 2021 JEFF SENTERMAN Jeff grew up spending weekends in the mountains, and when he’s not steering the ship that is the Catskill Center, can often be found atop a local peak. His column, EndNote, appears in each issue. Jeff is the Executive Director of the Catskill Center.
ALLISON DUNNE
Front Cover Image: Sherret Chase at the Catskill Center’s 50th Birthday event/Catskill Center Inside Cover Image: Wallkill Valley Rail Trail/Catskill Center
After a career in journalism, Allison joined the Catskill Center to tell stories in a different realm as the Communications Manager. She contributed the feature on Sherret Chase and is one of the magazine’s editors.
KELLI HUGGINS Kelli is an educator, historian, and native Catskillite. For this issue, she baked up corn fritters. Kelli is a Visitor Experience Coordinator at the Catskills Visitor Center. She also copy-edits the magazine.
SARAH MCGINNIS For this issue, Sarah handled the layout and graphic design work. Sarah is the Exhibit, Outreach and Marketing Coordinator for the Catskills Visitor Center.
DANIEL SNIDER-NERP Dan is the Field Projects Manager for the Catskill Center’s Catskills Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP). He contributed the piece on giant hogwood.
ABOUT US: Since 1969, the Catskill Center has protected and fostered the environmental, cultural, and economic well-being of 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.
Become a member at: catskillcenter.org/membership
43355 Route 28, Arkville, NY 12406 | cccd@catskillcenter.org | 845.586.2611
CATSKILL CENTER
3
WHAT’S NEW AT THE CATSKILL CENTER CATSKILLS VISITOR CENTER’S NEW EXHIBIT IS OPEN! Stop by to see our total interior transformation! The CVC is currently open daily from 9:30am - 4:00pm and is at the cab every weekend through Columbus Day. Please note: masks and social distancing are required on the property, regardless of vaccination status. Follow the CVC on social media for upcoming in-person and online events, trail conditions, and more!
OUR STAFF KEEPS GROWING! WE’RE SO EXCITED TO WELCOME ALLISON, DEAN, AND DANIELLE TO OUR TEAM. ALLISON DUNNE—Communications Manager After a career in both print and broadcast journalism, Allison joined the Catskill Center to tell stories in a different realm. Here she can combine her love of writing with an appreciation of viewing things from different vantage points. Allison has worked in financial journalism as well as for both commercial and public radio. Before landing at the Catskill Center, Allison could be heard on WAMC Northeast Public Radio as the station’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief and host/producer of a national show on women’s issues. Allison holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University with a concentration in English. In her free time, Allison enjoys competing in equestrian events, hiking, and stand-up paddleboarding. 4
FALL 2021
PHOTO: VISITORS BROWSING THE NEW EXHIBITS AT THE CATSKILLS VISITOR CENTER/CATSKILL CENTER
our Fire Tower Steward
DEAN KLINGLER—Donor Relations Manager After more than twenty years in the nonprofit arts space with nationally prominent organizations, Dean has made a professional pivot to the vital work of the Catskill Center’s mission to support and sustain the environmental, economic, and cultural life of the region. Dean became a part-time Ulster County resident in 2013, but in March 2020 grounded himself as a full-time Hudson Valley dweller and discovered a deep and reverential connection to the land that sheltered him and his family. Dean studied Literature and Photography at SUNY Purchase back when PHOTO: DEAN (L) AND DANIELLE (R)JOIN STAFF MEMBER LISA WACHTEL ON A RECENT STAFF DAY/CATSKILL CENTER
one routinely developed one’s own film and typed overheated treatises on canonical writers on a word processor. Dean and his partner Matt currently live in Bearsville, which, despite the name of the town, reveals disappointingly few actual bear sightings. DANIELLE TUCKER—Annual Giving Manager Danielle is a native of the Catskills region and cares deeply about preserving the area’s resources and history while simultaneously contributing to its growth and development. She came to the Catskill Center after spending several years working at a local community action agency. She has an educational background in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies from SUNY Oneonta. In her free time, Danielle enjoys gardening, birdwatching, kayaking, and designing modern quilts.
CATSKILL CENTER
5
ART PAGE: MARISA SCHEINFELD Tamarack Lodge, Greenfield Park, NY
FEATURED ARTIST: WENDY HOLLENDER WENDY HOLLENDER is a botanical artist, author, and instructor and leads workshops in many varied locations close to home and far away. She lives in Accord, NY nestled between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains where she loves to document plants throughout the growing season. Hollender’s illustrations have been published extensively throughout the world. She has exhibited in natural history museums and botanical institutes, including a solo exhibit at the US Botanic Garden. She recently exhibited at the Lockwood Gallery in Woodstock, NY as part of the Woodstock School of Art Instructors Exhibition. Wendy has four books on botanical drawing and co-published and illustrated Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi. Wendy graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1976 and began a career in botanical illustration after completing a certificate at the New York Botanical Garden in 1998. To see more of Wendy’s work, please visit: www.wendyhollender.com and www.drawbotanical.com AND LOOK FOR MORE OF WENDY’S BEAUTIFUL BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS FEATURED THROUGHOUT THIS ISSUE!
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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: CRISP
THE CATSKILL REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES PARTNERSHIP STEMMING THE TIDE OF GIANT HOGWEED The summer season has seen the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) team hiking through forests and streams to survey for and control giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), a high-priority invasive plant in the Catskills. One of CRISP’s hogweed sites sits along roughly two miles of
This year, four Catskill Center staff members visited this site — CRISP Coordinator John Thompson; CRISP Field Projects Manager Dan Snider-Nerp; and Strike Team members Skyler Susnick and Andrew Balogh. This site can have several satellite plants growing anywhere along the 2 miles of stream depending on where seeds have settled in past years. CRISP staff split into two teams, dividing the upstream and downstream portions of the infestation. The upstream team began the day by managing the “source population” – the largest population of giant hogweed at this site and source of the seeds that float downstream. When the source population was completely controlled, the upstream team began hiking south along the stream, surveying for satellite plants until the two teams met in the middle.
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FALL 2021
PHOTO: JOHN THOMPSON MANAGING GIANT HOGWEED IN ROSCOE, NY/CATSKILL CENTER
stream in Delaware County, which the team visits each year.
Management of this site can be tricky. Hiking through a rocky stream in rubber boots and a Tyvek suit (personal protective gear), while carrying a backpack, loppers, shovels, and occasionally a trash bag full of cut giant hogweed flowers is challenging in ideal conditions. Luckily, the heavy rain and thunderstorms from earlier in the week did not significantly impact the site visit, and after four years of consistent management, this infestation is now under fifteen percent of the size from when it was first discovered in 2017. Also over the summer, CRISP surveyed a former giant hogweed infestation in Sullivan County. Even though giant hogweed has not been found at this site in 2 years, consistent resurveying is critical. This year, the CRISP team controlled a single stem that was found on private property. It’s likely that yard work disturbed some seeds in the soil years after the bulk of the infestation had been removed. Giant hogweed seeds can stay viable for many years depending on soil quality, so revisiting and surveying old infestation sites is standard practice for every site the CRISP team manages. Giant hogweed first arrived in the U.S. from the Caucasus Mountains region PHOTO: GIANT HOGWEED REGROWTH IN FORESTBURGH, NY/CATSKILL CENTER
(between the Black and Caspian Seas)
as
an
ornamental
garden plant treasured for its impressively
large
flowers,
which can grow nearly three feet in width. It unfortunately escaped
from
intentional
cultivation and is now spreading in the wild in some areas of the Northeastern Though
giant
United
States.
hogweed
is
present in our region, there are only a few known populations, all of which are monitored and managed. Giant hogweed grows vigorously in many of the same areas that other common
CATSKILL CENTER
9
invasive plants enjoy – abandoned fields, pastures, roadsides, and stream sides. It flourishes in full sun but will grow in partial shade as well, and it produces a prolific amount of seeds. Hogweed can be identified by its large, deeply incised leaves (up to five feet wide), large growth habit (up to twelve feet tall), and coarse white hairs and deep purple splotches up and down its otherwise bright green stem. Giant hogweed stands out for more reasons than just its striking size and appearance; it can also be dangerous to the unaware. Hogweed plants contain in exposed skin. Exposed skin becomes extremely sensitive to the sun, which can lead to severe burns. To limit exposure, when CRISP staff manage giant hogweed, they wear full-body protective gear (Tyvek suits), eye protection, gloves, and rubber boots.
If you think you have been exposed to giant hogweed sap, wash the area with soap and water as quickly as possible, and keep it covered with long sleeves or pants for 48 hours. If a burn develops, talk with your doctor. If you think you have seen giant hogweed on your property in the greater Catskills area, take a picture without getting too close, and contact CRISP Field Projects Manager Dan Snider-Nerp at dsnider-nerp@catskillcenter.org. CRISP staff will manage any giant hogweed plants in the Catskills region, at no cost. NEED HELP identifying a plant? Tag us on Instagram @CatskillCenter 10
FALL 2021
PHOTO: CRISP STAFF MEMBERS (L-R) DAN SNIDER-NERP, JOHN THOMPSON, AND SKYLER SUSNICK/CATSKILL CENTER OPPOSITE PAGE: ILLUSTRATION BY WENDY HOLLENDER
chemicals in their sap, called furanocoumarins, which can cause phototoxicity
CATSKILL CENTER
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MEMORIES AND MUSINGS ON SHERRET CHASE CHASE
Catskills were home base. Childhood
SPENT MOST OF LIFE ADVOCATING
exploration had borne a deep interest
FOR
CO-
in botany and forestry, which he
FOUNDED THE CATSKILL CENTER
studied at Yale, Cornell, and Harvard,
FOR
AND
conducting research in the field
DEVELOPMENT. CHASE PASSED
of genetics and the hybridization
AWAY IN JUNE AT HIS HOME IN
of maize (corn). Sherret Chase’s
ASHOKAN AT AGE 102.
groundbreaking work in “doubled
SHERRET THE
SPAULDING CATSKILLS.
HE
CONSERVATION
haploids”
has
Chase’s roots in the region first
corn
took hold when his Aunt Carmelita
improvement of other field crops,
Hinton, his father’s sister, hiked
and has high economic value in the
through
field of agribusiness.
the
Woodstock
Valley
breeding,
revolutionized facilitated
the
PHOTO: SHERRET CHASE/HEATHER PHELPS-LIPTON
in 1920 and discovered a nearabandoned farm - the Winchell
Under
Chase’s
leadership,
the
farm. Chase’s grandparents bought
Catskill Center focused then - as it
it, and his family began trekking
does today - on the Catskill region.
200 miles in a Model T Ford from
It set twin goals of conservation and
Wayne, Pennsylvania to the Ashokan
development. “Those two ideas may
farmstead every summer and holiday.
have seemed antithetical to some,”
His deep kinship with the Catskills
Chase said, but the goal was to use
began with those pilgrimages.
the two principles together to protect against “mis-development” of the
By 1933, Chase’s immediate family
pristine Catskill region. The goal was
were full-time residents of Olive,
that ideas of conservation would
in the homestead on Ticeteneyck.
guide appropriate development.
All through high school, college, and graduate school - interrupted
- Excerpt from “Natural Resources:
by three years’ service in the Army
50 Stewards of the Catskills”
Air Corps during World War II - the CATSKILL CENTER
13
CATSKILL CENTER BOARD CHAIR
Ginsberg, and Joseph Aronson Sr.,
MARGARET (PEG) DIBENEDETTO
they laid the groundwork to launch
Sherret Chase wrote a paper during
the Catskill Center for Conservation
his fellowship at Harvard University
and Development (CCCD).
entitled “The Catskills: Past, Present, Potential.” He foresaw the possibility
I grew up occasionally answering
of the worst case scenario for
the phone for my mom and on the
the Catskill Mountains - natural
other end could be any of these
resources ripe for plundering, with
giants of whom my 13-year-old self
no one minding the hen house. He
knew nothing, but I still remember
also saw the plight of the economy
the voices and the fiery discourse
of mountain communities with few
and the passion they all had in the
opportunities to turn their fortunes.
furtherance of their cause. I was
Former U.S. Ambassador Kingdon
on the periphery of this roiling, as
Gould reached out to Sherret after
yet unformed organism they were
reading the essay, and together
birthing, but I understood that
with Armand Erpf, they formed a
something important was happening.
band of champions for the region.
Fast forward 50 years. CCCD board
With advisors such as Alf Evers, Bill
and staff not only wielded weighty
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FALL 2021
PHOTO: SHERRET CHASE AT THE FALL GALA 2018 WITH (L-R) JEFF SENTERMAN, PEG DIBENEDETTO, AND HELEN CHASE/CATSKILL CENTER
THOSE WHO WORKED WITH CHASE HAVE BEEN REMINISCING ABOUT THEIR WORK WITH HIM OR THE TIMES THEIR PATH CROSSED WITH HIS, AND WE ASKED A FEW TO SHARE THEIR MEMORIES HERE.
decisions and influence to rebuff
was there. Also, Sherry had been
poor political proposals on state and
a navigator on a bomber in WWII,
local levels, but also discouraged
and my mom had flown all sorts of
poor practices by individuals and
aircraft in WWII, so they really had
businesses, and advocated for proper
that in common. Sherry’s wife Kenny
conservation measures.
and my mom also got along very well, so there was a natural extension of
Local economies of the Catskill
family friendships. I knew Helen’s
mountains
by
younger sister Alice better than I
embracing tourism as an economic
knew Helen, but Helen and I renewed
driver.
was
our friendship when I joined the
without
Catskill Center Board some seven
PHOTO: SHERRET CHASE WITH MAURICE HINCHEY AND HELEN CHASE/COURTESY OF HELEN CHASE
to
had
However,
encourage
benefited the
trick
tourism
overstretching the natural treasure.
years ago.
Ever
the
Sherret, as I said, was ever the
scientist, Sherret, or Sherry as many
the
gentleman,
ever
scientist. I’m not sure if he was
called him, seemed larger than life in
a realist or an optimist, but one
both height and demeanor. He was
instance illustrates his exceptionally
polite in conversation but was always
good disposition, and willingness to
itching for some farm talk. What
turn his wit to any situation. At some
about the corn? The genetics??!!
point, I mentioned I was on my way
He and my mom got on so well
to Puerto Rico —either my family was
because she’d farmed with my dad
going on vacation, or I was going to
for 25 years so the agriculture link
work with farmers after Hurricane
CATSKILL CENTER
15
Maria. Sherret and I had a five-month conversation about Puerto Rico. Sherret had been there many years before, doing research on maize. He talked with a distant mistyeyed fondness of the food, and the would I be in the same area he’d worked in, and perhaps the family was still around. Our conversations meandered, and finally I asked why he’d been there doing research for three years.
Sherret replied that
he’d been trying to develop a strain of maize that could grow in Puerto
I hope Sherret was pleased with the
Rico’s hot climate.
Catskill Center 50 years on. I hope it had realized the potential he’d
In an amused, raspy voice, he said, “We
imagined, the result he’d anticipated.
tried for three years. We kept trying.”
I hope it continues to do the work he
“Were you successful?” I asked.
began.
“No,” he said, “but we learned something very important.” “What was that?” I asked. And with even
CATSKILL CENTER’S FIRST FULL-
more amusement in his voice and
TIME DIRECTOR, PETER BORRELLI
a twinkle in his eye, he said, “We
Peter
learned that you can’t grow corn in
Center’s first full-time director, hired
Puerto Rico!”
in 1973. He recently recalled an act
Borrelli
was
the
Catskill
of preservation and Sherret Chase’s No disappointment in three years
enthusiasm
of work with nothing to show for it.
Center’s involvement in the sale of
Ever the scientist. The result you get,
the Thomas Cole house in Catskill.
whether anticipated or not, is still an
(Borrelli says Chase had recalled the
answer, and thus, worthwhile.
matter shortly before his passing.)
16
FALL 2021
about
the
Catskill
PHOTO: SHERRET CHASE WITH HIS HONORARY DOCTOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE FROM NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY/DION OGUST
generosity of his host family, and
PHOTO: SHERRET CHASE RECEIVING AN AWARD AT THE CATSKILL CENTER SUMMER GATHERING IN 2013/HELEN CHASE
The Cole house had gone from a Cole
Center was more of a catalyst and
descendant to the Catskill Center,
enabler in those days. He recalls
which tried to have the home and
Chase once saying that there were
studio of the founder of the Hudson
limits to what we could do, but no
River School of American painting
limits to the useful purposes we
turned into a state or national
might serve.
historic site. The Catskill Center ended up selling the site to two New
Borrelli also recalls the Catskill
York City art collectors who formed
Forum, which afforded an academic
the Thomas Cole Foundation under
approach to the region. He says
the Catskill Center’s direction.
Chase’s point of view was that we couldn’t do everything but there isn’t
In 1998, the collectors sold the house
anything we shouldn’t be interested
to the Greene County Historical
in. “Though he was a scientist,
Society, which held it until the
advocacy was something Sherry
federal
believed in very strongly,” Borrelli
government
stepped
up
with help from U.S. Senator Charles
says.
Schumer. The property became a National Historic Site in 1999. Borrelli
Borrelli says Chase did not presume
says it was the Catskill Center that
to know the answers; he was always
ultimately saved the day, and the
still learning. And he echoes what CATSKILL CENTER
17
many who knew Chase have said:
at the time of that hike in the ‘70s.
Sherry operated on many different
He also spent time collecting twigs
levels, able to bring together people of
and leaves from various trees—oaks,
diverse backgrounds. “He was able to
hickories,
get people with different viewpoints
Tonshi and Little Tonshi Mountains.
and positions in life concerned,” said
In fact, Kudish says he recalls at
Borrelli. Borrelli described Chase
least three field trips from the Chase
as soft spoken and selfless, urging
house.
and
more—on
nearby
people to consider other views. During our hike in early August, 2021, Kudish pointed out different CATSKILL CENTER MEMBER
trees, including a few chestnuts. He
MICHAEL KUDISH
then told me about Chase’s work on
Author,
researcher,
professor
Michael
and
retired
Kudish
restoring the American Chestnut tree
has
after a blight fungus took out the
dedicated his life to studying the
Northeastern population more than
history of the Catskill forest. His book
a century ago.
of the most comprehensive natural
Chase, who studied tree breeding,
histories of the Catskills ever written.
genetics, and reproductive forest
He also happens to be a Catskill
tree biology, encouraged work being
Center member and keeper of several
done to develop a resistant strain
stories involving Sherret Chase.
of the American Chestnut tree. One
Kudish relayed his memories to the
method, tested at the SUNY College
Catskill Center’s Communications
of
Manager Allison Dunne.
Forestry, uses a transgenic American
Environmental
Science
and
Chestnut tree with a single gene I had the fortune of hearing some of
of oxidase oxalate (OsO), which
the stories as Kudish and I hiked up
is found naturally in wheat and
the very mountain he and Chase had
other plants. This is the promising
climbed in the 1970s - Ticeteneyck
parent to pollinate the traditional
(part of the Phoenicia-Mount Tobias
American Chestnut tree and will
Wild Forest), just a mile down the
result in a practically pure tree,
road from the Chase home. Kudish
except for the one gene from wheat.
was teaching at Paul Smith College
Another method uses Chinese blight-
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FALL 2021
PHOTO ON OPPOSITE PAGE: SHERRET CHASE/DION OGUST
“The Catskill Forest: A History” is one
resistant strains, but results in a less
and it was during this meeting that
pure American Chestnut tree. Kudish
Kudish excitedly dragged into the
called Chase a great scientist and
hotel’s ballroom a thicket of willow
geneticist.
shoots, rendering Kudish himself barely visible. He believes that upon
Along with a number of meetings,
showing the willow specimens in such
forums, and consultations about
grandeur, Chase was embarrassed.
various trees, there was, for Kudish,
“He didn’t want to mix the formality
a memorable, if not infamous,
of the meeting with the informality of
occurrence, also in the early 1970s.
the woods,” said Kudish.
Chase was involved in genetic studies on willow trees, on some half-
Kudish says Chase had the vision
a-dozen species, and Kudish lent a
to
hand, collecting willow branches for
Catskill Center for Conservation
these studies.
and Development) that would help
establish
a
nonprofit
(the
get people together in the region The Catskill 3500 Club was holding
to talk about those very issues—
a meeting in the (now former)
conservation and development—and
Governor Clinton Hotel in Kingston,
to be judicious about the latter.
"THIS TYPE OF ORGANIZATION ... WOULD GO FAR TOWARD ASSURING THE FUTURE OF THE CATSKILLS AS A PRODUCTIVE, HEALTHY, AESTHETICALLY PLEASING ECOSYSTEM OF WHICH WE HUMANS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART." — from The Catskills of New York, Past, Present, Potential by Sherret Chase, printed in American Forests magazine, August 1967 CATSKILL CENTER
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SHERRET SPAULDING CHASE LEGACY SOCIETY Sherret Spaulding Chase was the Founding President of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development after he, and a group of Catskills enthusiasts with a passion for the bright future of the region, founded the Catskill Center in 1969. Today, the Catskill Center works to protect both the environmental and economic well being of the Catskill region. This mission began with Chase when he determined the two were not contradictory goals; rather, they could work together by prioritizing conservation to foster beneficial development. This revelation is the foundation of Chase’s deeply-rooted Catskills legacy. Our hope in creating the Sherret Spaulding Chase Legacy Society is to allow you the same opportunity to leave your own philanthropic impact on the land you love. Legacy Society members are supporters who have included a gift to the Catskill Center through their estate plans. We urge anyone who has included the Catskill Center in their plans to let us know, so we can give you the opportunity to be honored by the Catskill Center and included in the Sherret Spaulding Chase Legacy Society’s membership.
Secure the health of the Catskills for generations. catskillcenter.org/plannedgiving
YOUR LEGACY THE FUTURE OF THE CATSKILLS 20
FALL 2021
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LAURELSIDE 3 LLC
ALPINE ENDEAVORS
LVDV OPERATIONS, INC
BLAIR COLLECTIBLES
MANHATTAN COUNTRY SCHOOL FARM
BREEZY HILL INN
MARGARETVILLE TELEPHONE COMPANY
BUGGED OUT
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CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC
NEW YORK CENTRAL MUTUAL FIRE
CORP.
INSURANCE COMPANY
CHAZEN ENGINEERING, LAND
PHOENICIA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
SURVEYING & LANDSCAPE
PHOENICIA LODGE
ARCHITECTURE CO., D.P.C.
PINE HILL TRAILWAYS
COLUMBIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
RED SQUARE DESIGN
COMMUNITY BANK N.A.
SAFECO ALARM SYSTEMS, INC.
COSMIK ICE CREAM
SCHWARTZBERG & KENYON PLLC
ERICKSON’S AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
SILVERHOLLOW AUDIO
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SLUITER AGENCY, INC.
FLOWING SPIRIT HEALING
SPRING GLEN MEADOWS, INC.
GATES VENTURES
TIMOTHY TAYLOR GALLERY
GREEN LABEL HOMES
TUTHILLTOWN SPIRITS DISTILLERY
HOOKED ON KZM
VLY MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER, INC.
HUDSON VALLEY APPRAISAL CORP.
WALNUT GROVE FARM
HUDSON VALLEY ENGINEERING PC
WIEDENKELLER INSURANCE
HUNTER FOUNDATION, INC.
WOODSTOCK CHIMES FUND
IMMUNESHEIN, LLC
WOODSTOCK LAND CONSERVANCY
KAATERSKILL MARKET
ZEN MOUNTAIN MONASTERY, INC.
LAMONT ENGINEERS, PC
ZONE 4 LANDSCAPES LTD
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21
Vintage Recipe
CORN FRITTERS
KE LLI HUGG I N S As you drive through the Catskills in
You can experiment with flour; I tried
summer, you’ll see farm stands all
these with an all-purpose gluten-free
over with large signs proclaiming,
flour and they were great. I chose to
“Local Sweet Corn.” While most of us
lightly pan fry mine, but you could
probably eat this beloved seasonal
deep fry them or even experiment with
staple right off the cob, corn is a
baking them. Serve with the toppings
versatile ingredient. This recipe is a
of your choice; they work well with
very simple, classic local corn fritter,
both savory and sweet sauces, like
using fresh corn kernels instead of
spicy aiolis or maple syrup.
cornmeal. CORN FRITTERS (makes about 12) Catskill Center Founding President
3 ears of fresh corn
Sherret Chase was a plant geneticist
½ tsp salt
who worked on corn hybridization.
2 eggs
His work went beyond the lab and into
1 cup of flour, or enough to make a
local fields, including experimental
thick batter
trial plots at Shaul Farms in the
Enough oil to lightly pan fry
PHOTO: CORN FRITTERS/CATSKILL CENTER
Schoharie Valley. Shaul’s has long been one of my family’s favorite farm
Cut corn kernels from the cobs and
stands and, fittingly, it is where I got
mix in a bowl with the salt and eggs.
the corn to test out this recipe.
Add flour slowly, using enough to create a stiff batter that won’t spread
I’ve purposely left this recipe in its
in the pan. Drop tablespoons of batter
simple, original form, but I encourage
into the hot oil, preferably in a cast
you to experiment to make it your own.
iron pan. Be careful of potential oil
You can add additional vegetables or
splatters. Cook until golden brown on
spices and herbs to the filling if you
one side and then turn and brown the
like—jalapeños would add a nice
other side. Place cooked fritters on a
kick—as long as you make sure your
paper towel to remove any extra oil.
batter stays thick. A little baking
Serve with the sauce of your choice
powder can make your fritters lighter.
(see suggestions above). Enjoy! CATSKILL CENTER
23
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FALL 2021
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.
OPPOSITE PAGE: ILLUSTRATION BY WENDY HOLLENDER
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CATSKILL CENTER P.O. BOX 504 ARKVILLE, NY 12406 NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE
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MEMBERSHIP LEVEL $35 — Individual $50 — Dual / Family $25 — Senior/Student $100 — Partnering member $250 — Benefactor $500 — Leadership Circle $1000 — President’s Circle
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.
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MEMBER PACKAGE Members receive a membership package in the mail, including a member card and a Catskill Center cling sticker.
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CATSKILL CENTER
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FALL COMMUNITY SCIENCE: LOCAL RESOURCES BY ANN PETERS The benefits of community science opportunities for the Hudson Valley are numerous. One of the greatest personal and communal benefits is how these small acts of studying and helping nature connect us to the larger ecosystem of the Hudson Valley. This fall is the perfect time for such explorations. Hiking at local parks can introduce us to vernal pool locations near roadways in anticipation of “The Big Night” for amphibians in March/ April. Taking canoe trips on local waterways, even a guided tour with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) at Norrie Point, can introduce us to waterway wildlife and conservation concerns. These experiences give us a bigger picture of the importance of the glass eel migration that is monitored every spring. Volunteering with local environmental organizations such as Scenic Hudson or local land trusts and preserves for trail maintenance and invasive species studies teaches us to identify the flora and fauna around us and how they might be impacting native species of plants, animals, and insects.
Esopus Meadows Preserve, a Scenic
Hudson park, has a phenology trail that introduces and guides hikers through the Nature’s Notebook app, documenting seasonal changes. (www.scenichudson.org/our-work/environmental-education/ phenology/) 26
FALL 2021
For the past 18 months, COVID has made a big impact on environmental organizations’ volunteer efforts, studies, and calendars. It is a double-edged sword with more people visiting and appreciating local trails and parks, but trail maintenance efforts being cancelled due to COVID safety concerns. As more people are vaccinated and we have a better understanding of outdoor group safety protocols, local organizations have slowly started to put volunteer and exploratory events back on their calendar. A few to consider are: Scenic Hudson: www.scenichudson.org/get-involved/volunteer Kingston Land Trust: facebook.com/KingstonLandTrust/events Woodstock Land Conservancy: www.woodstocklandconservancy.org Ashokan Rail Trail: https://ashokanrailtrail.com/volunteer/ Local libraries are also planning canoe tours, and seine fishing with the DEC at Norrie Point, as well as hikes and other nature exploring adventures. Check your library’s calendar for events and ask about neighboring libraries
ALL PHOTOS BY ANN PETERS
libraries’ event calendars as well.
Environmental organizations have been utilizing everyone’s familiarity with Zoom, and are scheduling professional webinars on a variety of environmental conservation topics, that are open to the public and easily accessible. Joining the mailing list of the DEC website (https://www.dec. ny.gov/) is a great way to receive email updates on webinars and online CATSKILL CENTER
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training. Cornell University’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (https://hudson.dnr.cals.cornell.edu/events) has a special focus on Conservation Planning in the Hudson Valley and offers webinars for local municipality leaders and other planners. These webinars can be very specific to land use and planning topics but can give great insight into what our local environmental experts are recommending for navigating the ongoing human and environmental balance. A literary trend within the past decade are nature science books with autobiographical themes. Authors share their scientific, childhood, and ancestral experiences with citizen science topics such as amphibian migrations, eels, and Monarchs. I highly recommend the following books: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson The Last Butterflies by Nick Haddad Environmental History of the Hudson River by Robert E. Henshaw The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal Migration by Bernd Heinrich It is fun to look inside a microscope for specific environmental projects, but I encourage you all to look around and really explore our local habitat through a more macro lens. Go hiking, attend a lecture, read a book, join a mailing list, etc. Our efforts as volunteer scientists will be that much stronger, more helpful, and have a renewed passion as a result of a better understanding of the big picture and our role in helping our local environment. Ann Peters is an avid outdoor explorer, a Rover Scout and Otter Scout leader with the 91st Sojourners - BPSA, a homeschool mom to two kids, and a volunteer for the Catskill Center. This is part three of Ann’s series on community science in our local area—her previous pieces can be found in the spring and summer issues of Catskills magazine, available at catskillcenter.org/catskills-magazine.
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NEW ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
PHOTO: KELLI HUGGINS WITH A COLLECTION OF CATSKILLS-THEMED TITLES/CATSKILL CENTER
WEEKLY BOOKSTAGRAM FEATURE
Each Monday on the Catskills Visitor Center’s social media pages, Visitor Experience Coordinator Kelli Huggins will highlight a different book set in the Catskills. You can expect an eclectic mix of all genres—with a few surprises thrown in along the way—as well as info on local booksellers. Visit the CVC on Facebook (@CatskillsVisitorCenter) or Instagram (Catskills.Visitor.Center) to check it out! CATSKILL CENTER
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ENDNOTE — Remembering an Enduring Catskills Visionary
Before I ever thought I would be
that meeting, I was able to hear
leading the Catskill Center, and
firsthand about Sherret’s work
well before I learned its ins and
at the Catskill Center, along with
outs, I knew of Sherret Chase. I
stories from both Sherret and
had heard my father speak of
Helen about the role he played in
Sherret’s foresight in efforts to
the Catskills over the decades. I
protect the Catskills. I knew of
continued to see them at FPAC
Sherret’s endeavors to blend the
meetings and developed a deeper
goals of both conservation and
understanding of both Sherret’s
development
and Helen’s commitment to the
a
single
organization. I learned how Sherret
Catskills and the Catskill Center.
loomed large in the history of the Catskills and the Catskill Park.
I could also see the respect that Sherret had earned from his years
I first met Sherret, appropriately
of work in the region. The more
I believe, at a Forest Preserve
I
Advisory
involved
professionally
(FPAC)
in the Catskills, the more our
meeting where I was representing
paths interconnected. I became
another organization at the time.
a member of the Friends of the
He and his daughter, Helen Chase,
Catskill Interpretive Center, which
had invited the Committee to
Sherret led to keep alive the idea
hold a meeting at their house in
of an interpretive center for the
Olive in Ulster County, overlooking
Catskill Park. It was thanks to
the Ashokan Reservoir. As part of
Sherret’s leadership of this group,
30
Committee
was
FALL 2021
PHOTO: HELEN AND SHERRET CHASE/HEATHER PHELPS-LIPTON
within
and his close collaboration with
As evidenced by Catskill Center
Jim Infante, that we have the
archives,
Catskills Visitor Center in Mount
calm, dedicated, and determined
Tremper today. He brought people
attitude to his leadership. His type
together, just as he did when he
of leadership was responsible
founded the Catskill Center in 1969,
for
and kept them working together
that first created the Catskill
with a common purpose — to
Center;
ensure progress toward the goals
politics in such projects as the
of conservation and development.
proposed Belleayre development;
His strength in effecting such
and bringing the dream of an
collaboration
broad
interpretive center for the Catskill
spectrum is one I appreciate and
Park from idea to reality. When
believe I carry out today.
Sherret spoke, people not only in
across
a
the
Sherret
brought
meeting navigating
of
a
minds
challenging
the Catskill region but beyond When I arrived at the Catskill Center
listened. His years of knowledge,
in 2015, it was both a wonderful and
experimentation, and dedication
terrifying experience to know that
to preserving and advancing the
the founder was still active in the
needs of the Catskills region had
organization I was about to lead.
earned the public’s ear.
I had nothing to fear, though, as Sherret and Helen both welcomed
I
me with open arms, helped me
determination,
find my footing, grounded me
most of all, love of the Catskills.
in the collective history of the
Sherret was a visionary, and
organization,
volunteered
thanks to his advocacy for the
assistance
Catskills, we live in one of the most
their
services
and and
whenever I needed. It was amazing
will
miss
his
guidance,
dedication,
and
beautiful places on earth.
to read about something from the Catskill Center’s history, and be able to ask questions of the person who formed part of that history. And Helen serves as vice chair of our Board of Directors today.
JEFF SENTERMAN Catskill Center Executive Director CATSKILL CENTER
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FALL
2021
Catskills magazine is 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