Explore The Catskill Water Discovery Center!

Come and discover the Catskill Water Discovery Center (CWDC) in Arkville, where the past, present and future are explored through the lens of the planet’s most precious resource, water.

The past comes to life through the Center’s anchor exhibit “Of Rivers and Reservoirs,” taking visitors back to the formation of the Catskills, where they can learn about its’ indigenous people, and chronicle New York City’s discovery and use of the Catskills to address a desperate need for water in a rapidly growing city. The exhibit captures the conflicts that ensued, memorializing the cost to mountain residents and communities in the loss of homes, businesses, and family legacies as towns were flooded to create the reservoir system that exists today.

Looking to the future, visitors will enjoy the remarkable talent of 2nd through 12th grade students from the New York City and watershed schools on display throughout the summer, as the CWDC exhibits the artistic expressions of prize-winning work from NYC DEP education department’s Water Resources Art and Poetry Contest.

Also this summer the CWDC is presenting “Discovering Water Through the Photographer’s Lens” at the Galli-Curci theater in Margaretville from August 3 through18. An artist reception will be held on August 3 and a closing celebration on August 17.

Soon-to-open trails of the East Branch Nature Preserve will tell the story of this region of the Catskills, highlighting the East Branch of the Delaware River and its uses by early Native American settlements, immigrant farmers and forest dependent industries. The Preserve’s interpretive signs will also inform visitors about native and invasive species and local wildlife and connect them to in depth information, some of which is already available on the organization’s website: waterdiscoverycenter.org/ nature-preserve. The short trails will be an easy walk for all ages. Check the website for updates.

Winter will bring children out of the cold and into the Center for the “Trash Art” program where imaginations turn recycled materials into spaceships and critters.

Looking forward, a series of talks in 2025, “The River Speaks Every Day,” will cover topics relevant to the organization’s mission of providing “a living classroom” to visitors. Learning walks in the East Branch Nature Preserve will focus on different aspects of the Preserve’s ecology and its representation of the region.

The CWDC is located at 669 Highway 38 in Arkville. Visit the CWDC website at waterdiscoverycenter.org for more information about the organization and its programs.