THE GREAT OUTDOORS IN THE CATSKILLS

By Jeff Senterman

As the year comes to an end, this is a good time to think back on adventures you have enjoyed in the Catskills and consider all of the hard work that has gone into making your experience more enjoyable in the great outdoors. In addition to the land management staff for major landowners, there is an army of volunteers who spend thousands of hours every year maintaining the trails, fire towers and lean-tos of the Catskills. These hardworking volunteers partner with land managers such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and many smaller landowners who open their lands to public recreation.

Many of the organizations that help manage these volunteers and work towards improving the Catskills are small nonprofits that rely on donations and gifts from individuals who care about the Catskills. That support translates directly into the protection and preservation of the Catskills!

Hikers, Walkers and Mountain Bikers: Be Alert During Seasonal Hunting Seasons

Regular (rifle) season for deer hunting runs through December 8. Bow season for deer hunting picks up on December 9 and runs through the end of the year, with exceptions for the holidays.

There are also seasons for turkey, bear, bobcat and other small mammals. For all the details about hunting seasons, the New York

State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) maintains a website at dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hunting/seasons with extensive seasonal information on all of the different hunting seasons, their geographic areas and additional information for both hunters and those who wish to recreate during the fall hunting season.

Hikers, walkers and anyone planning on being in the woods who is not a hunter, should always be aware of the hunting regulations in the area where they are recreating and should always wear blaze orange during hunting seasons to reduce the risk of any incidents.

Don’t forget to watch your pets too! Dogs should be wearing blaze orange when they are in the woods with you during hunting seasons and should always remain under your control (preferably leashed) to avoid incidents.

Catskill Park Trail Conditions

Local recreational opportunities are always changing in the Catskill Park, and by visiting the Catskills Visitor Center’s Trail Conditions page, you can stay on top of those changes. Staff at the Visitor Center are regularly posting updates related to the Catskill Park, Catskill trails, Catskill campgrounds and camping, Catskill boating, and more at catskillstrailconditions.com.

Catskill Park Coalition Priorities for 2025: You Can Help Support the Catskills!

The Catskill Park Coalition represents dozens of organizations who work in and care for the Catskill Park and the surrounding Catskills region. Every year the Coalition prepares priorities for the upcoming NYS budget and advocates for equitable funding of the Catskill Park and Catskills communities. Many of the members of the Coalition partner with New York State, local governments, and other stakeholders to implement critical Catskill Park programs to conserve open space, steward our existing recreational resources, protect and improve water quality, promote responsible forest stewardship, build community resilience, and create new trails and public access.

The Coalition knows that investments in the Catskill Park protect our natural resources, support important jobs for our region, and provide clean drinking water protection for millions of New Yorkers. The priorities for the Coalition in the upcoming NYS Budget affirm tourism opportunities, natural resource protections, clean water, public health protections, climate resilience, recreational access, job creation, and quality of life for residents of and visitors to the Catskill Park.

• Public Safety and Catskill Park Management: The NYSDEC must be adequately staffed, including new staff in the Division of Lands and Forests and annual Forest Ranger Academies, and the Catskill Park Coordinator role must be adequately funded. Aid to Localities funding of $100,000 is necessary for Catskill Park Stewardship Programs by Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Center.

• Environmental Protection Fund (EPF): Fund the Environmental Protection Fund at $400 million. Within the EPF, maintain existing funding lines for the Catskills including: $12 million Forest Preserve line; $250,000 line for the Catskills Visitor Center; $200,000 line for Catskill Science Collaborative; $500,000 for the “Save the Hemlocks” initiative; and $300,000 in dedicated Catskills funding for Smart Growth Grants.

• Supporting Local Economies: Support Catskills communities by investing in projects with direct community benefits. Improve cellular service, support construction of the U&D Rail Trail, expand affordable housing, and improve trail connectivity to downtown main streets.

What can you do to help? Contact your local elected officials (the Governor, State Senators, and State Assemblymembers especially) and let them know that you support the Catskill Park and the priorities of the Catskill Park Coalition. It doesn’t matter where in New York you live, but your elected officials need to know you support the Catskills!

Also, make plans to take part in Catskill Park Day! Organized annually by the Catskill Center as co-Chair of the Catskill Park Coalition, the 2025 Catskill Park Day will be held this February, with details to follow. This day is an opportunity for supporters of the Catskills to have their voice heard in Albany and to make a difference in the support and funding that the Park receives. For more information visit catskillcenter.org/ advocacy.

Catskills Hiking Guides with the Hiker Trash Husbands on YouTube and the Web

Looking to explore the trails of the Catskills (and beyond) before you hit the trail? My husband and I have a YouTube channel showcasing our hiking adventures in the Catskills and beyond! You can find The Hiker Trash Husbands on YouTube at youtube. com/thehikertrashhusbands. If you’re in the Catskills and have cable provided by MTC, you can catch our videos on CatskillsAir, MTC Channel 1.

For the two of us, The Hiker Trash Husbands is not only a way to show friends and family our hiking adventures, but an effort to provide positive LGBTQ+ representation in the hiking world, while providing the general public with useful hiking information and guides. We love to showcase our own hiking adventures, along with other queer outdoors folks. You can learn more about our efforts, along with detailed hike descriptions and hiking guides, by visiting our website at hikertrashhusbands.com.

Visit the Catskill Park’s Visitor Center

Located at 5096 Route 28 in Mount Tremper, the Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center (CVC) is the official visitor center for the Catskill Park. A program of the Catskill Center, staff are available at the CVC with information, maps and all the advice needed to plan a Catskill adventure. From December 1 through March 31, the CVC is open Friday through

Monday from 9:30am to 4:00 pm. Visitors can get their Catskill questions answered in person, get the beautiful and useful Catskill Map and Guide, browse tourism materials, and shop at the CVC’s gift shop that includes hiking maps, regional books, and much more. CVC staff are also available to answer questions about the Catskills and the Catskill Park via email at info@catskillcenter.org or phone at 845 688 3369 during normal business hours.

In addition, there are 1.5 miles of trails on the CVC’s grounds and the 80-foot tall Upper Esopus Fire Tower, offering unrivaled views of the surrounding mountains and Esopus Creek valley.

Visitors can explore the ever expanding resources available online for the CVC on the web at catskillsvisitorcenter.org, the CVC’s Facebook page at facebook.com/catskillsvisitorcenter, and the CVC on Instagram at @catskills.visitor.center.

Catskill Park Advisory Committee

The Catskill Park Advisory Committee (CPAC) was established to facilitate communication within the Park and consists of representatives from local governments and organizations chaired by the Catskill Center. Meetings are held quarterly and are open to the public. If you’d like to learn more, join the mailing list or attend the next meeting, please email the Catskill Center at at cccd@catskillcenter.org with CPAC in the subject asking to be added to the mailing list.

Give Back to the Catskills

The natural beauty, the majesty of the mountains, the protection of the Catskill Forest Preserve, the region’s natural and cultural resources, all need your help! By supporting the work of the Catskill Center, you support: stewardship of our Catskill Park and its vast natural resources; the Center’s collaborative spirit as we convene, create partnerships and facilitate discussions that benefit the region; and the Center’s work to support education, arts and culture throughout the Catskills.

To support the work of the Catskill Center, become a member online through their website at www.catskillcenter.org/donate or donate by mail: Checks made out to the “Catskill Center” can be mailed to Catskill Center, PO Box 504, Arkville, NY 12406.

Jeff Senterman is the Executive Director of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in Arkville, NY, a member of the Board of Directors for the Catskill Watershed Corporation, and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. Jeff graduated with a degree in Environmental Science from Lyndon State College and worked for many years as an Environmental Planner in New England before coming back to New York and the Catskills working in the nonprofit sector.