Catskills Magazine 2020 Issue 3 — Resilience

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

cccd@catskillcenter.org

CATSKILL CENTER

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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

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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?

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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:

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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 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

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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

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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

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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  

RESILIENCE

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,

LET’S CONNECT INSTAGRAM @ CATSKILLCENTER FB @CATSKILLCENTER TWITTER @CATSKILLCENTER

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

31

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