Catskill Park Day 2024

February 29, 2024 — Albany, NY (Virtual)

Since its start in 1969, the Catskill Center has advocated for the Catskill region. One of our major annual advocacy efforts is Catskill Park Day.

Together with more than two dozen other groups that comprise the Catskill Park Coalition, the Catskill Center composes a list of the Catskill Park and its communities' needs and presents them to the governor and state legislators in an organized day of advocacy. The webinars are free but you must register in advance to receive the Zoom link.

WEBINAR | Invasive Species of the Catskills

Join the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) to hear the latest updates and actions on invasive species in the Catskills—with a special focus on the hemlock woolly adelgid and the northern snakehead.

→ Thursday, Feb 29, 2024 from 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM ET

→ Advance registration here.

WEBINAR | VIRTUAL LEGISLATIVE ROUNDTABLE

Join the Catskill Center, Catskill Mountainkeeper, and the decision-makers whose work directly impacts the lands, waters, and communities of the Catskills for an in-depth conversation about where we're going and how we'll get there to protect the Catskills.

→ Thursday, Feb 29, 2024 from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET

→ Advance registration here.

Get involved

Call the Governor’s office

Her number is 518-474-8390. Ask her to support the Catskill Park Coalition’s Catskill priorities and let her know why the Catskills are important to you.

Call your local Assemblymember 

Let them know that you support the Catskill Park Coalition’s Catskill priorities and that you want them to support it. And that you vote! Don’t know who they are? Find out here.

Call your State Senator

Let them know that you support the Catskill Park Coalition’s Catskill Package and that you want them to support it. And that you vote! www.nysenate.gov/registration/nojs/form/start/find-my-senator

Mail a letter to Governor Hochul

Share your feelings about the Catskills and your interest in her continued support.

mail a letter to your ASSEMBLYMEMBER and State Senator

Share your feelings about the Catskills and your interest in their continued support of the Catskill Park.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper

Write a Letter to the Editor of your local paper explaining why supporting the Catskill Park is important to you.

2023 Catskill Park Priorities

Public Safety and Catskill Park Management -- Given the ongoing growth in the number of visitors, there is an increasing need for NYSDEC staff to properly address public safety and the Catskill Park’s infrastructure and natural resources. As such, the Catskill Park Coalition calls for:

• Supporting the recently created Catskill Park Coordinator position within the NYSDEC with adequate financial and staffing resources;

• Staffing critical positions at the NYSDEC’s Division of Lands and Forests in Regions 3 and 4 to better manage the Catskill Park and its more than 1.7 million annual visitors; and

• Running an annual Forest Ranger Academy to maintain and increase Ranger staff to provide a safe experience for all who visit the Catskill Park.

Environmental Protection Fund Priorities to Enhance and Protect the Catskills -- Critical funding for the Catskill Park is provided within the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The Environmental Protection Fund should be maintained at $400 million to adequately protect New York’s environment and specifically for the responsible protection and management of natural and recreational resources in the Catskill Park. Within the EPF, the Catskill Park Coalition calls for the following:

• Existing Catskill Park Funding:

• $10 million Forest Preserve line to support Catskill and Adirondack Parks and address increasing visitor use;

• $250,000 line, directed to the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development for the Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center for operations, staffing, and programming; 

• $200,000 line, directed to the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies for the Catskill Science Collaborative, which directs research on topics of importance in the Catskills;

• $500,000 line directed to Cornell University for the “Save the Hemlocks” initiative to fight the invasive Hemlock Wooly Adelgid with effective biocontrols;

• At least $300,000 for Smart Growth Grants dedicated to help Catskill communities and nonprofits sustainably improve the Park; and

• Continued inclusion of funding for upgrades and improvements to the state-owned Belleayre Mountain Ski Center.

Supporting Local Economies -- Supporting towns, villages, and hamlets within the Catskill Park by investing in projects with direct community benefits while addressing increasing visitor pressures is key to supporting local economies and protecting natural resources. Therefore, the Catskill Park Coalition calls for:

• Improving cellular service across the Catskill Park – The lack of service across large portions of the Park is a public safety concern and a competitive disadvantage for local communities and businesses that cannot be discovered by visitors;

• Expanding availability of affordable housing within and adjacent to the Catskill Park; and

• Improving trail connectivity with connections to community main streets and within the existing trail network to expand recreational opportunities.

The Catskill Park coalition