From:
Catskill Center
P.O. Box 504
Route 28 Arkville, NY 12406
845-586-2611
catskillcenter.org

Contact:
Allison Dunne
845-868-3156
adunne@catskillcenter.org

May 14, 2021 -- Arkville, NY: For the 2021 summer season at the Catskill Park, the Catskill Center is doubling the number of stewards from last year, given the large increase in visitors to certain high-use areas. And, for the first time since the Catskill Center’s Catskill Stewards Program was launched, one steward will serve as a ridge runner.

The ridge runner will start the season stewarding on and near the Devil's Path trail in Greene County, one of the Catskill's more challenging hikes, and cover other trails as needed Another steward will work part-time at Platte Cove while the remaining six stewards will be divided between Peekamoose Blue Hole and Kaaterskill Clove, providing coverage every day. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a record number of visitors to Catskill Park in 2020, a 27% increase. And this season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is implementing new permitting regulations for the popular Peekamoose Blue Hole and surrounding areas as a response to the surge in visitors that is expected to continue this season.

"In light of the increasing number of visitors, the Catskill Center is proud to be able to increase the number of stewards and the areas that these stewards cover across the Catskill Park. With seven-day a week coverage at both the Peekamoose Blue Hole and Kaaterskill Falls, along with a new roving Ridge Runner position who will greet visitors on the trails of the Park, our stewards will be greeting thousands, if not tens of thousands of visitors a week," says Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the Catskill Center. "The Catskill Center's stewards are key to welcoming visitors to the Catskill Park, introducing them to the resources of the Catskills Visitor Center, and offering them advice on how to recreate responsibly in the Park to ensure protection of our natural resources."

The stewards are a vital link between these locations and visitors. The Catskill Stewards Program operates in partnership with the NYSDEC at the Peekamoose Blue Hole and Kaaterskill Falls. In Platte Clove, the program runs on the Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve. Since its inception in 2018, the Catskill Stewards Program has educated and welcomed 141,226 visitors to the Catskill Forest Preserve.

The Catskill stewards begin training the week of May 17 for the program's fourth season. This year, as the state lifted many COVID-19 capacity restrictions in May, steward training is taking place using a hybrid model (part in-person, part virtual). The in-person training is all outdoors, and participants will wear masks. In 2020, the pandemic forced all training to be held virtually.

"During the 2020 season, more visitors came to the Catskills than ever before in search of refuge from the COVID-19 pandemic. This huge uptick in visitation resulted in busier trails and infrastructure across the park," says Andy Mossey, the Catskill Center’s Stewardship & Advocacy Coordinator. "With this in mind, we are preparing for another busy season, with more planning in place to make sure we can continue to offer consistent and thoughtful information to all visitors of the Catskills."

Stewards explain and demonstrate why responsible recreation is important – from the importance of not littering to staying on the trails. While each location has its specific needs, the common thread is natural resource protection, public awareness, and education. Without the stewards, the Catskills' forever wild spaces are consistently in danger of being trampled or otherwise damaged because of the increasing number of visitors. Stewards help interpret the Catskill Park, provide information on alternative areas to visit, and offer directions to local businesses, which, in turn, helps the local economy.

To learn more about the Catskill Center’s Catskill Stewards Program, go to catskillcenter.org/catskillstewardsprogram. And to check in on the stewards' work, follow us on our social media platforms.

The Catskill Stewards Program is made possible by the generous support of the NYSDEC, REI Co-op, the Rondout Neversink Stream Program, Bruderhof Community at Platte Cove, Catskill Mountain Club, Hunter Foundation, and the generous supporters of the Catskill Center.