The clock is ticking. Last night both the Birds and Bees Protection Act and the Village Incorporation Laws were delivered to Governor Hochul. The governor only has until December 23, 2023 to sign or veto each of the bills, so your email today will help demonstrate the widespread support these bills have in the state. Click the links below to send Governor Hochul an email calling on her to sign these critically important policies into law. Even if you've sent an email on these bills already, please send another--this is a key moment in these campaigns, and we need to show the full strength of our support. Looking for more information? Scroll down for a quick primer.

Over the past few years, Catskill Mountainkeeper has focused on educating folks about the increasing number of visitors to the Catskill Park each year, and highlighting the impacts this influx has on Park lands and resources. But did you know that the number of annual visitors to the Catskill Park has more than doubled since 2012? And in 2021, the park welcomed more visitors than the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone combined!

The evidence is piling up: neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) kill pollinators—essential beings like bees, birds, and butterflies, critically important to agriculture and wild ecologies. Neonics are a leading cause of the massive bee die-offs in New York and around the globe that threaten our food security and agricultural economy. But we can fight back by banning needless use of neonics through the Birds and Bees Protection Act (BBPA).

A new report from Physicians For Social Responsibility reveals the shocking fact that energy companies have been using PFA (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) toxic "forever chemicals" to frack and drill natural gas wells with the blessing of EPA, which had signed off on the process a decade ago. This outrageous dereliction of duty by the EPA has left the door wide open for extensive use of these dangerous chemicals, which pose huge threats to human health and the safety of our water supply.

Fracking should be banned everywhere; as we work toward that goal, ensuring that PFA's are not allowed to be used in fracking fluids is the least EPA can do.

June 15 - 2021 This summer, Mountainkeeper is partnering with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and hitting the trail with two full-time Trail Stewards! Our Stewards are stationed at the Beaverkill Campground Day Use Area, Crystal Lake Wild Forest, and Big Pond from Thursday – Monday all summer long. Working alongside Forest Rangers, they greet visitors, educate folks on Leave No Trace Principles that help protect our wild places, and provide info on Mountainkeeper’s work to protect this spectacular part of the world. Click "Read More" to meet Kate, Lenny, and Noah.

First, after years of advocacy in the New York State budget process, this year we won big for the Catskills. The NYS Legislature has passed a budget that includes a $300 million Environmental Protection Fund, a $3 billion environmental bond act, and major new investments in the Catskill Park and Forest Preserve. Please take a minute to thank your legislative leaders and our local Catskills representatives for supporting our beloved park and wildlands. And check out this great WAMC piece about the win.

From: Kathy Nolan, Mountainkeeper's Senior Research Director
Re: An update on a proposal for an unnecessary and ill-conceived major hydroelectric dam that would threaten our pristine Ashokan Reservoir and surrounding communities

On February 18th, a notice in the Federal Register alerted communities in the Catskills near the Ashokan Reservoir to a preliminary application filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by Premium Energy Holdings of Southern California for a large and poorly thought through “pumped storage” project. It would draw from the existing Ashokan Reservoir, plus a newly created dam and reservoir at one of three alternative sites near the Ashokan, for generating hydroelectric power. If you're looking for a deep dive on the proposal, check out this presentation by journalist Ginger Strand.

A lot has happened in the few weeks since then…

There’s trouble brewing for some of our Catskills reservoir towns and communities! Right now, there are two big threats facing the Ashokan Reservoir, and Mountainkeeper needs your help in fighting back to protect this vital drinking water source as well as the surrounding lands, waters, ecosystems, and communities.

October 6, 2020--In recent years, US beekeepers have seen almost one-third of their hives decline. Bees pollinate 80% of the world's crops, including chocolate, coffee and almonds--without them, our food systems will fail. While there are many overlapping reasons for this ecological crisis, one of them is the overuse of toxic herbicides. In response, Mountainkeeper is mounting a campaign to get the worst of these herbicides off store shelves. Join us today--tell Home Depot and Lowe’s: stop selling glyphosate.

Glyphosate is one of the world’s most commonly used herbicides, and it's the main ingredient in Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup. While it effectively kills weeds, glyphosate is one of the most deadly things a bee can encounter. 

The University of Texas in Austin studied Roundup by taking 2,000 bees from a hive. One group was fed sugar syrup, while the other was given glyphosate. The bees who were fed the herbicide had intense gut infections, and only 12% survived. 

Aside from compromising the well-being of pollinators, glyphosate is also a human health hazard. In fact, the World Health Organization named Roundup a carcinogenic back in 2015. 

In 2019, Costco stopped selling Roundup because it causes cancer. Demand that Lowe’s and Home Depot take the same action to put human health and ecological conservation first. And please forward this email to a friend--we need all the help we can get standing up to the big box stores.