February 4, 2009, Mid Hudson News: Community groups unite to save the Beaverkill Campground
link to complete article is here:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/March09/04/BvkillCmgnd_CM-04Mar09.html
Community groups unite to save the Beaverkill Campground
 Covered bridge at the Beaverkill Campground |
ROSCOE – The Catskill Mountainkeeper organization, the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Beaverkill are teaming up to lobby for the state to keep the Beaverkill Campground open this summer.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation last week announced the Beaverkill and a handful of other campgrounds would be closed because of low attendance and the need to save money given the state of New York’s fiscal condition.
Catskill Mountainkeeper Executive Director Ramsay Adams said the campground is a key component to the Sullivan County tourism economy.
The savings by closing the campground would be $10,000 to $15,000, said Adams. “The amount of money that the state will save in their cost they pay to keep the campsite open is greatly outweighed by the amount of money Sullivan County is going to lose in tourism dollars, and that’s just in one year.”
The state maintains attendance has been low in recent years, but Adams said that is because during the 2006, 2007 and 2008 camping seasons, the site was hit with three “100 year floods,” the main road to the site was closed or only allowed local traffic and for much of that period, the Beaverkill Covered Bridge was closed for repair, limiting access to the campsites.
March 2, 2009, Times Herald Record: Fresh-water museum slated for Arkville Timely topic blends history, environment
Timely topic blends history, environment
var isoPubDate = 'March 02, 2009'ARKVILLE — The controversies that wracked communities in the Catskills watershed during the late '90s have yielded a bonus-in-the-making: a $25 million museum devoted exclusively to the history of fresh water.
If that sounds a bit . . . watery as the focus of a museum, you're taking a lot for granted. The story of water is the story of life itself, rife with drama and explosive political import. Water threatens to be to the future what petroleum is to the present — a natural resource for which wars will be fought.
"And it's the one natural resource that can't be replaced," said Joseph Hurwitz, architect of the museum that's slated for the hamlet of Arkville. He, like others associated with the Water Discovery Center, has become a fountain of facts on the subject.
By the year 2025, for example, experts are estimating two-thirds of the world's population will suffer water shortages. As the center's promotional material ominously reminds people, "All the water that will ever be is, right now."
Hurwitz, whose office is in West Hurley, had initially designed a more modest building about seven years ago. That was when the center's board of directors envisioned a regional museum that focused on the history and importance of the reservoir and aqueduct system that delivers a billion gallons of water to New York City every day.
"But we spoke to various consultants who told us we had a tiger by the tail," said Gary Gailes, president of the center's board of trustees. The story of fresh water, they were told, was about as big and critical a subject as could be imagined. And, while there were other museums and maritime museums that dealt with the fate and history of oceans, there was none devoted solely to fresh water.
What has evolved since its early days is a design that will incorporate the bad news about water with a variety of interactive displays, films and presentations created by world-renowned designer Leonard Levitan that offer conservation alternatives.
Hurwitz delights in explaining how the structure's signature architectural "mountains" — several chamfered roofs — will channel rainwater into "valleys" that will then guide it to underground cisterns. The design effectively mimics the natural process that created the watershed, while helping it reach its target of a zero-carbon footprint.
Unlike its neighboring development project, the Belleayre Resort at Catskill park, the planned Water Discovery Center has attracted no appreciable controversy.
"We've been welcomed with open arms," Hurwitz said. The only request he said he's aware of is the request that the center memorialize the often arrogant ways in which watershed communities were emptied to make way for the reservoir system by a water-desperate city that brooked no opposition.
That story, Levitan said, will indeed be told.
As for the $25 million price tag, Gailes said the center has a three-year fundraising plan that will focus on attracting foundation grants and wealthy donors. He said he also hopes to attract celebrity supporters such as Al Gore, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently made a documentary about the water crisis.
Gailes is confident the museum will attract 100,000 visitors annually, despite its off-the-beaten-path location.
"The Wild Center in the Adirondacks, which is closer to Canada than metropolitan New York City, draws 150,000 people a year. It seems to us 100,000 is a safe figure."
BIG PLANS
* The Water Discovery Center will be located on a 44-acre site in Arkville, a hamlet in Delaware County on the east branch of the Delaware River.
* The 65,000-square-foot structure is designed to have a zero-carbon footprint, thanks to systems that include rooftop gardens, geothermal heating and cooling and photovoltaic arrays.
* The museum will include 25,000 square feet of interactive exhibits as well as a 145-seat theater and conference center.
February 26, 2009, Press Release:Hinchey & Hall Secure Approval of $331,000 For Upper Delaware River Watershed Flood Mitigation
February 26, 2009
Hinchey & Hall Secure Final Congressional Approval of $331,000
For Upper Delaware River Watershed Flood Mitigation Studies &
Enhanced Flood Warning System
Washington, DC -- Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Congressman John Hall (D-NY), today announced that they secured final congressional approval of $331,000 for a pending flood mitigation study in the Upper Delaware River Watershed and for the enhancement of the existing flood alert system for the region. Hinchey and Hall worked to secure $96,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide additional support for the pending comprehensive study to mitigate future flooding in a number of areas within the Upper Delaware River Watershed. Hinchey also obtained approval of $235,000 for the development and implementation of a Delaware River Enhanced Flood Warning System, which will be done along with the Delaware River Basin Commission. The funds are included in the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2009, which passed the House yesterday afternoon.
"Investing these modest amounts of federal money in flood prevention in the Upper Delaware River Watershed now will help to protect our communities down the road from continued loss of property, infrastructure and even lives," Hinchey said. "These funds will enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use its expertise to identify ways to lessen and mitigate the impacts from repetitive flooding along the river. Additionally, the funds approved today will enable the creation of a much-needed advanced flood warning system so that residents who live in the Delaware River Valley can be notified quickly for possible evacuations."
Hall said, "Repeated and devastating flooding over the last several years shows how important serious flood control is in the Upper Delaware watershed. This money will help the U.S. Army Corps determine the best ways to protect local communities from destructive floods."
The Army Corps studies will investigate and identify opportunities for flood damage reduction and environmental restoration in a number of areas in the Upper Delaware River Watershed. The studies will seek to minimize the impacts of future flooding and prevent further losses of life and property. The studies will include specific high-priority areas along the Little Beaverkill Creek, such as the hamlet of Livingston Manor in the Town of Rockland, and along the Callicoon Creek. These areas have experienced chronic and repetitive flood devastation from major flood events over the past several years, which were the worst since the record flood of 1955 and resulted in the loss of life and the substantial loss of property. Hinchey and Hall worked to secure $700,000 for the study last year, to which this funding will be added.
The studies expand upon the Army Corps Reconnaissance Study that was completed for the Upper Delaware River, which addressed flood damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, water quality control, and comprehensive watershed management The Army Corps is currently negotiating a feasibility cost share agreement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for the commencement of the first phase of the study along the Little Beaverkill, a tributary to the Delaware River. The study is in response to major floods that have occurred in the past few years and caused severe and repeated damage. The Army Corps is also partnering with Sullivan County to analyze mitigation opportunities along the Callicoon Creek and has recently begun initial data collection for the study.
Funds allocated for the Delaware River Enhanced Flood Warning system project will assist the Delaware River Basin Commission in its efforts with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Army Corps to enhance the basin's flood warning system, which is currently in place. These funds will help evaluate and improve existing precipitation and stream gage networks and develop additional NOAA flood forecast points in both non-tidal and tidal stream reaches. The enhancement will also include the merger of GIS and Doppler radar technology to improve flash flood warning capabilities for smaller watersheds.
February 25, 2009, Mid Hudson News: Supreme Court ruling on land in trust issue may impact the future of Sullivan gaming
Sullivan gaming
link to full article is here:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/
MONTICELLO – The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Native American
tribes that were not under federal jurisdiction in 1934 cannot follow
the land into trust process of the Indian Reorganization Act.
That may present ramifications for tribes trying to gain permission to
develop gaming in Sullivan County.
Right now the Seneca Nation of Indians wants to build a casino in the
Town of Thompson, but it will need land placed in trust by the US
Department of the Interior.
Pattern for Progress President Jonathan Drapkin, a resident of
Sullivan County, said casinos are but one potential form of economic
development, if they ever do become reality.
“For the benefit of the people who live in Sullivan County, it remains
one alternative but not the only alternative,” he said. “With each new
twist and turn, the story seems to continue for another year, another
decade, and while it is one good strategy that can help with revival
of the economy in Sullivan County, it must not be the only one.”
A spokesman for the Senecas Tuesday said they were researching to
determine if the ruling appeals to them.
Meanwhile, Senator Charles Schumer said he would lobby the new
Interior secretary to take a fresh look at the casino proposed by the
Stockbridge Munsee Tribe of Mohicans, in Bridgeville.
February 25, 2009, Times Herald Record: Schumer says he'll lobby for new Sullivan casino bid
Urges another review of Bridgeville project
var isoPubDate = 'February 25, 2009'BRIDGEVILLE — Sen. Chuck Schumer is going to bat for a Wisconsin-based tribe's bid to open a casino in Sullivan County.
Schumer, D-N.Y., said he's lobbying the new interior secretary to take a second look at the Stockbridge Munsee tribe of Mohicans' project in Bridgeville.
A year ago, former Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne rejected the Stockbridge Munsee project, along with a St. Regis Mohawk casino next to Monticello Gaming & Raceway, while also squashing off-reservation projects around the country.
"I was disappointed in Secretary Kempthorne's unfortunate decision last year," Schumer said in a news release Tuesday.
"I hope that with a new administration we have a new way of thinking about applications that are finite, focused, appropriate for the region, and have strong community support."
Schumer says he is hopeful, after calling the new interior secretary, Ken Salazar, Schumer's former colleague in the Senate. "In my conversation with Secretary Salazar, he was receptive to my request and said he would look into the matter going forward."
The tribe, which claims ancestral ties to Sullivan, has been a long-time player in the county's casino hunt.
The Stockbridge Munsees are offering an estimated $150 million to $200 million annually to the state — what amounts to 25 percent of the net proceeds from the slots over 20 years — for state support. The tribe has also agreed to pay sales and hotel taxes to the state and county, involving sales with non-Indians.
Locally, this is considered the best chance for an Indian-run casino. "Here we have a stimulus package that doesn't require any funds from the government," said Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini. He's been trying to reboot support for the project.
But if Salazar reverses policies on off-reservation gambling, analysts say, it won't happen quickly, because several leadership positions in key federal departments haven't been filled.
February 23, 2009, Daily Freeman Ski resorts and Catskill Counties counties meet to discuss a unified marketing plan
Daily Freeman (dailyfreeman.com), Serving the Hudson Valley since 1871
Opinion
EDITORIAL: Common ground
There’s a surprising thaw that’s come over the region’s ski areas of late and it turns out to be very good news, indeed.
No, it’s not a premature onset of the spring skiing season. It is, rather, a thaw in the unproductive cold war recently waged over what could be seen as divergent tourism interests.
Representatives of ski resorts and Ulster, Greene and Delaware counties met earlier this month to discuss a unified marketing plan for skiing in the Catskills region.
Among the immediate marketing ideas they discussed were billboards to promote all local ski resorts and a discounting program to attract skiers from outside the region. Also discussed was the long-range possibility of creating a broad marketing campaign for the 2009-10 ski season.
It’s fair to say there are some fundamental differences between the state-owned and -operated Belleayre Mountain in Ulster County and the other ski areas. Dwelled upon to the exclusion of other considerations, those difference can create tension.
As a state operation, Belleayre enjoys the full faith and credit of the state of New York and has received considerable state investment.
Belleayre also is exempted from having to pay the workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and sales taxes to which the privately owned ski areas are subject. Add to that provocation the 2007 development agreement between the state and the private Crossroads Ventures for a $400 million Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park.
Private capital, which underwrites the likes of Windham and Hunter mountains in Greene County and Plattekill Mountain in Delaware County, operates in a more strictly constrained economic environment.
It should not be forgotten, however, that Ulster County citizens and leaders chose to bet their legitimate political capital on Belleayre as an economic engine. The county has that right.
It’s also hard to argue against the state operation of a recreational amenity on state lands for the enjoyment of its citizens. Try as we might, we can’t get that to sound like a bad thing.
In any event, the war of words and political infighting that recently had escalated — especially between Greene and Ulster counties — ill-served what should be the region’s powerful common interest in developing the tourism industry.
The smart money is not in fighting one another, but in creating a critical mass of recreational amenities. That’s what it will take to put the Catskills at the top of the mind of metropolitan area skiers who otherwise simply pass through the Mid-Hudson Valley on their way north to the Adirondacks or Vermont.
Working together to attract those skiers and smooth out competitive differences is the way to go. The recent meetings are a good step toward realizing that common interest and the participating parties are to be congratulated.
February 23, 2009, Press Release: DEC ANNOUNCES WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR EXAM
For Release: IMMEDIATE
DEC ANNOUNCES WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR EXAM
Exam Slated for April 24; Applications Due April 3
A written examination, offered only once a year, for New Yorkers interested in becoming a licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, will be given on Friday, April 24th from 10 a.m. to noon at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional offices across the state, the DEC announced today.
The deadline for registering to take the exam is Friday, April 3. There is no charge for either the exam or the license issued by DEC.
Wildlife rehabilitators provide the selfless service of caring for injured, sick and orphaned wild animals. The ultimate goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to prepare the animals for their return to the wild.
A wildlife rehabilitator study guide and examination manual are available to applicants for $15 a set. The study materials will also include the application necessary for registration. The materials were developed by wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians and biologists to teach applicants about the practice of wildlife rehabilitation, including technical requirements for licensed volunteers.
Applicants must be at least 16 years old, submit two character references along with their application, have no convictions for violations of the State Environmental Conservation Law and be interviewed by a DEC regional wildlife staff person.
Applicants should understand that a degree of technical skill and a significant commitment in time, money and effort is required to be a wildlife rehabilitator. Prospective applicants are encouraged to gain experience by serving as an assistant to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Additional information is available by telephoning (518) 402-8985, or by writing to:
NYS DEC; Special Licenses Unit
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4752
Website: www.dec.ny.gov
Email: [email protected]
February 22, 2009, Times Herald Record: Hold that bet on gambling in the Catskills
Opinion
Hold that bet on gambling in the Catskills
link is here:http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090222/OPINION/902220303 var isoPubDate = 'February 22, 2009'
Not that long ago Sullivan County worried about the spillover effects of prosperity. Casinos and their associated development would turn Route 17 into a parking lot every Friday and Sunday evening. Oil wells would desecrate a landscape scarred by the ruts of heavy equipment rolled in to tap the wealth in the Marcellus Shale.
With oil trading more than $100-per-barrel below its record high and credit markets a dry hole, the economics of exploration have turned around, halting the rush to the Catskills. That should give the state and local governments the time they feared they might not have to absorb lessons from other areas where drilling has had time to mature and to firm up regulations to make sure that any damage from the work would be minimized, repaired and paid for.
On the gambling front, the news is equally bad and more discouraging. Aside from geologists, most people in the area had never heard of the Marcellus Shale before the rapid rise of energy prices made it a potential profit center. Gambling has long been the presumed savior of the Catskills, the industry that would revive the economy and recreate the glory of the grand resorts.
Based on the news of the past week, there's only one response — don't bet on it.
Gambling revenue is down in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and both Uncasville and Mashantucket, Conn. Donald Trump has quit the board of Trump Entertainment Resorts, and the company, the owner of three casinos in Atlantic City that have been through bankruptcy twice, has filed for a third round after missing a $53 million interest payment at the start of December.
If you feel bad about your 401(k), consider how Donald feels when he thinks about his company plunging from a net worth of $842 million in 2005 to $7.3 million today.
Indian gaming operations are doing no better. Winnings at Mohegan Sun were down almost 8 percent in January from the year before, and winnings at Foxwoods were down more than 7 percent, better than the 19-percent drop in December.
Gamblers aren't the only ones holding back. Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of the two Connecticut operations based on the decline already on the books and expectations of more bad news for a while.
Where does that leave the plans for reinventing the Concord with hotels, restaurants, a relocated Monticello raceway complete with racino but without the gaming operations that seemed to be an inevitable evolution in the near future? Stalled would be the most accurate answer for now, with the developer working to find funding and plans being scaled back and delayed.
Nobody can blame Louis Cappelli for this. He had big dreams and made big promises. Once the economy turns around, gamblers will find their way to the tables once again, and the ancient promise of prosperity for the Catskills will return.
For now, it might be more prudent for those local officials who have been so supportive and cooperative to start thinking about alternative ways to attract jobs and development. The odds have changed and not in their favor.
February 22, 2009, Times Herald Record: Sullivan campground among 6 to be closed DEC cost-cutting move shuts Beaverkill site
News
Sullivan campground among 6 to be closed
DEC cost-cutting move shuts Beaverkill site
link to complete article is here:http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090222/NEWS/902220312 var isoPubDate = 'February 22, 2009'
ROSCOE — The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Friday that it will close six of its campgrounds for the 2009 season, including the Beaverkill Campground in northern Sullivan County.
The decision to close the camps, all of which had relatively low occupancy rates, was the latest cost-cutting measure pitched by state officials.
"As Governor (David) Paterson has made clear, New York is facing a large budget deficit and must make many hard choices," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said in a statement.
"Closing these facilities for the 2009 season is one such hard choice, but is one that is necessary in these tough economic times."
The DEC operates 52 campgrounds across the state. It did not say how much money would be saved by closing six of them, but said the camps could reopen in 2010. The other shuttered camps were in Delaware, Essex and Hamilton counties.
The Beaverkill Campground, 2 miles northeast of Roscoe, includes one of the only public fishing spots along the Beaverkill River, famed as the birthplace of fly-fishing in North America. The camp had 12 percent occupancy in 2007, and 20 percent last year.
Local residents and business owners said the campground funneled travelers into Roscoe and nearby Livingston Manor. They purchased gas, groceries, dinner and recreation equipment.
"We're a recreation, tourism kind of village, and a lot of the people in town depend on that trade," said Miriam Stone, who runs a gift shop in Roscoe.
The DEC announcement comes after a banner year for campgrounds in Sullivan County. Camp owners said 2008 was their most profitable season in roughly 20 years, largely because the sour economy stopped families from traveling to far-off destinations. Instead, the opted for so-called "staycations," or places they could reach on one tank of gas.
Because one tank often landed them here, in the Catskills, locals say the closure comes at a bad time.
"Coming to the campgrounds up here was an inexpensive way to have a family vacation," said Elwin Wood, a Sullivan County legislator and business owner in Roscoe. "Closing them doesn't make much sense."
February 20, 2009, Mid-Hudson News: Economy strikes at two state campgrounds in the Catskills
link to original article is here:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/February09/20/Camps_close-20Feb09.htm
ALBANY – The state announced Friday that because of the continuing fiscal crisis, two Catskills campgrounds will not open this year.
The two, and six in the Adirondacks, had very low occupancy rates, said State EnCon Commissioner Pete Grannis. Remaining closed in the Catskills will be Beaverkill in the Town of Roscoe and Bear Spring Mountain in the Town of Walton.
“As Governor Paterson has made clear, New York is facing a large budget deficit and must make many hard choices,” said Grannis. “Closing these facilities for the 2009 season is one such hard choice, but is one that is necessary in these tough economic times.”
