Mountainkeeper has been extremely busy and productive this year, scoring big wins and making important progress in protecting the Catskills while building a clean and sustainable future. I’m really proud of our team, and grateful for friends like you who help us stay strong.

It’s clear that 2019 is going to be a huge year for the Catskills. Lonely Planet named the Catskills as one of its 2019 Top Ten Regions to Visit in the world, and our beautiful area is experiencing a renaissance, with a lot of new interest, creative energy, and economic development coming our way.

By Daniel Axelrod

December 14, 2018

TUSTEN – There was only one place for Brian Mendoza and his wife, Susan, to move from Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Sullivan County was the charm.

The Mendozas first bought their 2,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom Cape Cod-style home in the Town of Tusten as a second home five years ago.

Smitten with the bucolic setting, the couple and their three teenage boys now live full time on their 12-acre spread full of goats, sheep, chickens, cats and dogs. But while they can keep most of the animals out of their 30-year-old home, they can’t keep out a chilly draft.

November 15, 2018

As economic pressures mount, Catskills’ farms are threatened with closure. FarmHearts, a fund to support family farms, steps in to fill the gaps and the community rallies to support.

Livingston Manor, NY – Catskill Mountainkeeper released a new video about the urgent crisis facing Catskills family farms.  Every day, our region’s small farmers face an uphill battle to produce products sustainably. These farmers are unable to compete with industrial megafarms, have been abandoned by the agricultural co-ops that are supposed to protect them, and are crippled by a broken federal milk pricing system--the tragic result is that many of our small farms are being driven out of business. Mountainkeeper produced the video to build support for a critical new resource to help farmers succeed: the FarmHearts fund.

New York's Dairy Crisis & The FarmHearts Fund

Every day, our region’s small farmers face an uphill battle to produce products sustainably. These farmers are unable to compete with industrial megafarms, have been abandoned by the agricultural co-ops that  are supposed to protect them, and are crippled by a broken federal milk pricing system--the tragic result is that many of our small farms are being driven out of business. 

FarmHearts provides much-needed emergency relief and economic assistance to help keep our small farms viable and operating. Small-scale farmers in need of urgent help can apply for grants ranging from $500 to $2,500 through the FarmHearts website (farmheartsny.org) or by mail. FarmHearts also offers information and referral for technical assistance, grants, and other resources that support small farms.

The fund is being recognized throughout the region as a key resource to sustaining Catskills farms. The Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan awarded FarmHearts a 2018 Innovation Grant. 

HeatSmart Ulster•Sullivan (HeatSmart U•S), a state-supported community campaign to help our local home and business owners increase energy efficiency and choose clean heating and cooling systems. Read Catskill Mountainkeeper's press release launching our campaign!

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a hard-hitting report earlier this month that left no room for interpretation: unless we drastically change course in the next 12 years, we will lock in the worst climate change scenarios. We cannot continue building out climate-wrecking fracking operations and infrastructure. And we cannot allow our leaders to commit us to a dangerous fossil fuel past: we need bold leadership that moves us to our renewable future.

That’s why we need you to sign our petition calling on Governor Cuomo to vote for a complete ban on fracking and all its related activities in the Delaware River Basin.

Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations’ scientific panel established to guide world leaders on climate change issues, released a report. And it’s not good news.

According to these climate experts from more than 195 countries, we have 12 years before we hit a tipping point with no return – meaning, 12 years to move our economies from fossil fuels to renewable energy. As a society, we have made unthinkable leaps before. It’s time to dig in--there is no going back and there is no backing down. We need to raise our standards and expectations about what our leaders can and should do on our behalf.

This is our moment to shine. Right here in New York, we can pass the Climate & Community Protection Act and get our state on the path to 100% renewable energy.  Join us this Saturday, October 13, in New York City for an in-person 100% renewable energy campaign training. Register here.

Since 2015 Catskill Mountainkeeper has made powering your home with solar energy easier and more affordable. Through our RenewableNY program we've helped more than 775 households across the state go solar. Today I'm writing to tell you about New York State's exciting and newly launched Solar for All program. Solar for All provides eligible households the opportunity to subscribe to community solar at no cost. Free solar energy for eligible households!!

I am writing to tell you about a project Catskill Mountainkeeper is involved in to support our region: FarmHearts -- an important new partnership to support and protect small family farms, the backbone of life in the Catskills for generations and an essential driver for our region’s economy.

Small farms play an integral role in our communities, providing healthy produce and dairy for our families and broader markets, and protecting open space that is critical for wildlife habitat and the overall heath of our environment. Unfortunately, without our help, the rich tradition of small family farms in the Catskills is at risk of becoming just a fond memory. As the market for agricultural products skews in favor of huge industrial farms, small farms are increasingly being squeezed out of business.