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!

Final Report Recommendations Build on DEC’s Ongoing Efforts to Promote Sustainable Recreation, Diversity, and Protection of the Park’s Natural Resources

The Catskill Strategic Planning Advisory Group (CAG) submitted its final report on promoting sustainable recreation in the Catskill Forest Preserve to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos. Comprised of stakeholders with expertise in local government, recreation, natural resource protection, business and tourism, and other priority areas, the CAG was tasked in October 2020 with providing recommendations to DEC on how to address critical issues associated with increased public use of Catskill Park resources in order to protect these areas in the short term, as well as for future generations.

Delaware River Watershed - Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition organizations  denounced the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) adoption of amendments  to its regulations on December 7, 2022 that will allow the importation into the Watershed  of wastewater produced by fracking and will allow the export of water from the Delaware  River Watershed to support fracking operations elsewhere. 

In a "no contest" plea Coterra, formerly Cabot Oil and Gas, is being held accountable for ruining Dimock PA residents’ lives and contaminating their water

Montrose, PA - Officials from Coterra Energy appeared at the Susquehanna County Courthouse today to plead no contest to 15 criminal charges. Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Associate Director, issued the following statement in response....

Midhudson News, November 27, 2022 - HURLEYVILLE - “Burial sites are sacred places; they hold beloved and revered ancestors’ remains, as well as culturally significant funerary items,” said Katherine Nadeau, Mountainkeeper deputy director. “They’re located throughout New York State, wherever Native peoples gathered together, and many are unmarked, leaving them vulnerable to developers backhoes, looting, and desecration.” Click Read More to see the full piece.

By Joseph Abraham, MONTICELLO –– ..Wes Gillingham, Associate Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, challenged [Hughes Energy Chief Executive Officer] McSpedon’s answer to the Assemblywoman’s question, believing the problem lies in a lack of information, calling  a lot of what Hughes was saying “misleading.” Furthermore, Gillingham claimed that the DEC has continually asked Hughes Energy for more information and that the company has yet to submit an Environmental Impact Statement for their proposed project in Roxbury, Delaware County. Click "read more" to read the full piece.

The bond act “is a beginning, not the end. We need an ongoing commitment to funding environmental justice and climate justice and climate solutions,” said Katherine Nadeau, the deputy director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “If we don't put substantial funding into our communities, the consequences will be dire.” Click 'read more' to see the full piece.

November 9, 2022 -- On November 8th, more than 60% of New Yorkers took the once-in-a-generation opportunity to vote YES on the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act, an initiative that will invest $4.2 billion into projects we can see, feel, and taste. This funding will be used to improve our drinking water and air quality, preserve our environment, and protect us from the worst of the climate crisis. Mountainkeeper is proud to have been part of the VOTE YES effort, and we're so grateful for each and every voter who chose to invest in our shared environment. Click 'read more' to see how the bond act will help support the Catskills and communities statewide.

We’ve known for years that fossil fuel pollution from cars, trucks, ships and power plants is a menace to our health. As a physician and public health researcher, I feel the responsibility to ensure that the public also knows about an omnipresent yet silent and rarely noticed source of pollution that is continually making us sick, right beneath our noses: the gas we burn in our homes.