Activities at the site contaminated water bodies and wetlands on site at the eastern gateway to the Catskill Park 

March 28, 2022 Town of Kingston, NY—A resident of the Town of Kingston and two nonprofit organizations whose staff and members regularly use the Bluestone Wild Forest today filed an Article 78 action against the Town of Kingston’s Zoning Board of Appeals, Robert Cologero, in his role as Code Enforcement Officer, 850 Route 28 LLC, U.S. Crane and Rigging LLC, and Thomas Auringer for construction activities and illegal storage of cranes, rigging, vehicles, and industrial equipment at 850 Route 28.

Rethink Route 17 Alternatives: Highway Expansions Induce Demand

Posted by Taylor Jaffe · September 25, 2024 11:12 AM

Posted by Beth Scullion · September 06, 2024 4:50 PM

153 Environmental, Environmental Justice Advocacy Groups and Onondaga Nation Allies Tell Gov. Hochul: Get Nuclear Energy Out of NY, Follow the State's Climate Law

Posted by Catskill Mountainkeeper · September 05, 2024 2:51 PM

Department of Environmental Conservation Requiring Additional Analysis Around Alternatives to Ashokan Reservoir Releases, their Drinking Water Impacts, and How Climate Change Will Affect Releases

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) announced today that it is sending the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) back to the drawing board for further analyze the adverse environmental and human impacts of muddy releases from the Ashokan Reservoir.

“Requiring further analysis is absolutely the right move,” said Kathy Nolan, Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director. “We need the strongest plan possible to address releases from the Ashokan Reservoir; one that explores all available options to prevent muddy water from harming streams and rivers, one that protects drinking water supplies, and one that mitigates challenges that the climate crisis is imposing on communities and waterways.”

Click "Read More" for Mountainkeeper's full release.

Albany, NY - On February 1, 2022, Mountainkeeper's Deputy Director, Katherine Nadeau testified on the Governor's 2022 Executive Budget. Our testimony highlights the need to fully fund the Catskill Park and Region, the urgent need for $15 billion for climate justice and a just transition to NY's renewable energy future, support for the governor's proposal to protect wetlands, and more. Click "Read More" for our full testimony. 

New York State still needs Birds and Bees Protection Act to protect state’s water, land, and people from neonicotinoids’ toxic harms

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)’s announcement that it will limit the unrestricted use of pesticides that harm bee and other pollinator populations is very welcome: neonicotinoids kill New York’s pollinators, including birds, bees, and butterflies, and they threaten our food, food production, and public health. The new restrictions eliminate the most common neonicotinoid insecticides from consumer products and non-professional residential uses, yet much more needs to be done. We look forward to working with NYSDEC and the state legislature to pass the Birds and Bees Protection Act to remove neonic-treated seeds from New York, one of the most common pathways for the toxins to enter our food and water.

The more we learn about jumping worms--also known as crazy snake worms, Alabama jumpers, and Asian worms-- the more concerned we are.

Nearly all earthworms found in the Northeast today are non-native, but jumping worms (Amynthas species) are extra concerning because they gobble up organic matter more quickly than their European counterparts, stripping the forest of the layer critical for seedlings and wildflowers. Jumping worms grow twice as fast, reproduce more quickly, and can infest soils at high densities. In areas where there is a heavy infestation, native plants, soil invertebrates, salamanders, birds and other animals may decline.

Mountainkeeper is following the invasion, and have complied resources and assembled experts. You can watch our panel discussion from December 7, 2021 here. Click "read more" for a jumping worm Q&A and additional resources.

Ramsay Adams for the Times Herald-Record

The NY State Department of Transportation recently completed a study on the proposed widening of Route 17 from two to three lanes on the 47-mile stretch between the Harriman interchange and Liberty under the guise of easing congestion and promoting economic development.

Catskill Mountainkeeper commented on the draft phase of this report, which is seriously misguided and should be reconsidered. Widening Route 17 in this area will likely increase traffic and congestion, and will certainly contribute to local air pollution while deepening New York’s dependence on climate-destroying fossil fuels. This unnecessary project will contribute to sprawl and does not address the problem of transportation inequity. Click "read more" to check out the entire op-ed.

DRBC Proposes Fracking Regulations that Put River & Communities at Risk

West Trenton, NJ - On October 28, the Delaware River Basin Commission published draft natural gas regulations that lift the current moratorium on imports of fracking wastewater into the basin and exports of water for fracking operations outside of the basin. While the Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition Organizing Committee is still reviewing the draft regulations, our organizations are already concerned with loopholes we have discovered and call on the Commission to close them in order to protect the basin’s water resources and the communities that rely on them. Click "read more" for further analysis and Mountainkeeper's comment.

Catskill Mountainkeeper is working with activists throughout the state to galvanize people to call for local resolutions in support of the Birds and Bees Protection Act. These resolutions will help lawmakers in Albany understand that municipalities are turning to them to lead when it comes to protecting pollinators and public health. 

To get your local government to pass a resolution in support, you’ll need to take a couple of key actions: 

1. Email or call your town/village supervisor and board members explaining why the Birds and Bees Protection Act is critically important, and how they can help (sample email message below);
2. Share the template resolution (below), asking them to pass it at their next meeting; and
3. Once it’s passed, have your municipality send a copy of the enacted resolution to key state officials (identified in the resolution below) -- and send us a copy, too.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or if we can lend a hand!

Sample Email

Dear [town/city/village Official Title/Name],

My name is [your name] and I’m a resident and constituent of [town/city/village]. I’m writing because pollinators like birds and bees are critically threatened and our community has an opportunity to help.

Neurotoxic insecticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics, are being released into our environment across New York State. Neonics are used everywhere: from lawns to gardens to farm fields.

These insecticides are responsible for killing massive numbers of bees and other pollinators. We depend on pollinators to grow our food, and fewer pollinators means increased food prices, reduced access to healthier foods, and food scarcity that  hits low-income communities and communities of color especially hard.Neonics also pose a serious threat to human healt: these insecticides are found in the water we drink, the food we eat, and our bodies. Emerging research links exposure to neonics in the womb or early in life with heart and other congenital malformations, developmental difficulties, muscle tremors, and memory loss. 

There is a solution: the Birds and Bees Protection Act (BBPA). The BBPA is a New York State bill that will ban most uses of neonics, protecting pollinators and people. I’m asking for your help in demonstrating support for the bill; will you lead in our [town/village/city] passing a resolution in support of the bill?

I’ve included a template resolution below, and I’d be happy to work with you to pass it in our community. I’m also working with organizations from throughout the state who are focused on passing the BBPA this legislative session—if you’ve got any questions, I know they’d be happy to help as well.

Thank you for considering my request, and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Sample Resolution

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE BIRDS AND BEES PROTECTION ACT

[New York S699B (Hoylman et al.) / A7429 (Englebright et al.)]

WHEREAS, the Birds and Bees Protection Act concerns use of neonicotinoids, or "neonics," which is a class of neurotoxic pesticides that includes imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, dinotefuran, and acetamiprid;

WHEREAS, research shows that widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides is a leading cause of declines in honeybees as well as wild pollinators and a threat to birds, bats, fish, and entire ecosystems;

WHEREAS, New York's agricultural economy depends on healthy populations of bees and other pollinators to produce valuable and healthy foods like apples, squash, tomatoes, cherries and other top crops, worth an estimated $439 million annually;

WHEREAS, [municipality’s] agricultural economy similarly depends on healthy populations of bees and other pollinators to produce valuable and healthy crops and foods;

WHEREAS, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other independent research have found that neonics can harm human health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that half of Americans are regularly exposed to neonics;

WHEREAS, Federal and State water testing has detected neonics in waters across New York State, with 30% of Long Island groundwater samples containing a neonic;

WHEREAS, a recent Cornell University review of over 1,100 peer reviewed papers on neonics and cost-benefit analysis of neonics against their likely alternatives ("Cornell Report") concluded that neonic-treatments on corn, soybean, and wheat seeds — which account for roughly three-quarters of all neonic use in New York agriculture — produce "no overall net-income benefit" to farmers using them;

WHEREAS, the bill would: (1) prohibit sale and use of neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds effective January 1, 2024; (2) prohibit non-agricultural uses of neonics on turf and ornamental plants, effective January 1, 2023; and (3) require the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to consider designating other neonic uses as a "restricted use pesticide" in order to protect bee and bird populations (a "restricted use pesticide" is a pesticide that can be purchased, possessed, or used only by a person with a commercial or purchase permit issued by DEC, and that may be subject to other restrictions on its use as determined by DEC; the bill allows DEC to permit use of neonics to combat invasive species, including but not limited to emerald ash-borer and hemlock woolly adelgid); and (4) require DEC, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Markets at Cornell University, to study alternatives to neonics; and

WHEREAS, the Birds and Bees Protection Act addresses a serious threat to pollinators and ecosystems and safeguards the future of New York's food system by banning high risk, low-to-no benefit uses of neonicotinoid insecticides.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that _[municipality]_______________________:

1. Does hereby support AS699B / A7429, banning neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat and most outdoor, non-agricultural uses of neonics; and
2. Will provide a copy of this resolution to Governor Kathy Hochul; Basil Seggos, the NYS Commissioner of Department of Environmental Conservation; Howard Zucker, the NYS Commissioner of Health; Richard Ball, the NYS Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture; the New York State Senate and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chairs; and our local New York Assembly Senate and Assembly representatives, [Hon. _____________ and Hon. _________________].

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is in the midst of a study to widen Route 17 from two to three lanes between Exit 131 (Harriman) and 103 (Monticello) in both directions. This study will inform future environmental assessments, so it’s important they get it right. Please sign the petition below by October 14, 2021 at 2pm, calling on NYSDOT to go back to the drawing board on some key points.