Catskill Mountainkeeper hosted the ReThink Route 17 Alliance's Virtual Town Hall on April 2, 2025. In this webinar recap you'll learn about:

1. The NYS Department of Transportation's proposed project along Route 17 and what's at stake for our communities;
2. The Get Around NY Act and how our campaign connects to a statewide movement for better transportation choices; and
3. Emerging ideas for how we can better spend $1.4 billion to increase transportation accessibility and affordability in our region.

You can also join us in taking action — use this link to email key legislators in the region and tell them that our communities want better transportation choices, not a wider highway!

On Catskill Park Day 2024 (Thursday, February 29), Mountainkeeper's Deputy Director hosted a roundtable discussion featuring advocates, legislators, and Department of Environmental Conservation officials in a discussion about the future of the Catskills. Listen in as these key decisionmakers discuss addressing the climate crisis, large scale development, Rt 17 expansion, high use, supporting first responders, and more.

Panelists included:

• Senator Michelle Hinchey
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha
• Assemblymember Chris Tague
• Assemblymember Aileen Gunther
• Jeff Senterman, Director at the Catskill Center

Dive into the world of invasive species in our conversation with experts from thCatskill Center's Catskills Regional Invasive Species Partnership, featuring information about Northern Snakehead and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in the Catskills.

• John Thompson, CRISP's Director, will be discussing hemlocks and other priority species and their status in the Catskills.
• Sarah Coney, CRISP's aquatic invasive species manager, will give a brief overview of Northern Snakehead

2023 is set to be a critical year for implementing New York State’s landmark Climate Law, which Mountainkeeper has fought for alongside countless other allies. On June 8, we hosted a virtual informational session to bring you up to speed on upcoming regulations and programs--like Cap & Invest--that will make our Climate Law a reality. 

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Listen on Spotify or Anchor

Magic in the Mountains podcast is for nature enthusiasts, environmentalists, and everyone in between who wants to learn about the environment, food systems, sustainable farming and agriculture, and more. Hosts Eugene Thalmann and Taylor Jaffe–two young farmers based in different parts of the Catskills–are connected through their respective roles as Mountainkeeper’s Agricultural Program Coordinator and Environmental Justice Coordinator. Each week they get together to discuss a different aspect of life on their farms, and how it relates to environmental justice, ecosystem sustainability, local and global food systems, and more. You can listen to these engaging conversations on Spotify or Anchor!

During our ‘Cosmos in the Catskills’ webinar, night sky experts and Catskill Astronomy Club members Irene Pease and John Kocijanski shared tips for identifying constellations in the night sky, and showed participants how even basic stargazing can change the way we understand our place in the cosmos. Irene and John also walked participants through how to use important gear, what to consider when investing in a telescope, shared a number of great locations for night sky viewing in Sullivan County, and provided information on how to connect with local stargazing clubs in our region.

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