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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!

On Tuesday, June 28th, we partnered with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York State Energy and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to hold a Disadvantaged Communities Information Session via Zoom. During this webinar, Mountainkeeper’s own Environmental Justice Coordinator, Taylor Jaffe, discussed the ins and outs of the DAC criteria with panelists Adriana Espinoza, DEC’s Deputy Commissioner for Equity and Justice, Tyler Picard, a Project Manager at NYSERDA, and Christopher Coll, Director of Energy Affordability and Equity Program at NYSERDA.

Click here to watch

A crucial part of Mountainkeeper’s work is upholding environmental justice and protecting people from a variety of environmental hazards–like tainted drinking water, polluted air, and waste contamination, among others–that pose serious risks to the health and safety of our communities. These hazards are endemic in underserved, low-income communities, reflecting the ongoing racial and socioeconomic injustice in our society; identifying DACs is a core component of addressing and correcting these injustices.

If you missed this important webinar, you can watch a full recording here.

Mountainkeeper's Environmental Justice (EJ) Coordinator Taylor Jaffe led a fascinating webinar to help raise awareness and broaden understanding of EJ in our region. EJ means making sure that communities of every race, color, and income status receive the same protection from environmental and health hazards, and have equal access to the decision-making process about projects and policies impacting their lives.

Fighting for and upholding EJ has always been a crucial part of Mountainkeeper’s work to protect people from a variety of environmental hazards–like tainted drinking water, polluted air, and waste contamination, among others–that pose serious risks to the health and safety of our communities. These hazards are endemic in underserved, low-income communities, reflecting the ongoing racial and socioeconomic injustice in our society.

If you missed this important discussion, you can watch a full recording of the event by clicking below!

Click here to watch!

Protecting wilderness in the Catskill Region and fighting for environmental justice in our communities takes input from legislators and community members alike. To start the new year off right, Catskill Mountainkeeper hosted a webinar on February 15th, 2022 to connect key New York State decision makers with our friends and supporters. During this webinar, we explored specific obstacles facing our region, possible solutions to pressing problems, and actions we all can take to help enhance life in the Catskills and protect everything that makes this region so special. Our panelists included:

• Senator Michelle Hinchey;
  
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Deputy Commissioner of Natural Resources, Katie Petronis;
  
• Assemblymember Aileen Gunther;
  
• Assemblymember Kevin Cahill;
  
• Assemblymember Chris Tague;
  
• Assemblymember Brian Miller; and
  
• Jeff Senterman, The Catskill Center.

Watch the Full Webinar Here!

The wild forests and mountain ranges of the Catskills are home to a plethora of unique and interesting native plant species. On February 15th, 2022 Catskill Mountainkeeper joined experts on our native ecology for a virtual tour of Mountain Top Arboretum, and a conversation about where to purchase native plants and how to introduce them around our homes. Our panelists for this webinar were:  

• Marc Wolf, Director of Mountain Top Arboretum; and
• John Thompson, Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) Coordinator at the Catskill Center.

Click "Read More" for a fantastic resource list, native plants list, and responses to all the questions we weren't able to answer due to time constraints.

Watch the Full Webinar HERE!

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Jumping Worms—also known as crazy snake worms, Alabama jumpers, and Asian worms—seriously threaten the health of our Catskills forests. On December 7th, 2021 Catskill Mountainkeeper gathered experts to discuss how the life cycles of jumping worms differ from other common worms, as well as how they impact nutrient cycling, soil health, microhabitats, and our forests. The conversation also covered measures that we all can take to report jumping worm infestations and help prevent their spread. Our panelists included:

 

•Tim McCay, ecologist with Colgate University;

•Rebecca Pinder, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and the Environmental Studies Program at Columbia-Greene Community College; and

•John Thompson, Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) Coordinator at the Catskill Center.

https://fb.watch/9WY51UcAam/

You can also find additional jumping worm resources, compiled by our expert panelists, here.

What's eating the Catskills? Invasive pests! In this webinar with the experts form Mountainkeeper, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, New York State Hemlock Initiative, and the Monitoring and Managing Ash project, we dig deep into the hemlock woolly adelgid and the emerald ash borer. Watch this webinar from August 2021 to find out more about the bugs and what you can do to help!

A critically important gateway to the Catskill Park is being threatened by a proposed steel and concrete fabrication plant in the Town of Kingston. An application filed by 850 Route 28 LLC to build this facility raises multiple questions about how to conduct a fair and comprehensive environmental review under New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). This webinar from June 2021 explores how the SEQRA process should proceed, and how citizens can use SEQRA to hold 850 Route 28 LLC accountable.

Ticks are everywhere. It’s hard to find someone in our region who doesn’t have a story about pulling one off themselves, their child, or their pet. But why are ticks’ habitat growing? What kinds of ticks live in New York? What diseases do they carry and what can we do to protect ourselves? Mountainkeeper dug in to this discussion with an expert panel, including our partners at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and the Catskill Center. Learn more in this webinar from May 2021!