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!

In April of 2021, Mountainkeeper joined with Cornell's Waste Management Institute, White Feather Farms, and Greenway Topsoil to discuss the ins and outs of composting. It was a fantastic discussion ranging from backyard composting to municipal composting and large-scale systems. Check it out!

Visitors and locals alike are concerned about the intensive use some of our Catskills trails and swimming holes saw during the summer of 2020. To address this, Mountainkeeper pulled together an expert panel to discuss what was happening in the forest preserve and how we can approach some of the problems. In November 2020, Rocci Aguirre of the Adirondack Council, Andy Mossey of the Catskill Center Ingrid Peterec of the US National Park Service, and Katie Petronis of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation joined to share their unique perspectives about how to protect our natural resources while welcoming visitors to the forest preserves.

In November 2020 Mountainkeeper had an excellent Conversation on a Changing World, hosted by the smart and talented Juliette Bennett and featuring Tim Guinee, actor and activist extraordinaire. In this conversation, Tim talks about speaking across issue and party lines, and shares stories about how he entered the world of activism. Check it out!

In October 2020, Mountainkeeper was excited to have our second Conversation on a Changing World, hosted by Juliette Bennett and featuring Rahwa Ghirmatzion of PUSH Buffalo. In this conversation, Rahwa introduces us to PUSH's model of community organizing, shares how PUSH is changing the face of Buffalo and NYS, gives tips for orgs starting down this path, and fills us in on what's inspiring her these days. Check it out!

In September 2020, Mountainkeeper was excited to have our first Conversation on a Changing World, hosted by Juliette Bennett and our own Ramsay Adams. We had this conversation with the legendary Robert A.F. Thurman, renowned author, academic, and expert on Tibetan Buddhism. The discussion covers a lot of ground, including the roots of the climate crisis and how we can approach solutions. Bob is one of former Vice President Gore's climate ambassadors and an amazing activist. Enjoy!

Watch our July 2020 panel on regional solutions for transforming our food system! This panel featured Gabriela Quintanilla - Western New York Coordinator of Rural & Migrant Ministry; Elizabeth Henderson - co-chair of the Policy Committee of the Northeast Organic Farming Association; Alice Diehl - a local dairy farmer in Sullivan County; Wes Gillingham - Associate Director and co-founder of Catskill Mountainkeeper; and Eugene Thalmann - Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Callicoon Farmers Market and Catskill Mountainkeeper's Food & Agricultural Advisor.