For more than a century, New York City has relied on the Catskills for its abundant supply of clean, soft drinking water. The Catskills' relationship with NYC has been a complicated one, including the staggering loss of entire communities, and a multitude of mutual benefits along the way. This week, Adam Bosch recounts the history of that relationship, plus we hear from the Olive Free Library's Melissa McHugh on an exhibit showcasing life before the Ashokan reservoir. Then, we check in with with Lize Mogel, producer of a comprehensive new tour of the watershed. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Kaatscast

Watershed Moments: NYC and the Catskills Past and Present

Each year, hundreds of injured birds arrive at Annie Mardiney's doorstep for a second chance at life in the wild. When she isn't rescuing birds, Annie's running educational programs, with companion raptors like Peregrine Falcon Meng, pictured. We spoke with her (Annie, not Meng) at a talk she gave at the John Burroughs' Woodchuck Lodge. Hear her story, plus advice for helping injured wildlife.  Thanks to our sponsors: Dixon Roadside and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce For a list of wildlife rehabilitators near you, visit the DEC directory. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Wild Mountain Bird Rescue

This week... it's the only mammal capable of flight. And it can catch 1000 mosquitos in an hour! We're talking bats with Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director, Kathy Nolan, who joined me among the little brown bats of Shandaken, NY. Thanks to our sponsors: the Catskill Center; and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce, hosting the 17th annual Cauliflower Festival. Thanks also to Robert Burke Warren, for the use of his song, "It's a Bat!" And to Raimund Specht, Avisoft Bioacoustics, for the bat recordings. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Talking Bats with Kathy Nolan

On May 11, 2019, the Phoenicia Library presented live, Outdoor Guides of the Catskills: The “Adventure Experts” -- this is a recording of that presentation, featuring Will Soter, co-founder of Upstate Adventure Guides and the president of the New York State Outdoor Guide Association (NYSOGA); Legendary fishing guide Hank Rope, owner of Big Indian Guide Service; Lifelong angler and expert guide Cliff Schwark, a founder of the Catskill Mt. Chapter of Trout Unlimited; and Patty Rudge, the first woman to serve as a full time NYS Forest Ranger. Since the early 1800’s, New York’s guides have been leading visitors into the wild areas of our beautiful state. Back in the day, colorful characacters like Orson “Old Mountain” Phelps and other local outdoorsmen plied their trade as fishing and hunting guides to the wealthy robber barons of the Adirondack Great Camps. By 1924, New York required guides to be licensed, in an effort to reduce fires, enforce conservation laws, curb hunting abuses and enhance enjoyment of the outdoors. Today, the tradition continues, and licensed guides are available for outdoor adventure opportunities like whitewater, rock climbing, snowshoeing and nature studies, in addition to fishing and hunting. Thanks to our sponsors: the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway and the Catskill Center.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Outdoor Guides of the Catskills: The “Adventure Experts”

Need water? Choose a random spot, drill, and drill some more, until you hit water. However, if you want to pinpoint the ideal location for clean, clear water, with minimal drilling, you might consider hiring a dowser like Bill Getz to survey the land. Hear about this age-old craft that combines sticks and rods with intuition, a connection to nature, and perhaps a dose of psychic energy. This episode of Kaatscast is supported by Dixon Roadside and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. Recorded at the John Burroughs' Woodchuck Lodge, as part of their Wild Saturdays series. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Dowsing for Water with Bill Getz

Restaurant owner Mike Cioffi talks food, pandemic adaptations, and running (two) successful restaurants in the Catskills –– Phoenicia's landmark Phoenicia Diner, and Woodstock's Dixon Roadside. Thanks to Mike, Courtney, Bella, and everyone behind the scenes who made our Phoenicia Diner lunch possible. And thank you to our local sponsors: the Phoenicia Playhouse, and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Lunch with Mike Cioffi at the Phoenicia Diner

This week, we present an audio driving guide on arts and culture, produced a few years back, in association with the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. Hear from artists, musicians, and farmers with tips on farms, galleries, museums, and scenery you'll want to mark on a map for your next trip up the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway ... Route 28, from Olive to Andes. Please visit our sponsors: the Phoenicia Playhouse, and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Arts and Culture along the CMSB

Over the years, Silver Hollow Audio has produced a number of audio driving guides, including tours of art, history, and outdoor recreation. This week, we've pulled out our outdoor adventure guide, produced in 2016 in association with the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. It's chock full of ideas for your next hiking, paddling, cycling, or fishing trip. Peter Manning is our tour guide, with specific suggestions along Route 28, heading west from Olive to Andes. Plus, we'll hear from some of the Catskills' most experienced outdoors-people on those very trails and waterways. Trail access and sporting regulations do tend to change, so please be sure to check maps and local guides for updates. There have also been some major additions in the past few years, like Rail Explorers, out of Phoenicia; and the Ashokan Rail Trail, with trailheads in Woodstock, Shokan, and Boiceville. To hear about the rail trail, check out Kaatscast episode 30. So ... grab a map, and a note pad, because this episode is loaded with ideas for your next outdoor adventure. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Outdoor Adventure Guide to the Central Catskills

At one time, New York state had more than 100 active fire towers, the purpose of which was to help lookouts –– you guessed it –– spot fires. These days, some of the remaining towers have been repurposed for recreational use. At Bramley Mountain, in the western Catskills, the fire tower was dismantled in the 1970s, but a local family has been keeping it safe in a nearby barn. Now that Bramley has an official hiking trail, that tower is destined, once again, for the summit. Laurie Rankin tells us more, on our Bramley Mountain hike. Thanks to WIOX and the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway for their support.  To learn more about the Bramley fire tower project, head on over to bramleymountainfiretower.org. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Bramley Mountain Fire Tower

Hanford Mills Museum operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site, which includes a sawmill, gristmill, and woodworking shop. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources, and entrepreneurship in rural communities with a focus on sustainable choices. The museum is listed on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places. We took a tour, and you can too! For scheduling and information, visit hanfordmills.org. Thanks to our sponsors, WIOX and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Hanford Mills and the Power of the Past

This Memorial Day week, we visited two area cemeteries where historians are taking steps to memorialize former Catskills residents in the towns of Delhi and Roxbury. At the Roxbury Methodist Church cemetery, gravestones obscured by years of algae and lichen growth are being restored with a special cleaning agent and some good ol' historian elbow grease. And in Delhi, a poorhouse cemetery lost in time is finally getting the recognition and care that it deserves.  County historian Gabrielle Pierce is working with Christa Schafer's Delaware County Office, to restore stones to hundreds of graves in Delhi, NY. And in Roxbury, historians Diane Galusha and Anthony Liberatore scrub 80 years of grime to renew a marble headstone. Kaatscast is supported by WIOX Community Radio, live and local in the Catskills; and by the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Honoring the Dead: Cemetery Stories from Delaware County

Hankering for some baseball circa 1895? Teams like Mountain Athletic Club and the Bovina Dairymen are playing vintage "base ball" right here in the Catskills. Spectators and players welcome! We spoke with the M.A.C.'s Collin Miller during spring practice on Creamery Field in Bovina, NY. Collin's team is "fashioned after the original team established in Griffin Corners, New York in 1895 by yeast magnates Julius and Max Fleischmann. Thanks to M.A.C., the Bovina Dairymen, and the Delhi Base Ball Club for inviting us to practice.  Thanks also to our sponsors: Roxbury's WIOX and the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Vintage Baseball in Delaware County

This week, I met with Brian Flynn for a no-holds-barred interview on his run for Congress, his business ventures, a family tragedy, a life of activism, civic engagement, and the donation of not one, but two living organs. All that, and more, from Brian's home in Elka Park, NY. This episode was edited by our production intern, Skye Ruse. Please support our supporters: the Phoenicia Playhouse and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

An Interview with Brian Flynn

Honey bees aren't the only species facing serious population declines. Wild bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects, plus birds, bats, and amphibians are losing natural habitat and being forced out by invasive species, pesticides and herbicides. Pollinator pathways are a series of pollinator friendly areas that are spaced closely enough to create a habitat corridor. And for Catskills landowners, the Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway offers simple ways to affect positive change for our pollinator pals. Committee Chair Georgia Asher tells us more. Supported by WIOX and the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway

Oliverea schoolhouse maple is a 4,000 tap maple farm owned and operated by Herb Van Baren. We tagged along for the day as he tapped trees and pumped sap to be boiled down to 1,000 gallons of Catskill Mountain syrup! This episode was sponsored by WIOX and the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

Sugaring Season at Oliverea Schoolhouse Maple

Kaatscast is a biweekly podcast delivering interviews, arts, culture, history, and outdoor adventures, from New York's Catskill mountains. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaatscast/support

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