Catskill Mountainkeeper Opens Office in Woodstock,
Dr. Kathleen Nolan to Head High Peaks Regional Advocacy
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FREE Open House for Woodstock Community on February 26th
Woodstock, New York - Catskill Mountainkeeper has opened a new office in Woodstock, New York and has hired Kathleen Nolan, MD, MSL, as Director for the High Peaks Region. Woodstock is the gateway to the Catskills High Peaks and is a cultural and historic cornerstone for the entire region. Our new office is located right in downtown Woodstock in the Historic Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, America's oldest continuing art colony. We are honored to share a home with this historic American institution.
Dr. Nolan has been a staunch environmental advocate since she moved to the Catskills over 20 years ago. She brings to Mountainkeeper a keen interest in preserving the economic, environmental, and aesthetic values of pristine mountain peaks and ridgelines. She will focus on the challenges of reining in poorly designed and over-reaching development, while championing sustainable energy projects, open space preservation, advancement of recreational opportunities, and the revival of town and village centers.
"Working with Catskill Mountainkeeper keeps me at the center of the most important issues facing the Catskill region," says Nolan, in response to her appointment. "Mountainkeeper's leadership role has been proven in their defense of clean air and water through their review of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale and in their opposition to casino gambling as a shortsighted approach to economic development in rural areas. I am delighted to join Mountainkeeper as an educator and advocate on these and other critical issues facing the Catskills region."
With her impressive resume, Nolan comes to Woodstock by way of rural Tennessee. She attended both Saint Louis University and Yale and previously worked for the Hastings Center, writing and teaching on diverse topics in bioethics. She came to the Catskills in 1989 to pursue residential training at a Zen Buddhist monastery and in 2003 she became Executive Director of Tibet Aid in Woodstock. In 2009 she founded Catskills Live! Trails and Wilderness Association. Currently, Nolan serves on the Ulster County Tourism Advisory Board, the Ulster County Trails Advisory Committee and as an officer for the Catskill Heritage Alliance and the Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Nolan and Mountainkeeper Executive Director Ramsay Adams will welcome the Woodstock community on Saturday February 26th from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM with an opening party for the new office at the Byrdcliffe Guilds' Kleinert/James Arts Center (the office itself is located next door at 34 Tinker Street, 3rd floor.) Local luminaries including author and poet Will Nixon, folk-rock indie music stars Mike + Ruthy, Woodstock Film Festival's Meira Blaustein and1969 Woodstock Festival Co-Founder Michael Lang will be on hand to introduce Mountainkeeper to its new community. Partygoers will enjoy delicious tastings from Woodstock restaurants and shops and get a chance to hear about the environmental, educational and volunteer opportunities in the Woodstock office. The entire event is free and open to the public. Space is limited so please RSVP by email: info@catskillmountainkeeper.org or call 845.482.5400
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| Kathleen Nolan, Woodstock, NY. February, 2011 (photo provided by Mountainkeeper) |
Kathy Nolan's Mountainkeeper email is kathy@catskillmountainkeeper.org
In other staff news, Mountainkeeper veteran Aaron Bennett has accepted the position of Deputy Coordinator for the Ulster County Department of the Environment. Aaron continues to work with Mountainkeeper on our education initiatives and will continue to lead our hugely popular "Hike the High Peaks" program. We are very proud and excited for Aaron.
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UPCOMING EVENT - FREE - THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF PARKLAND
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2011
Catskill Mountainkeeper in Partnership with the Catskill Center and the Catskill Heritage Alliance Announces Catskill Cornucopia's Presentation: "Economic Benefits of Parkland"
Research in the Adirondack and Shawangunk Mountains shows that public lands are clearly beneficial to the economic health of local communities. Learn how we in the Catskills can adopt the lessons of important studies from the experts who conducted them. Catskill Cornucopia invites you to join us for "Economic Benefits of Parkland," a presentation and group discussion held at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, at 1:30 pm on Friday, February 18. The presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Kenneth Strike, the author of Adirondack Park Regional Assessment Program: An Appraisal, and Brian Zweig, who recently conducted the Study of the Economic Impact on the Local Economy of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Mohonk Preserve and Sam's Point Preserve (in the Shawangunk Mountains) will discuss how economic impacts are calculated, describe what economic benefits have been demonstrated, and suggest where to focus when considering how public lands here in the Catskills can strengthen our own local economies.
Catskill Cornucopia provides a forum for interesting and topical discussions on issues directly connected with life in our mountain communities and is presented through a partnership of the Catskill Heritage Alliance, Catskill Mountainkeeper and the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. For more information call 845.482.5400 or visit http://www.catskillcenter.org/images/stories/pdf/release020411.pdf
Economic Benefits of Parkland
1:30pm Friday, February 18th
Ashokan Center
477 Beaverkill Rd
Olivebridge, NY 12461
Get Directions to the Ashokan Center
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About Catskill Mountainkeeper Catskill Mountainkeeper is an independent, not for profit, 501c3 community based environmental advocacy organization, dedicated to creating a flourishing sustainable economy in the Catskills and preserving and protecting the area's long term health. We address issues of water integrity for the Delaware and Susquehanna River Systems, the defense of the vast woodlands that encompass the Catskill Forest Preserve and the New York City Watershed as well as farmland protection. We promote "smart" development that balances the economic needs and concerns of the Catskill regions' citizens and the protection of our abundant but exceedingly vulnerable natural resources.
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