#2006-11: May 15, 2006 William Ginsberg, Long-Time Catskill Center Board Director Has Died William R.Ginsberg passed away peacefully at his home in New York City, on Sunday, May 14. He was 75. A member of the Board of Directors for The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development for 33 years and President for 15 of those years, Bill Ginsberg was the driving force behind the organization’s land protection efforts. He also lent his skills to efforts on behalf of sustainable development in the region. "All of us at the Catskill Center are deeply saddened," said Tom Alworth, Executive Director of The Catskill Center, "Bill’s vision, legal expertise and dedication to land conservation can never be replaced. Open space protection has lost one of its strongest advocates, and we have all lost a sweet, caring human being and friend." No memorial services have yet been planned by the family. Bill Ginsberg devoted his career to land conservation, and his enthusiastic service to conservation groups has resulted in a legacy that has been, and will continue to be, enjoyed by thousands of people all around the Catskills and beyond. Bill Ginsberg joined The Catskill Center's Board of Directors in 1973, and served as President for 15 years, from 1981 until 1996. During his tenure as President, The Catskill Center grew and matured substantially as an organization. He was personally committed to the realization of several substantial land conservation projects. Ginsberg devoted several years of his life specifically to negotiating The Catskill Center’s largest and most important land conservation deals, including the Beaverkill Conservation Area, the Platte Clove Preserve, the Mongaup Valley Wildlife Management Area, and the Catskill Interpretive Center site. He initiated The Catskill Center’s Conservation Easement Program, and personally wrote and/or reviewed every easement document held by The Catskill Center. His input and guidance was essential to the growth and maturation of The Catskill Center as a regional land trust. Ginsberg, a Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law at Hofstra University School of Law, began his teaching career there in 1974. At the time he began teaching environmental law in the early 1970's, there were less than a dozen such courses offered at law schools in the United States. During the mid-1960’s he was involved in NYC politics, being a campaign manager for Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Robert Kennedy. He was the deputy and acting executive assistant to the NY City Counsel president from 1966 to 1967, and commissioner and first deputy administrator for New York City’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration from 1968 to 1970. From 1970 to 1973 he was counsel and director of research for the New York State Temporary Commission on the Powers of Local Government. He later served as administrative law judge in several important state brown-field investigations, and was several times an officer in the environmental section of the state Bar Association. Ginsberg could be found on most weekends at his property on Cold Brook Road in Woodstock. He served with distinction on the board of directors of The Woodstock Guild and the Mohonk Trust. He was an enthusiastic supporter of live performances of classical music, a collector of antique hand tools, an advisor to Woodstock town government on environmental issues, and a stimulating, generous and loyal friend to many people in the region. The Catskill Center would like to express its sincere appreciation for Bill Ginsberg’s lifetime of commitment to making our organization what it is today, and for his essential role in making such enormous land conservation contributions to the Catskill region. The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development is a non-profit membership organization promoting Healthy Ecosystems and Vibrant Communities throughout the Catskills.