#2007-11: July 14, 2007 The Catskill Center Honors Greene County Historian Raymond Beecher Arkville - On Saturday, July 14th The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development held its 38th Annual Membership Meeting on the grounds of the historic Erpf House in Arkville. Nearly 100 people gathered for the afternoon and enjoyed a catered picnic lunch and folk music by James Krueger and Henry Hermann. The big announcement of the day was the receipt of a significant gift of $375,000 from the estate of former board president, William R. Ginsberg, Esq. Mr. Ginsberg, affectionately known as Bill to all who knew him, passed away in 2006. "We are deeply moved by this," said Tom Alworth, Executive Director of The Catskill Center. "This generous gift to The Catskill Center will be a tremendous boost to our efforts to advance ‘smart growth’ and resource protection throughout the Catskill region, and will help us chart our course for the future." The unrestricted gift will be added to the organization’s endowment and assist in its program development and implementation. The guest speaker, Governor Spitzer’s Special Assistant for the Environment, Paul Beyer, discussed the Governors intentions to promote smart growth throughout New York State. Mr. Beyer began working on land use issues twenty years ago as Legislative Staff Director for then-Assembly member Alexander "Pete" Grannis. He served for five years on the Amherst, NY Planning Board, where he promoted smart growth and sustainable land use. He received his law degree from the University at Buffalo, and served successive positions as an assistant Erie County attorney and a state supreme court law clerk in Buffalo, before moving back to Albany. The 2007 Alf Evers Award For Excellence was awarded to Raymond Beecher. In 2002 Raymond Beecher was declared "A Greene County Treasure" by the Greene County Legislature. He has belonged to the Greene County Historical Society for more than half a century and has served as the society’s president and chairman of the board. He was also chairman of the Greene County Bicentennial Committee. He initiated the Greene County Historical Sites register and has contributed countless hours of work to that project. Mr. Beecher was appointed as County Historian by the County Legislature in 1993 and has served that post ever since. He provided leadership and financial support to purchase and begin restoration of Cedar Grove, Thomas Cole’s long-neglected home in Catskill. His vision helped make certain that Cedar Grove would become not just a museum dedicated to Cole’s life and works, but also an extremely active cultural center with speaking events, exhibits and other activities year-round, attracting some of the finest art historians and exhibiting many important artworks. Mr. Beecher is also the acclaimed author of several books, including: Kaaterskill Clove: Where Nature Met Art; Under Three Flags; Out to Greenville; and Around Greene County and the Catskills (with Harvey Durham). He is presently writing a history of Greene County’s river towns, which he refers to as his "last book" - but those who know Raymond Beecher and his indefatigable spirit refuse to believe that it will, indeed, be his last. In recognition of his distinguished career, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters by Hartwick College. Raymond Beecher is much more than "A Greene County Treasure;" he is a Catskill Mountain treasure. The Catskill Center is a non-profit, membership organization working to foster both healthy ecosystems and vibrant communities in the Catskills. For more information please visit their website at www.catskillcenter.org or call (845) 586-2611.