REGIONAL ADVOCACY
A LEADING VOICE FOR THE CATSKILLS AND CATSKILL PARK
RECENT WINS FOR THE CATSKILLS
Our sustained advocacy has helped secure meaningful and lasting outcomes for the Catskills, including:
Establishment of a dedicated Forest Preserve funding line in the Environmental Protection Fund, delivering $36 million to the Catskills and Adirondacks since 2021.
Annual state funding for key Catskill priorities, including the Catskills Visitor Center and the Catskill Science Collaborative.
Release of the Catskill Strategic Advisory Group’s final report, calling for a comprehensive update to Catskill Park management.
Expansion of NYSDEC trail maintenance and construction contracts.
Improved access and parking at Peekamoose Blue Hole.
Continued additions to the Catskill Park and Forest Preserve.
HERE FOR THE CATSKILLS, HERE FOR YOU
The Catskill Center is the longest-serving nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the Catskills and the Catskill Park. For more than half a century, we have worked to ensure that the region’s forests, waters, communities, and cultural heritage are protected, well managed, and equitably supported.
The Catskills are more than a destination. They are home to vibrant communities, a globally significant watershed, and 700,000 acres of public Forest Preserve that provide clean drinking water, climate resilience, recreation, and economic vitality for millions of New Yorkers. Advocacy is essential to protecting these shared resources. Decisions made in Albany shape how the Catskills are funded, managed, and cared for and the Catskill Center ensures the region has a strong, informed voice in those conversations.
Our advocacy connects local needs with statewide priorities, advancing policies and investments that benefit Catskills communities while safeguarding resources that serve all New Yorkers.
WHAT WE ADVOCATE FOR
As part of our mission to protect and preserve the environmental, cultural, and economic resources of the Catskills, the Catskill Center advocates for:
Protection and stewardship of the Forest Preserve and Catskill Park.
Including natural resource protection, responsible outdoor recreation, visitor use management, recreation infrastructure, and sustainable trail construction and maintenance.
Responsible economic development.
Supporting communities throughout the region by strengthening local economies, tourism, and outdoor recreation in ways that are sustainable and community-driven.
Watershed protection and climate resilience.
Safeguarding water quality, conserving undeveloped lands, restoring streamside buffers, increasing flood resilience, and protecting communities while providing recreational and ecological benefits.
Equitable and consistent funding.
Ensuring the Catskill Park and Catskills communities receive fair, reliable investment comparable to other protected regions in New York State.
These comprehensive legislative priorities address critical funding needs for environmental protection, public safety, visitor management, and support for local economies across the region.
THE CATSKILL PARK COALITION
The Catskill Park Coalition is an alliance of organizations committed to increasing public understanding of the Catskill Park and securing the resources needed to care for it. The Coalition is co-chaired by the Catskill Center and Catskill Mountainkeeper.
The Coalition grew out of early advocacy efforts in Albany that demonstrated the power of coordinated, long-term engagement. Since then, it has become a central vehicle for amplifying Catskill priorities, uniting conservation, recreation, heritage, and community organizations around shared goals.
Coalition members include regional conservation groups, recreation organizations, cultural institutions, local chambers of commerce, and community partners from across the Catskills.
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Catskill Center · 3500 Club · Adirondack Mountain Club · Catskill Association for Tourism Services · Catskill Heritage Alliance · Catskill Mountain Club · Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce · Central Catskills Revitalization Corporation · Community Greenways Collaborative · Delaware Highlands Conservancy · Friends of the Catskill Interpretive Center · Friends of the Upper Delaware River · Hudson Valley Hikers · Catskill Mountainkeeper · Hunter Foundation · Mountain Top Arboretum · Mountain Top Historical Society · Natural Resources Defense Council · New York–New Jersey Trail Conference · Open Space Institute · Parks & Trails New York · Pine Hill Community Center · Rip Van Winkle Hikers · Riverkeeper · Shandaken Art Studio Tour · Theodore Gordon Flyfishers · Trout Unlimited · Woodchuck Lodge · Woodstock Land Conservancy · Zen Mountain Monastery
LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION
The Catskill Center’s advocacy is grounded in collaboration and long-term relationship-building with state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and elected officials.
We lead Catskill Park Day, bringing local leaders and partners together to advocate directly for Catskill priorities.
We co-lead the Catskill Park Coalition, advocating for equitable resources and long-term investment in the Catskill Park.
We co-chair a collaborative group of stakeholders from the Catskill and Adirondack Parks to advocate collectively for New York State’s Forest Preserve.
We chair the Catskill Park Advisory Committee, working with state agencies and stakeholders to improve communication and inform land management decisions.
We currently serve as Chair of the Forest Preserve Advisory Committee, established by DEC to advise on Forest Preserve issues statewide.
We are a founding signatory to the 1997 New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and remain a key stakeholder in ongoing watershed negotiations.
The 1997 New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement established a collaborative framework for protecting water quality while sustaining Catskills communities. This agreement helps deliver nearly one billion gallons of clean drinking water each day to millions of New Yorkers.
For more than 28 years, the Catskill Center has remained at the table as a trusted stakeholder, helping balance watershed protection, community needs, and regional economic vitality. Recent negotiations have focused on renewal of the Water Withdrawal Permit, which supports critical programs such as the Streamside Acquisition Program that conserves riparian buffers and strengthens flood resilience.
The MOA is recognized globally as a model for collaborative watershed management, and the Catskill Center’s role continues to demonstrate how healthy communities and healthy watersheds can thrive together.
THE CATSKILL PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Catskill Park Advisory Committee (CPAC) was established by the Catskill Center in consultation with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The Committee is a group of local governments and organizations organized by the Catskill Center and the Trail Conference, and represents the various communities and user groups of the Catskill Park and the Catskill Watershed. The purpose of the Committee is to provide assistance, advice, and guidance to the NYSDEC, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and other land managers in the management of the NYS Forest Preserve, the Catskill Park and the Catskill Watershed.
CPAC members represent local governments and stakeholder organizations in the Catskills. The committee also includes representatives from the DEC, DEP and other state agencies. To learn more about membership, please call 845-586-2611 or email cccd@catskillcenter.org. Meetings are open to the public and membership is not required to attend and participate.