Teamwork at Platte Clove Preserve

What can you get done in a day when over 40 volunteers from the Student Conservation Association visit your Preserve? In the case of our Platte Clove Preserve, the answer is a whole lot of things!

Organized by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Greene County, this service day was an amazing day of team work, camaraderie, education and accomplishments!

The Catskill Center coordinated with the Trail Conference beforehand, laying out a series of work projects throughout the Preserve that was a mix of maintenance projects, trail projects, access projects and research. At the event, the teams worked on and finished:

• Repainting our replica king post bridge across Plattekill Creek
• Trail repair work on the Overlook Trail
• A survey of the Preserve's hemlock stands for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
• Installation of a new kiosk to welcome visitors to the Preserve
• Installation of new split rail fencing to help protect sensitive areas and keep visitors on trails
• Relocation of the Preserve's main trailhead to the new kiosk area, providing a single trailhead for the Overlook Trail/Long Path and the Waterfall Trail.

The hard work of these SCA members was amazing. I had the opportunity to lead the crew doing trail work and the trailhead relocation and it was a great chance to see their dedication and desire to accomplish great work for the environment. As we worked, I had the opportunity to explain how the Catskill Center works across the region and at our Preserves to protect and preserve the Catskills and foster the region. 

We are also very thankful to the Land Trust Alliance for the Conservation Partnership Funding that we received for improvements to Platte Clove. That funding allowed us to purchase all the materials that were used during our service day!

Expect even more changes at Platte Clove Preserve over the next few months. We'll be installing more fencing to help protect areas and direct traffic; creating new welcome materials to fill our kiosk; installing a new privy, producing a new brochure and map for the Preserve; and completing several other projects to benefit public access while protecting our natural resources!

Become a member of the Catskill Center today to help us continue work like this at Platte Clove!

Jeff Senterman is the Executive Director of the Catskill Center

Since 1969, the Catskill Center has led the effort to protect  the Catskills.  Our Mission is to protect and foster the environmental, cultural and economic well-being of the Catskill region.