Patti + Bill Rudge / Catskill Forest Preserve’s power couple
To mark its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Catskill Center published a book, Natural Resources: 50 Stewards of the Catskills, which celebrates 50 stewards of the Catskills, chosen for their contributions to the region’s environment, economy and culture. Patti and Bill Rudge are two of those stewards.
Bill and Patti Rudge are the Catskill Forest Preserve’s power couple; they met in physical agility training. Bill has been instrumental in protecting and preserving the Catskill forest and developing the wilderness for recreation. He supervises eight natural resource programs for the Department of Environmental Conservation, including forestry, wildlife, and fisheries.
Patti, a former Catskill Center board member, was the first female Forest Ranger hired off the civil servant list in New York State. She retired in 2004. Now there is a “whole slew of female forest rangers,” she says.
Photo: Heather Phelps-Lipton
“The intention, back in the day, was to have your finger on the heartbeat of the community.”
What’s so special about the Catskill Forest Preserve?
Bill: It is nationally known as one of the most well-protected lands in the United States. Its protection is embedded in the state constitution, Article XIV, the so-called ‘Forever Wild’ clause. It’s wilderness in its truest sense. One purpose of the preserve is to provide a wild and unconfined recreational experience.
What does a forest ranger do?
There is something about this landscape that is really special. You don’t need an artist to tell you that. You can walk in and feel it for yourself. I gravitate towards artists who try to render what they see without adding too much of their own stuff. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Photo: Heather Phelps-Lipton
What are you proudest of?
Bill: I’m really proud of the Catskills Visitor Center, a hallmark of the great partnership between the DEC and the Catskill Center. I also value the partnerships we’ve developed with The Open Space Institute, the Trust for Public Land, Woodstock Land Conservancy, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Environmental Protection. We’re also quite serious about providing opportunities for recreation.
Patti: It was challenging breaking through the barrier of people accepting that, as a woman, I knew what I was talking about, and could manage the situation. Now, I volunteer a lot. I only get involved in things that I feel are really healthy and good for the community.
What are your hopes for the future of the region?
Bill: I’d like to see more vibrant communities, and the public lands in the park play a greater, more meaningful role.
Bill Rudge is a Natural Resources Supervisor, Department of Environmental Conservation
Patti Rudge is a Former New York State Forest Ranger
Patti Rudge shared her method for making food wraps with cotton fabric and beeswax in Catskills Magazine 2020 Issue 2.
Photo: Heather Phelps-Lipton
Natural Resources: 50 Stewards of the Catskills
The newest publication of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Natural Resources: 50 Stewards of the Catskills, was created in 2019 to honor the Catskill Center’s 50th anniversary. The book celebrates 50 stewards of the Catskills, chosen for their contributions to the Catskills’ environment, economy and culture.