Catskill Center Urges NYS Assembly To Pass A Bill For A Much-Needed Catskill Park Coordinator

(June 8, 2021) With the New York state legislative session ending June 10, the Catskill Center urges the Assembly to pass a bill that would establish the position of Catskill Park Coordinator within the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Catskill Center applauds the New York State Senate for passing the legislation June 7 sponsored by Senator Michelle Hinchey (S.6421). The Catskill Park needs a coordinator to assist with managing high-use in the Catskill Park. Aileen Gunther sponsors the bill in her chamber.

The Park and its public lands attract more than 2.7 million people, thousands of jobs and more than $170 million annually to the Catskills region and its communities. Over the last decade, visitor use has increased dramatically in the Park, creating high-use hot spots. There are several reports and studies with recommendations to improve natural resource management and visitor management, but they have not been implemented due to a lack of resources and coordination. The Coordinator would assist in finding resources for and spearheading the implementation of regional plans to better manage the Catskill Park. In addition, the Coordinator would facilitate cooperation between agencies, municipal governments, businesses, and nonprofit entities. 

While the DEC has a Forest Preserve Coordinator role, the vast majority of that person’s time is spent working on Adirondack Park issues. Compared to the roughly 700,000 acres of the Catskill Park, the Adirondack Park is more than 6 million acres and therefore demands a large portion of that coordinator’s responsibility.

The 705,500 acre Catskill Park and 287,500 acre Catskill Forest Preserve cover an area that is represented by two Department of Environmental Conservation Regions, three Department of Transportation Regions, three Regional Economic Development Councils, four Counties, 26 Towns, and dozens of nonprofit entities. 

Bill Summary

S.6421/A.7753 establishes the position of Catskill Park Coordinator within the Department of Environmental Conservation to build partnerships between the department and other state agencies, municipal governments, businesses and nonprofit entities that will develop a community-based tourism strategy for the forest preserve to help fortify the regional economy and to coordinate implementation of the public access plan and other approved or adopted Catskill park-wide plans.