Five Ways to Advocate for the Catskills
The Catskills are a place of natural beauty, vibrant communities, and access to diverse outdoor experiences. Whether hiking through our vast forests, taking in a mountaintop view, or joining our community of friends and neighbors to restore native habitats, every person can make a difference for the Catskills.
The Catskill Center invites everyone who cherishes this region to turn their personal connection to the Catskills into action for its future.
1. Get Involved and Volunteer with the Catskill Center
Meaningful change starts with you, in your own backyard and beyond. Volunteers are at the heart of the Catskill Center’s work in the Catskill Park and across the region. By joining as a Catskill Center volunteer, whether helping with habitat restoration, welcoming visitors to a fire tower, participating in trail clean-ups, supporting outreach programs and events, contributing to citizen science, or leading public hikes—your energy and commitment translate directly into lasting impact here in the Catskills.
Training and support are provided for all volunteers; enthusiasm and dedication matter most. Every hour you offer strengthens the region, nurtures community connection, and helps care for the land we love. Membership and donations empower the Catskill Center to provide resources, supplies, and opportunities for volunteers, multiplying your impact on trails, programs, habitats, and the Park itself. Visit the Catskill Center website or contact our office to find volunteer opportunities that match your interests and availability.
2. Raise Your Voice for Conservation
Local, state, and federal leaders help shape the future of the Catskills. Stay informed about outdoor, park, and conservation issues affecting these lands and waters by watching for Catskill Center advocacy alerts. Reach out to your representatives—emails, letters, and calls really do show leaders that the Catskills matter. Tell them you support the legislative and budget priorities of the Catskill Center and the Catskill Park Coalition. Sign up for alerts from the Catskill Center to get timely updates about legislation and opportunities to speak up, and consider strengthening your impact by joining as a member or supporting the Center financially—as all of our advocacy work is member and donor supported.
3. Lead by Example in Everyday Life
Advocacy goes beyond words. Daily actions like reducing waste, supporting local and sustainable businesses, taking public transit, and conserving energy, all show how to care for the Catskills. Share your knowledge and inspire others to make environmentally conscious decisions that protect our region’s forests, waters, and communities. Amplify your influence by connecting with the Catskill Center, supporting our mission, and introducing our work to your friends.
4. Support Organizations Making a Difference
Direct action is essential, but lasting change requires resources. Becoming a member, donating, or volunteering strengthens the movement to preserve the Catskills and Catskill Park. Your support for the Catskill Center funds policy advocacy, land preserve protection, ecological restoration, public education, climate action, and more. With every gift or membership, you help ensure that the land, waters, and communities of the Catskills thrive for generations to come.
5. Stay Grounded in What Inspires You
Advocating for the Catskills starts with a love of place. Make time to explore a favorite trail, pause by a mountain stream, or share experiences with friends and family outdoors. These moments provide the energy and purpose needed to sustain advocacy. Join the Catskill Center as a member or donor to celebrate and protect the special places that inspire you alongside a community of people who feel the same.
Together, We Make a Difference
Every action, whether speaking up for a policy, volunteering to restore a streamside habitat, or encouraging friends to recreate responsibly—all adds up. The challenges facing the Catskills are real, but so are the possibilities created through caring commitment and collective support.
The Catskill Center believes in the power of people and community to protect the Catskills. Become a member, make a donation, volunteer your time, and join us in advocating for the outdoors and securing a thriving future for the landscapes and communities we love.