Dear Members, Supporters, Partners and Friends of the Catskill Center,

The Catskill Center is closely monitoring the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic and we are continuing to take and update our precautionary measures to help protect our staff and slow the spread of the virus.

In light of the current situation and in compliance with Governor Cuomo’s recent order to close all non-essential businesses, but most importantly out of concern for the safety of our members, volunteers and staff and their families as well as our wider community, we are instituting the following changes effective the evening of Sunday, March 22, 2020:

• The Catskills Visitor Center in Mount Tremper will continue to be closed to the public. Visitor Center staff working from home will be available to answer emails (info@catskillcenter.org) during normal business hours. We will continue to work to develop more visitor resources on our Visitor Center website (catskillsvisitorcenter.org).

• The Catskill Center’s offices in the Erpf Center in Arkville and Tannersville will continue to be closed to the public.

• All Catskill Center and Catskills Visitor Center staff will work from home without any travel or in-person meetings. Staff will remain available via telephone, email and video conference during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm). For staff contact information, visit www.catskillcenter.org/staff.

• Public events, workshops and programming scheduled to occur in person prior to June 30, 2020 will be rescheduled as virtual events or cancelled.

• The status of public events scheduled to occur after June 30, 2020 will be evaluated on a periodic basis.

• We are working to transition public programming to an online format during this period in order to continue offering information relevant to our members, supporters and our communities.

We will closely monitor the situation and any guidance from local, state and federal officials and comply with all applicable guidelines and directions from authorities.

As a reminder, Governor Cuomo has issued the following recommendations to prevent contracting the virus:

“There are simple steps we can all take to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, like your cell phone.”

For up-to-date information regarding the coronavirus/COVID-19, please visit the dedicated NYS, WHO and CDC websites.

For recommendations on outdoor recreation in the Catskills during this period, please visit our Outdoor Recreation Recommendations page.

During this difficult time, all of us at the Catskill Center remain committed to our work to protect, preserve and enrich the environmental, cultural and economic well-being of the Catskills and are taking these measures to ensure that this work can continue. From all of us, to all of you, we are committed to working together in order to make our way through this challenge.

Sincerely yours,

Jeff Senterman

Executive Director