There Is a Pressing Need for Affordable Housing for Seasonal Staff

The Catskill Center’s Stewards Program wrapped up its 2022 season covering four locations, including two that continue to attract a large number of visitors — Peekamoose Blue Hole and Kaaterskill Falls.

Overall, stewards engaged with nearly 47,800 visitors and collected more than 162 bags of trash (about 3,000+ pounds) during the season that runs from mid-May through mid-October. In addition to deconstructing rock dams and fire rings and removing rock stacks, stewards helped visitors avoid some 650 parking citations, well more than four times the amount in 2021.

“As an increasing number of visitors come to the Catskill Park, the Catskill Stewards Program is a vital resource for both welcoming and educating them. The stewards help to ensure the protection of natural resources in the Catskills by talking about and showing the importance of recreating responsibly. They also guide visitors to the Catskills Visitor Center and our local communities,” said Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the Catskill Center. “We hope to see increased funding in the State budget to support the existing stewardship program, which would allow us to impress upon even more visitors the importance of safe and responsible recreation.”

The Catskill Stewards Program operates in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) at the Peekamoose Blue Hole, Kaaterskill Falls, and Devil’s Path. The program also runs on the Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve.

Stewards explain and demonstrate why responsible recreation is important – from the importance of not littering to staying on the trails. When stewards are not on site (such as on their days off), they notice increased litter, rock dams and rock stacks, and user-created trails. Stewards help interpret the Catskill Park, provide information on alternative areas to visit, and offer directions to local communities and businesses, which, in turn, helps the local economy.

Visitor engagement numbers were down from 2021 in light of a problem experienced across the country — many summer jobs and few, if any, applicants. The Catskills were not immune. The Catskill Stewards Program began the season understaffed, and thus positioned stewards only at Peekamoose Blue Hole and Kaaterskill Falls. As additional stewards were hired toward the end of the season, they could cover the Devil’s Path and Platte Clove Preserve.

A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS

The Catskill Center hires about 15 seasonal workers every year, including stewards. These seasonals often are young adults who have recently graduated from college and are looking for experience to boost their résumés. We have had qualified, enthusiastic candidates turn down an offer of a seasonal position because of a lack of affordable, short-term housing. This leaves the Catskills without enough stewards to help protect it during the height of the tourist season. We are actively seeking offers of affordable, rental housing for stewards, within a reasonable drive to their stewarding locations (Blue Hole, Kaaterskill Falls, and the Devil’s Path).

The Catskill Stewards Program 2022 End of Season Report can be found here.

(Photo: Catskill Center Catskill Steward cleans up at Blue Hole, summer 2022.)