New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

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NYSDEC Trail Work2022 may end up as the year some of the most important reforms in New York State Forest Preserve management were started, both in practice and in theory.

Forest Preserve management reform has been a long time coming as the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which is responsible for the care and custody of the Forest Preserve, has struggled for years with how to improve its overall management program.

Small changes have been attempted at various points, but no major reforms have been successfully brought to the DEC’s Forest Preserve management. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

Durham Valley Scenic Byway Designated

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Durham Valley Scenic BywayOn August 25th, the Durham Valley Scenic Byway (DVSB) spanning 21 miles through the towns of Durham and Windham in Greene County was designated as part of the New York State Scenic Byways System (NYSSBP).

These 21 miles were designated scenic roads by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 1991 before the creation of the NYSSBP. [Read more…] about Durham Valley Scenic Byway Designated

The Doomed 1979 Hurleyville Music Festival

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Leon Greenberg in the 1970sThe weekend of August 24th to 26th in 1979 was supposed to be a significant one in Sullivan County, NY history. Plans had been made for some of the top musical acts in the business to appear at the site of the defunct and burned out Columbia Hotel in Hurleyville for a three-day festival that was envisioned as the precursor to an upscale performance venue that would have reversed the area’s sagging economic fortunes. [Read more…] about The Doomed 1979 Hurleyville Music Festival

DEC To Add New Invasives Facilities at Campground and Day-Use Area Rules

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DEC LogoNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the finalization of a Unit Management Plan amendment to guide siting, construction, and management of watercraft decontamination facilities at DEC campgrounds and day-use areas.

The construction and permanent placement of watercraft decontamination facilities supports DEC’s ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic invasive species (AIS). [Read more…] about DEC To Add New Invasives Facilities at Campground and Day-Use Area Rules

The Shawangunk Fire Complex: Active Wildfires in Minnewaska State Park

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Three wildfires are burning on or near the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, including at at Naponach Point in Minnewaska State Park.

The three blazes in the Shawangunk fire complex include the Napanoch Point fire in Minnewaska State Park, which started Sunday afternoon as a result of a suspected lightning strike and is estimated at 270 acres on Wednesday afternoon. A smaller fire approximately two miles east of the Napanoch Point fire, named Stony Kill, was detected on Monday, grew to about 1.5 acres and was 95% contained on Wednesday afternoon. The Wurtsboro fire in the town of Mamakating was reported early Saturday afternoon and was approximately 70 acres on Tuesday afternoon. [Read more…] about The Shawangunk Fire Complex: Active Wildfires in Minnewaska State Park

The 1962 Catskills High View House Fire

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Liberty Supervisor William E. PearsonEarly in the morning on Friday, July 13th, 1962 fire was discovered in one of the buildings at Hankin’s High View House, just outside Liberty, Sullivan County, NY in the Catskills. Firefighters were on the scene within minutes and were able to contain the blaze, while hotel staff and ambulance personnel attended to the injured, but before it was over five people would be dead and one of the heroes of the tragedy would be in jail, charged with multiple counts of first degree murder.

In the aftermath, local officials would try in vain to tighten the fire laws governing small hotels. [Read more…] about The 1962 Catskills High View House Fire

Borscht Belt Tattler: Sha-wan-ga Lodge, 1923-1972

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Borscht Belt Tattler PodcastOn this week’s episode of The Borscht Belt Tattler podcast, Gary Dan talks about the former Sha-wan-ga Lodge, his family’s Catskills hotel which operated from 1923-1972 in the hamlet of High View, Mamakating, Sullivan County, NY.

Dan talks about how it all started, his memories growing up there, life after the hotel closed, and the tribute webpage he started with his late father Abby Dan which is contributing to the legacy of the Borscht Belt. [Read more…] about Borscht Belt Tattler: Sha-wan-ga Lodge, 1923-1972

Killing Time in the Catskills: Serial Killer Lizzie Halliday

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killing time in the catskillsKilling Time in the Catskills: The Twisted Tale of the Catskill Ripper Elizabeth “Lizzie” McNally Halliday (Self Published, 2019) by Kevin Owen is the true account of serial killer Lizzie Halliday (c. 1859 – 1918), who was responsible for several deaths in the Catskills area during the late nineteenth century.

In her late twenties, Halliday left behind a trail of failed marriages, bigamy, horse theft, arson, insurance fraud and multiple murders. She killed a nurse while institutionalized and is speculated to have killed her first two husbands. After her sensational trial in Monticello in Sullivan County, NY, Halliday became the first woman in the world sentenced to die in the electric chair. Although eventually locked behind bars for life, she managed to continue her crimes. [Read more…] about Killing Time in the Catskills: Serial Killer Lizzie Halliday

Neversink River Management Plan Comments Sought

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Neversink River Unit Management Plan MapThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the release of the Draft Neversink River Unit Management Plan (UMP) for public comment. The plan guides the future uses and management of approximately 8,644 acres of DEC-managed public lands within the Neversink River Unit in the towns of Forestburgh and Mamakating in Sullivan County, and Highland and Wawarsing in Ulster County, NY. [Read more…] about Neversink River Management Plan Comments Sought