The idea of the Coalition is the outgrowth of efforts by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to seek additional resources for the Park. In the 2013 legislative session the Catskill Center, Catskill Mountain Club, and NY/NJ Trail Conference tested the waters in Albany through an “awareness day” of meetings with k
ey state legislators about the need to increase funding for the Park. A DEC commitment to construct a larger building in the first phase of the Catskill Park Interpretive Center was one of the group’s accomplishments from that day. The success of this first trip to Albany showed that there needed to be a broader, longer-term campaign to try to advocate for increased funding for the Park and for a dedicated Catskill group to speak on the Park’s behalf. The Catskill Park Coalition, an alliance of like-minded groups working together toward this goal. Coalition Structure and Members
The Coalition is guided by a five-member steering committee with representatives from the Catskill Center, Catskill Mountainkeeper, NRDC, Catskill Mountain Club, and Catskill Heritage Alliance. Members consist of a wide array of local, regional, state, and national groups with a Catskill focus: the environment, tourism, community revitalization, culture and the arts, and agriculture, to name just a few areas. We look forward over time to the membership both growing and taking up leadership for specific issues that arise from a broad consensus on what issues the Coalition should advocate for.
