Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Kaatscast is a biweekly series featuring Catskills culture, history, sustainability, local interviews, literature, and the arts. Shows are hosted by Brett Barry and produced by Silver Hollow Audio, in the heart of the Catskills. Voted “Best Regional Podcast” 3 years in a row. Enjoy!

Crafting Nature: Museum Traditions at the Catskill Biological Field Station
Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast
Crafting Nature: Museum Traditions at the Catskill Biological Field Station

Recent Episodes

View all
Crafting Nature: Museum Traditions at the Catskill Biological Field Station
181
Oct. 20, 2026

Crafting Nature: Museum Traditions at the Catskill Biological Field Station

A behind‑the‑scenes journey into one of the most unusual and inspiring places in the Catskills — the Catskill Biological Field Station — where museum artists, taxidermists, curators, and scientists gather to practice and preserve the craft of natural history. Kaatscast spends a full day at the Catskill Biological Field Station, a Catskills campus operated by the Institute for Natural History Arts. More than a location, it’s a living workshop — a place designed from the ground up to keep traditi
Listen to the Episode
Escape From the Sugar House with Author and Historian Tim Duerden
180
Oct. 6, 2026

Escape From the Sugar House with Author and Historian Tim Duerden

In this episode, Brett Barry visits the Delaware County Historical Association to talk with historian Tim Duerden about Escape From the Sugar House, his first work of historical fiction. The book follows Levi Hanford, a Connecticut teenager swept into the Revolutionary War and imprisoned in a New York City "sugar house" — one of several makeshift prisons where thousands died from disease, starvation, and neglect. Duerden discusses the Revolution as a civil war, the economic forces shaping Loy
Listen to the Episode
Fall Foliage in the Catskills: Leaf Peeping with the Locals
179
Sept. 22, 2026

Fall Foliage in the Catskills: Leaf Peeping with the Locals

As the leaves change, Kaatscast and Cidiot join up to look at fall foliage on both sides of the Hudson. Cidiot's episode covers the science of leaf color with Cary Institute scientist Dr. Amy Zanne. This one covers the west side: an environmental educator explains why leaves change color, and five more Catskills residents describe how they spend the season and where they go to see it. In this episode 00:00 Introduction, with a reading of "Poème d'Automne" by Langston Hughes The autumn le
Listen to the Episode
The Nuance of Knotweed and Invasive Species with Hudsonia's Erik Kiviat
178
Sept. 8, 2026

The Nuance of Knotweed and Invasive Species with Hudsonia's Erik Kiviat

“Invasive species” has become one of the most charged phrases in environmental discourse — but what if the term itself obscures more than it reveals? In this episode, Brett Barry sits down with Dr. Erik Kiviat, co‑founder of Hudsonia and a field biologist with decades of research on introduced plants, to explore the nuance behind weeds like knotweed, purple loosestrife, and common reed. As Kiviat notes, “There is a fear and hysteria of things that come from somewhere else….” His perspective refr
Listen to the Episode
Driven to Build: The Story Behind the Catskill Mountain Foundation
177
Aug. 25, 2026

Driven to Build: The Story Behind the Catskill Mountain Foundation

"Close your eyes when you roll through town and open them when you get to the driveway," is essentially how Peter and Sarah Finn jokingly welcomed friends to their Hunter home in the mid-1990s — when dilapidated buildings and FOR SALE signs dominated Main Street. The Finns turned frustration into action, buying a rotting dairy barn and a struggling movie theater, and building what would become the Catskill Mountain Foundation in 1998. Nearly 30 years later, CMF runs a three-screen cinema, a p
Listen to the Episode
A Fly Fisher’s Revelations: Nick Lyons and Judy Van Put on Ed’s Final Book
176
Aug. 11, 2026

A Fly Fisher’s Revelations: Nick Lyons and Judy Van Put on Ed’s Final Book

Ed Van Put spent more than fifty years studying, fishing, and protecting Catskill waters — and in the process became one of the region’s most respected fly fishers and fisheries biologists. In this episode, Nick Lyons returns to Kaatscast to share the story of how Ed’s final book, A Fly Fisher’s Revelations, brought him out of retirement at age 93. Joining Nick is Ed’s wife, Judy “Obie” Van Put, who offers a deeply personal portrait of Ed’s life, his gentle nature, and his lifelong devotion to t
Listen to the Episode
View all Episodes

About the Host

Brett Barry Profile Photo
Brett Barry

Brett hosts and produces Kaatscast from Silver Hollow Audio, in the heart of the Catskills. He teaches podcasting and audio production in the Digital Media & Journalism dept. at SUNY New Paltz. He is a recipient of the Catskill Center's prestigious Alf Evers Award.

Brett graduated from Syracuse University’s television, radio & film program and worked as an associate documentary producer for several years before launching a career in voice-overs in 2002. He returned to Syracuse 10 years later for a graduate degree in television-radio-film.

Brett is represented in NYC by Access Talent for television and radio commercials, audiobooks, promos, and narration. He’s the host of public radio’s "Sound Beat," was the longtime voice of India’s English-language network, Zee Café, and the last announcer for the iconic soap opera Guiding Light. He has narrated more than 125 audiobooks.

Sponsors

The Mountain Eagle
Ulster Savings Bank