Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Sustainability Episodes

Aug. 15, 2023

Pruning Experts 🌿 Bring in the Goats!

Ann Cihanek is a goat farmer whose herd of semi-retired goats are employed across the region to clear sites of invasive plants, brush, and overgrowth. We caught up with 10 of her Green Goats at the John Burroughs Memorial Sta...

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Aug. 1, 2023

Leaving No Trace: Outdoor Ethics with Moe Lemire

In July, a small group of hikers was apprehended and ticketed for leaving two Adirondack chairs at the summit of Slide Mountain. Those hikers' actions, while misguided, may have been good-intentioned. But they fly in the face...

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Feb. 14, 2023

The CAG Report: a Blueprint for Growing Catskills Crowds

If the Catskills seem busier lately, you're not imagining it. According to a new report, visits to the Catskills more than doubled between 2018 and 2021, when the region welcomed an estimated 12 million travelers––that's roug...

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Jan. 17, 2023

Billy's Make & Mend: Vintage Sewing Machines

There's a "herd" of sewing machines in the hundreds, in Delancey, NY, and they're in the loving and capable hands of one Billy Hancock, owner of Billy's Make & Mend , an outpost for sewing machine repair and maintenance, sewi...

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July 19, 2022

Protecting What You Love: with Author/Angler Stephen Sautner

Stephen Sautner is a lifelong fisherman, environmental activist, and the author of several books on those topics. And while his passion for fishing has taken him to the Falkland Islands, Cuba, the Zambezi River, and even ... ...

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July 5, 2022

No Kale, Just Flowers: Crespell's Flower CSA

Anne Hall's addiction to flower growing is a boon to Catskills designers, florists, restaurants, and individuals who want locally grown, chemical-free flowers in another league from generic supermarket fare. In February, we p...

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Dec. 21, 2021

Is This Recyclable?! "Wishcycling" at UCRRA

Recycling is a great way to reduce the (many) truckloads of trash bound for distant landfills, but "wishcycling," the practice of throwing questionable items into the blue bin and HOPING they'll be recycled, is problematic, t...

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Nov. 9, 2021

Firewood: Keeping It Local!

As daylight shortens and temperatures fall, many of us in the Catskills turn to our wood stoves to help keep warm. "Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice," the old adage goes. But if you don't chop …

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Oct. 12, 2021

Watershed Moments: NYC and the Catskills Past and Present

For more than a century, New York City has relied on the Catskills for its abundant supply of clean, soft drinking water. The Catskills' relationship with NYC has been a complicated one, including the staggering loss of entir...

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Sept. 14, 2021

Talking Bats with Kathy Nolan

This week... it's the only mammal capable of flight. And it can catch 1000 mosquitos in an hour! We're talking bats with Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director, Kathy Nolan, who joined me among the little brown ba...

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April 13, 2021

Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway

Honey bees aren't the only species facing serious population declines. Wild bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects, plus birds, bats, and amphibians are losing natural habitat and being forced out by invasive sp...

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Feb. 16, 2021

Sustainable Catskills part 2

Join us for part two of our behind-the-scenes tour of "Sustainable Catskills," with stops at the nation's first "passive house" library, an eco-conscious resort on the banks of the Esopus, and an Arkville solar array that imp...

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Feb. 2, 2021

Sustainable Catskills part 1

Come along for a behind-the-scenes tour of "Sustainable Catskills," with a stop at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, a walk on the Ashokan Rail Trail, and a swim at the Catskill Recreation Center! Thanks to Ulst...

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Jan. 19, 2021

Dean's Beans: Life-changing Coffee

This week, an insightful interview with Dean Cycon, founder of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company . Hear how coffee is creating meaningful change through ethical business practices rooted in respect for the earth, the farmer...

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Sept. 15, 2020

Remote Work Post-Pandemic

John Lyons is a transportation professional, sustainability leader, solar entrepreneur, and business developer with a passion for addressing the climate crisis and creating a clean energy future. He's been incorporating remot...

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