Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

Episodes

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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June 21, 2022

Fire Tower Challenge!

If you're looking for a unique way to experience Catskills views, there's no better time to check out the Catskills' 6 hiker-accessible fire towers ! The 2022 Catskills Fire Tower Challenge encourages hikers to visit all 6, w...

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June 7, 2022

Boom! Catskills Real Estate with Peggy Bellar

Just a few years ago, the coveted Catskills "cabin on 5 acres" was priced at $300,000, give or take. Today, that same property could easily cost you double. Real estate in the Catskills is booming, and while housing markets e...

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May 24, 2022

Six Ticks: in the Lyme Light

If a tick bites you in the woods, and it's free of disease-causing pathogens, does it matter? We wanted to know how many of our Catskills ticks are pathogenetic, so we sent 6 of them to the Thangamani Lab at Upstate Medical U...

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May 10, 2022

Wellness Rx: a Prescription for Rural Healthcare

Ed Ullmann is the owner and pharmacy manager of Wellness Rx , a holistic and patient-centered pharmacy in Tannersville, and soon ... Phoenicia! Far from the chain store aesthetic (or lack thereof) the Tannersville location wh...

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April 26, 2022

Post-Hibernation with Leslie T. Sharpe

In 2020, Leslie T. Sharpe came to Silver Hollow Audio to narrate The Quarry Fox: and other Critters of the Wild Catskills , available at Libro.fm or wherever you get your audiobooks. Then the pandemic hit. Two years later, sh...

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April 12, 2022

The Bluebird Chronicles: A Catskills Romance

The winter/spring 2022 issue of Appalachia , "America's longest-running journal of mountaineering and conservation," features an essay by Catskills writer Leslie T. Sharpe about our little blue harbinger of spring: the bluebi...

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March 29, 2022

Beaverkill Trout Hatchery: Farming Trout for 5 Generations

Beaverkill Trout Hatchery is family owned and operated by the Shaver family since 1963. We met Sherry Shaver and a few of her relatives on a recent visit to the hatchery, where they were preparing for their busiest season, as...

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March 20, 2022

Special: Pierogi for Ukraine

On March 19th, 2022, a Pierogi and Borscht fundraiser at the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jewett, NY, brought in thousands of dollars for the people of Ukraine. We spent some time in the kitchen with organizer Switlana Breigl...

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March 15, 2022

Working for Women

Working for Women is a Catskills-based organization working nationwide to connect business dollars and resources with non-profits advocating for women in the workforce and toward financial independence. We sat down with Catsk...

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March 1, 2022

The Mountain Eagle

This year, The Mountain Eagle celebrates 40 years of newspaper publishing, and a relaunch in 2017 brought expanded coverage to Schoharie, Delaware, Greene, and northern Ulster counties. Join us for a conversation with publish...

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Feb. 15, 2022

The Wilderness Diary: Mental Health and Art in Roxbury

Delaware County artist Jessica Farrell was inspired by her aunt's journal from the 1960s and '70s to create "The Wilderness Journal," a series of portraits of adolescents who would go on to struggle with mental health issues....

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Feb. 1, 2022

Flower Power! Woodstock's Jarita's Florist

Snowy weather can be a challenge for Valentine's Day rose delivery, but that's nothing new for Woodstock's Jarita's florist , with 45 years of experience delivering fresh, professionally arranged flowers to Catskills resident...

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Jan. 18, 2022

Rescuing Animals for 130 Years at a Local SPCA

Gina Carbonari is a retired U.S. Marine with a new mission. As executive director of the 130-year-old Ulster County SPCA , she's ensuring that the homeless, abused, and neglected animals there are cared for, sheltered, and r...

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Jan. 4, 2022

Ten Million for Tannersville: Talking with The Hunter Foundation

Tannersville, NY , is a small mountain village, with big aspirations. And now, with the help of a very large grant from New York State, it's preparing for a basket of revitalization projects that would surely put a smile on R...

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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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Dec. 7, 2021

On Air: CO2 and Indoor Air Quality

Feeling sleepy? CO2 could be the culprit. For centuries, the Catskills have offered a respite from city life, and a bit of fresh air. But indoor air quality can be bad no matter where you live. Fortunately, air quality can be...

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Nov. 23, 2021

Fins, Feathers, Furs and the Great Outdoors with Tim Byron

It's hunting season in the Catskills, and even if you're not a hunter, you'll want to hear our interview with Tim Byron, a longtime friend with an infectious love for hunting, fishing, camping, and observing Catskills wildlif...

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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 your own wood? Make...

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Oct. 26, 2021

Reimagining a Classic Catskills Ghost Story

This week, we spoke with author Christine Wade about her retelling of a classic Catskills ghost story. In 1819 Washington Irving published his tale of Rip Van Winkle , who wanders off into the woods to escape his nagging wife...

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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. 28, 2021

Wild Mountain Bird Rescue

Each year, hundreds of injured birds arrive at Annie Mardiney's doorstep for a second chance at life in the wild. When she isn't rescuing birds, Annie's running educational programs, with companion raptors like Peregrine Falc...

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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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