Measuring Snow: Citizen Science in the Catskills

Summary: Winter in the Catskills isn’t just about skiing, sledding, or shoveling. Snowpack plays a critical role in our water resources, local economies, and even global climate regulation. In this episode, Brett Barry speaks with Dr. Marco Tedesco of Columbia University’s Lamont‑Doherty Earth Observatory, about the NASA‑funded X‑Snow Project — a citizen science initiative inviting volunteers to measure, photograph, and collect snow data across the region.

Together, they explore how local observations help validate satellite models, improve climate predictions, and build community engagement around environmental stewardship.

🎙️ Episode Highlights

• Snow as a climate regulator: Why reflective snowpack matters for Earth’s energy balance.

• Citizen science superheroes: How everyday volunteers contribute to NASA‑funded research.

• Snowpack vs. snow depth: Understanding SWE (snow water equivalent) and why density matters.

• Local impacts: Shorter winters, more rain events, and what that means for Catskills tourism, groundwater, and flood risk.

• Microplastics in snow: Emerging research on contaminants entering our water systems.

• Community partnerships: The Catskill Center’s role in training and outreach.

• How to get involved: Simple Tier‑1 measurements with nothing more than a ruler, or level up to advanced lab sampling.

📌 Resources & Links

• Learn more or volunteer: x‑snow.us

• Resources and supplies: catskillsvisitorcenter.org

• Full episode archive: kaatscast.com

  
  

Did you know the Catskill region was once tropical—and south of the equator?! In this episode, Brett Barry visits the Gilboa Museum and Juried History Center to explore one of the oldest fossilized forests on Earth. Education Chair Kristen Wyckoff shares her decades-long passion for paleobotany, the story behind Gilboa’s world-famous Devonian tree stumps, and discoveries unearthed during the Schoharie Reservoir construction, dam restoration, and creek bed fossil hunts.

From lungfish and sea scorpions to the mysterious “snake tree,” we dig into the prehistoric past of upstate New York and learn how mud, minerals, and mural magic preserve a forest that predates the Catskills themselves.

🪨 Highlights

• 🌴 Gilboa’s tropical past—when the region was south of the equator

• 🦴 Fossil discoveries during Schoharie Reservoir construction

• 🎨 Kristen’s murals and museum exhibits

• 📚 A children’s book adventure through the Devonian

• 🐟 Sea creatures, spore trees, and sedimentary surprises

• 🏛️ How a generous hometown alum helped build a fossil-focused museum complex

🔗 Resources

• Visit the museum: ⁠gilboafossils.org⁠

• Kristen Wyckoff’s children’s book: ⁠Dennis’s Devonian Adventure⁠

• Learn more: ⁠The Catskill Fossil Forest⁠ by Stein, Hernick, and Mannolini

📍 Broadcast Info

Kaatscast is now broadcasting a public radio edition! Saturdays at 11 AM on WJFF Radio Catskill (90.5 FM). Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on Instagram @kaatscast.

🎙️ Neighbors on the Front Lines: Margaretville FD and the Spirit of Catskills Volunteerism

Episode Description: In this episode of Kaatscast, we head to Margaretville, New York, where volunteer firefighters train for blitz attacks—a high-volume water technique used to knock down fires fast. But this story goes beyond the hose line. It’s about community, commitment, and declining volunteerism nationwide.

With over 90% of New York’s fire departments staffed by volunteers, towns like Margaretville rely on neighbors—teachers, shopkeepers, reporters, and retirees—to respond when disaster strikes. Hear from training officer Jon Schebesta and longtime volunteers like Nate Hendricks, Lissa Harris, and others, as they share personal stories, challenges in recruitment, and the evolving role of fire departments in rural life.

From floods to flames, prop windows to real emergencies, this episode honors the people who show up—when the siren sounds in the middle of dinner.

Topics Covered:

• Blitz attack training and deck gun drills

• Declining volunteerism in rural communities

• Personal stories from Margaretville FD members

• Emergency response beyond firefighting

• Roles for volunteers of all backgrounds

• Funding and equipment in rural departments

Location: Margaretville Fire Department, Catskills, NY

Listen & Subscribe: Stream anytime at kaatscast.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @kaatscast.

Watch the short documentary, Growing Up Catskills, featuring Phoenicia's Gene Gormley: https://vimeo.com/224535275

In 1985, Bob Steuding published The Last of the Handmade Dams: The Story of the Ashokan Reservoir, a historically rich account of the building of the Ashokan Reservoir—and the lives displaced in its wake. Forty years later, the book remains a cornerstone of Catskills regional history and the inaugural title from Purple Mountain Press.

In this episode, we visit Bob and Martha Steuding at their 18th-century stone farmhouse near the reservoir. Literary correspondent Rebecca Rego Barry sits down with Bob to reflect on a life rooted in place, the founding of Purple Mountain Press, and the emotional legacy of a dam that reshaped a landscape—and the lives within it.

Ken Posner is an ultrarunner, barefoot hiker, and challenge-seeker whose latest book, Chasing the Grid, chronicles his quest to summit 35 Catskill high peaks in every month—a challenge known as “The Grid.” That’s 420 climbs, through every season, in pursuit of something deeper than endurance.

In this episode, Ken shares how the experience became a spiritual journey, shaped by minimalism, transcendentalist thinking, and a deep connection to the land.

Available now 📚 Chasing the Grid: An Ultrarunner's Physical and Spiritual Journey in Pursuit of the Ultimate Mountain Challenge

⌨️ Barefoot Ken on the web

In this episode, Brett hits the trail with longtime Catskill 3500 Club member (and current president) Michael Bongar for a hike to Southwest Hunter Mountain—one of the club’s required peaks and a rite of passage for aspiring members.

Founded in 1962, the Catskill 3500 Club encourages hikers to summit 33 peaks over 3,500 feet—plus four of them again in winter. But it’s more than a checklist. Through trail maintenance, education, and conservation advocacy, the club fosters a deep connection to the Catskills.

Michael shares stories from decades of hiking, reflects on the club’s evolution, and—yes—recounts his time as a professional clown, offering a surprisingly poignant parallel between performance and trail camaraderie. From herd paths to canisters, elevation gain to ethics, this episode is a love letter to the mountains and the community that keeps them wild.

Catskill 3500 Club: https://www.catskill3500club.org

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Trail-A-Thon 2025: http://bit.ly/gotrailathon

🎙 Platte Clove Preserve: A Small Parcel with Big Impact  Presented by Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast

Host Brett Barry visits the Platte Clove Preserve with Jeff Senterman and Kali Bird of the Catskill Center to explore the surprising significance of a newly acquired 3.6-acre parcel. Though small in size, this land plays a vital role in preserving wilderness access, ecological integrity, and the scenic character of the Catskills. The episode also reflects on Jeff and Kali’s 10-year journey with the Catskill Center and its evolving role in advocacy, stewardship, and community engagement.

🔗 Resources & Mentions 

• Catskill Center – catskillcenter.org 

• Hanford Mills Museum – hanfordmills.org 

• Briars & Brambles Books – briarsandbramblesbooks.com 

• Mountain Eagle News – [email protected]

🎧 Credits 

Producer/Host: Brett Barry

Guests: Jeff Senterman & Kali Bird

Transcript: Jerome Kazlauskas

Announcements: Campbell Brown

Production: Silver Hollow Audio

More info: kaatscast.com | Instagram: @kaatscast

Adjacent to the Willowemoc Wild Forest, in the Sullivan Catskills, a 3100-acre parcel once eyed for development is now safeguarded for future generations. In this episode, we chronicle the Open Space Institute’s landmark deal, and potentially the largest acquisition for the Catskills in nearly 25 years.

From the quiet negotiations with landowners to the sweeping implications for climate resilience and watershed health, this episode dives deep into what makes Blue Hill so important to the region.

Key highlights include:

• Behind-the-scenes details on how OSI’s team identified and secured the property

• The role of Blue Hill in protecting coldwater streams critical to downstream communities

• A look back at Blue Hill’s brushes with development, including a ski resort derailed by liquor restrictions

• What the public can expect in terms of access, trails, and community engagement

• Reflections on regional conservation wins and what they signal for the future

Hear from Tom Gravel, OSI's Northeast Project Manager, and Charlie Burgess, OSI’s Northern NY Stewardship Manager about OSI's strategic land acquisitions—and how they are advancing New York’s commitment to conserve 30% of its lands and waters by 2030 under the state’s 30x30 initiative.

How does the botanical elegance of a 19th-century artist find new life in contemporary design?

In this episode of Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast, host Brett Barry follows the enduring influence of Emily Cole—daughter of Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole—whose delicate hand-painted ceramics helped define her artistic legacy. Cole was a founding member of the New York Society of Ceramic Arts in 1892, and she advocated for china painting to be recognized as fine art. Her floral porcelain was “highly prized and much sought after,” admired for its lifelike detail and expressive form.

In a special pop-up collaboration, tattoo artist Kelsey Lue brought Cole’s botanical watercolors—on exhibit at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site—into a new medium. Clients at Hummingbird Tattoo were invited to choose from Emily Cole–inspired designs, bridging past and present through artistic interpretation.

The exhibit, titled EMILY COLE: Ceramics, Flora & Contemporary Responses, is on view at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site from May 3 to November 2, 2025.

Featuring insights from curator Amanda Malmstrom and moments from the tattoo chair, this episode celebrates Emily Cole’s creative spirit and the artists who continue her legacy through reimagined design.

Guests:

• Kelsey Lue – Tattoo artist, Hummingbird Tattoo

• Amanda Malmstrom – Associate Curator, Thomas Cole National Historic Site

• Jaime Pedersen – Tattoo client

Links:

• Hummingbird Tattoo: https://www.hummingbirdtattoo.com

• Thomas Cole National Historic Site (Emily Cole exhibit): https://thomascole.org

  
  

Follow Kaatscast: Instagram: @kaatscast Newsletter & archives: https://kaatscast.com

Is leaving the woods alone really the best way to preserve them? According to forester Ryan Trapani of the Catskill Forest Association, “doing nothing” comes with hidden costs—and a whole lot of shade-loving trees. In this immersive forest consultation, Ryan pays a visit to host Brett Barry's property to explore hands-on stewardship, the limits of laissez-faire ecology, and the surprising power of sunlight in shaping forest health.

In this episode:

• How to spot hazard trees before they fall (and cost you)

• Why “doing nothing” might be the worst forest strategy

• Tree-for-tree advice on pruning, spacing, and crop tree management

• Sunlight as a limiting factor in Catskill forest health

• Tips for invasive pest management: ash decline & hemlock woolly adelgid

• CFA’s hands-on services, from mushroom inoculation to apple grafting

Plus, hear Ryan’s reflections on 700+ episodes of From the Forest radio—and learn how CFA’s independent, community-driven model helps landowners steward their properties with purpose.

More info: 🌿 catskillforest.org 📡 CFA’s radio show: fromtheforest.podbean.com

Please keep in touch at kaatscast.com, rate and review on the podcast app of your choice, and follow us on Instagram.