The Local Edition

In 2026, the size of New York State’s volunteer fire service is the smallest it has been in more than 40 years. Small towns rely on volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies like fires, drowning, fallen trees, missing persons and more. As the volunteer pool dries up, stations are forced to close or merge to rally a large enough response. Reporter Rebekah Hendricks spoke with John Hauschild the Director of Safety and Fire Coordinator of Sullivan County about how this issue affects us here in the Catskills. 

Climate and economic experts estimate that over one billion people are at risk of being displaced by climate change and climate-related disasters by 2050.

Global communities with fewer resources to adapt to new ecological threats are most at risk for mass displacement.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with documentary filmmaker and director Josh Fox about his new film, THE WELCOME TABLE, that shines a light on people at the frontlines of climate displacement.

The federal government plans to lease a warehouse in Newburgh for $35.5 million. As Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar reports, federal records suggest it could be for ICE activity.

On Saturday, kayaks were pushed onto the Bashakill for an insightful ride along the 7-mile stretch.

Though the trip lasted only two hours and covered a small portion of that stretch, it gave community members and visitors a chance to come together, learn about plant life and the importance of preserving the Bashakill, and take in views of the water and mountains. 

Hosted by the Mamakating Environmental Education Center, Richard Mandelbaum guided the journey. The trip was not only an outing on the Bashakill, but also an opportunity to learn about local aquatic plant life, identify different species and better understand how to care for the environment. 

Now Mandelbaum is not unfamiliar with the study of plantlife. Mandelbaum is a founder and former director of ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism and a faculty member at David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies. This allowed him to guide the journey and stop to show plants throughout the way. 

With more than 10 people in kayaks, the journey began at the South Road Boat Launch in Wurtsboro, N.Y. Attendees who did not have kayaks could rent them from MECC, but arrive early because phone service can be spotty and renting them quickly can be difficult.

On the trip, the summer solstice and plant life took center stage. Participants asked Mandelbaum questions throughout the trip, and the final stop was a small island before turning around to identify two separate plants.

The Bashakill is unique in that it is all preserved land. It allows for natural wildlife, some human-planted wildlife and a diverse aquatic plant life.

One plant in particular that Mandelbaum had everyone in the group try had a flavor similar to cayenne pepper. The leaf’s spice lingered as the journey continued, with no pepper in sight, just a small green leaf.

Once the journey came to a close as the sun began to set, everyone returned to their cars to load their kayaks onto the roofs.

Programs like the one Mandelbaum hosted offer a fun way to learn about preserving the areas that surround the local community. They also give people a chance to explore the Bashakill with a guide while learning how to better care for the environment.

For more information about programs hosted by MECC, visit https://www.mamakating.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=4528. 

One article sparked a local conversation about how communities across Ulster County are classified and whether some rural areas are being left with less support than surrounding metro areas.

The issue was recently flagged by Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher, who referenced a Daily Yonder article about what it called a “categorization conundrum” across the country. In Ulster County, Gallagher pointed to rural-style shortages in medical care and broadband access. While broadband service is improving in some of the county’s dead zones without cellphone service, she said it remains difficult to attract doctors to rural areas compared with metro areas.

One term Gallagher referenced in a social media post, “exurban,” describes places that fall between rural and urban definitions and can be poorly served by either classification. Gallagher explains that can leave rural communities out of funding opportunities tied to those classifications.

She pointed to places such as Shandaken, Hardenburgh and other rural parts of the county, where residents face spotty internet and cellphone service, limited public transit and long drives for health care. Gallagher said she does not think changing the county’s definitions would solve the problem, but she is open to exploring programs that could better support rural areas.

“Change is scary, research needs to be done,” Gallagher said. “We can’t just change these definitions without really thinking about how it impacts every other designated jurisdiction. So if we’re going to change it, we really have to think about whether this is going to hurt rural communities that are truly rural.”