As we begin to wrap up this project it is still critical to share you input and suggestions with the project team. We will be having meetings in the coming months to to put forth ideas and plans for signage, outreach materials, and the final plan itself. You can also get in touch with Aaron Bennett, project consultant at abennett@catskill.net or Carol O’Beirne of the Central Catskills Chamber (project sponsor) at obarts@catskill.net.
NEW STUDY SHOWS: Outdoor Recreation on Catskill Lands Brings 2.5 Million People, Thousands of Jobs, and $115 million - The Catskills’ publicly
April 1st isn’t too far away
owned state and New York City lands plus private lands open to the public, draw over 1.7 million visitors annually. They create an economic impact of $46,207,000 and support 980 jobs. Add those who come to enjoy other privately held lands, and the total number of people choosing the Catskills for recreation each year is almost 2.5 million, creating an economic impact of $114,768,000 and supporting 2,413 jobs. So states a new report, “Economic Valuation Study for Public Lands in the Central Catskills” prepared by Brian Zweig of Business Opportunities Management Consulting.
Read/download the entire study by clicking here.
Here are some of the statistics:
- A total of 983 tags were issued, of which 45 percent went to individuals from outside of the NYC Watershed and 10 percent went to individuals from outside of New York State.
- The tags issued included 697 for kayaks, 241 canoes, 31 rowboats, two sculls, and 12 small sailboats.
- Tags were issued to 70 individuals from New York City as well as boaters hailing from Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas and Florida.
- The Pepacton Reservoir was far and away the most popular – with over 650 permits issued.
- Of the 108,000 total acres of NYC-owned property open for recreation, more than 33,000 are on the water.
United States Adventure Racing Association’s “2012 USARA Adventure Race National Championship” on the Pepacton Reservoir
DEP Hosts United States Adventure Racing Association National Championship on Pepacton Reservoir!
For a list of stea-cleaning vendors throughout the Catskill region, CLICK HERE.
Give Us Your Thoughts and Ideas
Through this effort of expanding recreational access to the upper East Branch, we believe that capturing YOUR valuable input is imperative to our success. It is our hope to improve the current opportunities, explore potential ones, and maximize the benefits from the wonderful natural resources that are abundant throughout the upper East Branch Delaware watershed.
Please take some time to not only learn more about this project by clicking around, but most importantly, provide INPUT which we really need from you.
While the opening of the Pepacton Reservoir to recreational vessels is a great start, there is still plenty more that can be done to expand access to streams and other waterbodies.
New signage that increases awareness, appreciation for, and encourages access to local waterbodies in the East Branch Watershed
This website will be continually updated with new information as we gather it – things like maps, survey results, community presentations, press releases, and posts/questions/suggestion made by people like you. Please check the Categories to the right to find out more!
