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Groundbreaking Agreement Gives Public Easier Access To Split 13,000 Catskill Acres

New York State and New York City officials announce the completion of a landmark agreement to ease recreational access to approximately 13,000 acres of city-owned property in the Catskills. Under the cooperative agreement, hiking, hunting, fishing and trapping on dozens of city-owned parcels that are adjacent to state Forest Preserve land in the Catskills no longer require a separate city permit.

This is the latest in a series of recent recreational improvements for the Catskills, including opening new areas to mountain biking at Mount Hayden and launching a pilot program for boating at Cannonsville Reservoir.

*This is a significant accomplishment that will boost recreational opportunities in the Catskills, and a sign of the rejuvenated partnership among state, city and local officials,* New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis said. *Working together, we have reduced red tape and opened up new lands for public enjoyment, while ensuring protection of the watershed.*

*DEP is committed to working with its partners in the watershed to improve recreational and economic development opportunities,* said New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Emily Lloyd. *It is important that recreational access is expanded while vigilantly protecting the high quality of New York City’s water supply.*

*This is a big step not only toward increasing recreational and economic opportunities in the Catskills, but also in improving the partnership among the city, the state and local residents,* said Dennis Lucas, Chairman of the Coalition of Watershed Towns and Hunter Town Supervisor. *Together, we have made important progress over the last year.*

For many years, DEP permits have been required for access to city-owned land in the Catskills watershed. Under the new agreement, first outlined a year ago, the applicable DEC hunting, fishing and trapping licenses will be the only permits needed on the land impacted by this agreement. No permit will be necessary for hiking.

Maps showing the affected areas in parts of Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties are available at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/watershed_protection/huntmaps2.shtml

Under the new access initiative, DEC will patrol the affected areas to enforce regulations, help protect the environment, and further assist in the management of these lands. New York State owns over 200,000 acres in the city's watershed west of the Hudson River, the vast majority of which is located within the Catskill Forest Preserve. DEC has successfully managed this land for many decades, allowing residents and visitors to enjoy passive recreational activities without the need for access permits.

The state and city have joined with local leaders to expand recreational access to Catskill Region lands on several fronts. In September, the city granted DEC a land-use permit to manage Mount Hayden (Windham, Greene County) that will enable visitors to hunt, trap, fish, bike and hike without the need to obtain a city access permit (http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/46639.html). At the same time, DEC adopted a State Land Master Plan for the Catskill Forest Preserve that creates a new, 156-acre bicycle corridor in the northern Catskills (http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/46638).

Earlier in the summer, officials announced plans for a recreational boating *pilot* program at Cannonsville Reservoir, likely to be launched next year. A committee, including representatives from state, city and local governments, the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is developing a work plan to implement the program.

Media Contact:
Maureen Wren (518) 402-8000