Whether you're a watershed farmer, Brooklyn water user, logger or teacher, we want to hear from you... The Council is updating its organizational strategic plan for 2011 and we're all ears! Tell us how we're doing and where you think we should be headed. With the help of the New York Council of Nonprofits, we're checking our internal map and making sure we're on the right path. Answer this anonymous 12-question survey and influence how we approach programming, marketing, fundraising and community leadership in the years ahead. We want to know how we can better serve you, our participants and our partners. You can trade in your anonymity for a chance to win some cool Pure Catskills giveaways by completing Question #12 with your contact information. Feel free to pass the survey link along to a friend or post it to your Facebook Wall.

  

   

Catskill WoodNet member Nikita Gregoriev shared his story of creating the Un-Futon. Owner of Nikita Indoor/Outdoor Furnishings, he uses local wood for the hardwood frames built in his Richmond Springs assembly facility. Listen here to learn more about Nikita and how his wood-products business competes in a global market. (Nikita is pictured here with Wood Products Utilization & Marketing Specialist Josh VanBrakle.)

Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District is hosting its second annual celebration of everything water. All month long, you're invited to workshops, seminars and stream clean-ups throughout the Hunter-Tannersville area. Thanks to funding from DEP and a Stream Management Implementation Grant, the Council is again sponsoring the free environmental film series May 20-22. Films include What's On Your Plate?, Vanishing of the Bees, Reclaiming Our Water, and The Greenhorns.

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After two years of renovations, the Ashokan Reservoir fountains are flowing again. On Mother's Day, the DEP showcased its latest rehabilitation work on an aging water infrastructure by replacing two 105-year-old values. The fountain area is adjacent to the Ashokan Dam Public Access Area that provides 2.5 miles of scenic walkways. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the scenery.
 

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Congrats: Laura O'Donohue of Snow Hill  Farm, North Salem, joined the board of NOFA-NY

Grant: Pure Catskills Agricultural Product Development & Marketing Grant due May 20

Discounted registration for Catskill WoodNet members: $25 Mass Customization Workshop for Wood Products Industry workshop

Grant: USDA NRCS Offers Micro-Irrigation Systems due May 20

Apply: USDA NRCS Funding for On-Farm Oil Spill Prevention due June 3

Webinar: Cornell University, Marcellus Shale Webinar: Agricultural Potential Impacts May 11

  

Need a speaker for your event? We can provide a speaker to present on topics related to agriculture, forestry, conservation easements, water quality, farm to market, communications and the Council's community impact. To learn more, contact Tara Collins at (607) 865-7090, ext. 226.