Government
By Lissa Harris on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 - 9:49 am
Yesterday, advocates of town "home rule" won a key legal battle in the ongoing statewide debate about hydraulic fracturing. A Tompkins County state Supreme Court judge ruled that a gas drilling ban passed by the town of Dryden could stand.
Jon Campbell, a... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 - 4:16 pm
Map of area showing a proposed ban on gas drilling in or near NYC watershed land and infrastructure.
Above: A map of areas that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection is seeking to place off-limits to gas drilling, in upcoming... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 - 2:13 pm
Photo of barn, fence and field in Kiamesha Lake by Catskills Photography. Shared in the Watershed Post Flickr group.
The Obama administration announced three new initiatives to benefit the rural economy, including a $15 million "Rural Jobs Accelerator"... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 - 10:44 am
Mark your calendars, Shandaken: This Thursday, Feb. 23, the town board will hold a hearing on a much-debated farmstand law. The meeting will be held at 6pm in the town hall on Route 28.
The proposed law would govern all farmstands in Shandaken, but the... Read more
By Julia Reischel on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012 - 11:44 pm
Above: A Belleayre Mountain ski lift on February 19, the day after five workers caused delays on the slopes by calling in sick. Photo via the Belleayre Mountain Facebook page.
Three lift mechanics and two electricians called in sick from their jobs at... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 - 11:48 am
Photo by Flickr user ucumari. Published under Creative Commons license.
A few weeks ago, we wrote about the DEC's recent proposal to introduce bobcat hunting into new parts of New York State, and extend trapping season in some areas. The story drew plenty... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 - 12:36 am
With the clock ticking on a deadline set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state officials and teachers' unions have brokered a deal that will create a new system for evaluating teachers.
The New York Times reports that Cuomo threatened to use his gubernatorial... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 - 4:36 pm
Illustration of brown trout, by NOAA. Published on Wikimedia Commons.
Every two years, the state Department of Environmental Conservation tinkers with fishing regulations. This year, the DEC is recommending several changes that could affect fishing in... Read more
By Lissa Harris on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 - 11:25 am
Photo by Flickr user Roger Karlsson. Published under Creative Commons license.
It's a familiar story in rural upstate New York: A small-town school, once bustling and full of life, is slowly being drained of its students, forcing a community to make... Read more
By Rusty Mae Moore on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 - 4:21 pm
Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway CMP Draft
Above: The current draft of a plan to apply for state and federal scenic byway designation for a section of Route 28. Members of the Central Catskills Collaborative, a seven-municipality task force that drafted... Read more



