A behind‑the‑scenes journey into one of the most unusual and inspiring places in the Catskills — the Catskill Biological Field Station — where museum artists, taxidermists, curators, and scientists gather to practice and preserve the craft of natural history. Kaatscast spends a full day at the Catskill Biological Field Station, a Catskills campus operated by the Institute for Natural History Arts. More than a location, it’s a living workshop — a place designed from the ground up to keep traditional museum craft alive. The station’s main building, The Pavilion, is itself a museum: “to step inside… is to enter the movie set for Indiana Jones or maybe Jurassic Park with the design and direction of a Wes Anderson movie.” Across its cabins, trails, and field stations, the property functions like an open‑air classroom for natural history — a place where museum professionals can immerse themselves in slow, careful, hands‑on work, surrounded by the landscapes that inspire it. The day begins with Dr. Walter Meshaka, who demonstrates herpetological fieldwork and explains why museums still collect specimens. His analogy captures the spirit of the place: “Think about these specimens as a research library. Every specimen is a first edition book.” In a meadow clearing, diorama artists Stephen Quinn and Sean Murtha paint an expansive wetland scene en plein air — a reminder that museum dioramas begin not in studios but in natural landscapes. Their presence underscores what makes the Field Station special: it’s one of the few places where artists can still practice diorama craft the way it was done a century ago. Back at the Pavilion, Joyce Cloughly demonstrates how leaves and plants are molded and cast by hand. As George Dante notes, modern shortcuts — “a generic fern… bought online from Amazon” — undermine accuracy. The Field Station exists to counter that trend, preserving the field‑based techniques that once defined natural history exhibits. The expedition continues to unfold at a rustic ornithologist’s cabin, where Dr. Peter Capainolo prepares bird study skins and skeletons. His demonstration — “the feathers are attached to the skin… sort of like a pelt” — reveals the unseen labor behind museum collections and the precision required to make specimens useful for generations. Later, Brett speaks with Darrin Lunde, mammalogist, museum curator, and author of The Naturalist. His perspective deepens the day’s themes: the value of fieldwork, the ethics of collecting, and the responsibility museums carry as repositories of biodiversity. His presence rounds out the lineup, connecting mammalogy and museum science to the artistry unfolding across the property. The Catskill Biological Field Station is not a museum, not a school, and not a retreat — but something in between. It’s a rare space where natural history professionals can gather outside institutional constraints, work with their hands, teach emerging artists, and preserve techniques that are disappearing from modern exhibit production. It’s a place built by people who care deeply about the craft, and who want to ensure it survives. Featured Guests: George Dante, President & Founder, Institute for Natural History ArtsDr. Walter Meshaka, Senior Curator of Zoology & Botany, State Museum of PennsylvaniaStephen Quinn, Diorama Specialist, American Museum of Natural HistorySean Murtha, Artist & Preparator, Bruce MuseumJoyce Cloughly, Modeler & Exhibit ArtistDr. Peter Capainolo, Senior Museum Specialist, Ornithology, AMNHDarrin Lunde, Mammalogist, Museum Curator, Author of The Naturalist
