Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast Silver Hollow Audio

When Mel Bellar established his Andes, NY landscape design company, the Catskills were considered "zone 4" on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Thanks (?) to climate change and warmer winters, the region is now solidly in "zone 5." We talked with Mel about that shift and how it's reshaping our options. Join our conversation for many more Catskills landscaping considerations, like complementing the environment with natural materials, Mel's favorite plants, go-to suppliers, and things we tend to do ... but shouldn't (landscape fabric, anyone?).
Thanks to this week's sponsors ... and listener supporters!
The Mountain Eagle
Hanford Mills Museum
Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce
Briars & Brambles Books


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kaatscast/support

Spring has sprung in the Catskills, and with the reemergence of our native flora and fauna, invasive species are also happy to awaken. Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) director John Thompson tells us what to watch out for, how to report our findings, and what we can do to stem the tide of invasive pests. Plus, two emerging invasives to add to our radar!

Report your findings at: https://www.imapinvasives.org/

Thanks to our sponsors:

Briars & Brambles Books, Hanford Mills Museum, Ulster Savings BankCatskill Mountains Scenic Byway, and The Mountain Eagle.

Photo courtesy Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons


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April is Financial Literacy Month!

It's also National Jazz Appreciation Month, National Fresh Celery Month, Foot Health Awareness Month, World Landscape Architecture Month, and National Soft Pretzel Month. But let's just stick to finance for now, a topic that affects us all throughout the year. And for a refresher on that topic, we met up with our local bank branch manager, Samantha Awand-Gortel, for a conversation on banking and finance in the Catskills and beyond.

Did we mention April is also National Poetry month? Hey, ChatGPT, how about a limerick on financial literacy to get us started?

There once was a person named Jill
Who never learned to manage her bill
But with financial literacy in hand
She could finally understand
And now she's financially fit and chill!

It's no Carolyn Wells, but honestly, financial literacy poetry is hard to find.

Pictured: Ulster Savings Bank Phoenicia branch manager Samantha Awand-Gortel, with a poster by some appreciative (and financially literate) Phoenicia Elementary Schoolers.

Many thanks to our sponsors:

The Mountain Eagle, Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce, and Briars & Brambles Books


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Just two weeks before the start of trout season, the Catskills lost a paragon of angling. Henry "Hank" Rope, Jr. wore out a pair of wading shoes every year, fishing Catskills creeks and tributaries. Hank shared his love of the sport through his Big Indian Guide Service and volunteered his time with Trout in the Classroom at a community elementary school.

We recorded Mr. Rope on several occasions over the years, and this week we're joined by two friends –– Bethia Waterman and Jane Wolfrom –– with memories to share.

Hear more from Hank in Sporting Legends of the Catskills, where he joined panel discussions for "Outdoor Guides of the Catskills: The 'Adventure Experts'" and “On the River with Authors, Guides and Catskill Characters" at Phoenicia Library's Jerry Bartlett Angling Collection.



Thank you to our sponsors:

The Mountain Eagle, the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway, Ulster Savings Bank, and Briars & Brambles Books


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kaatscast/support

Radio Catskill hit the airwaves in 1990 and operated out of a hydro-powered station in Jeffersonville. But when a building was recently offered in nearby Liberty, WJFF shed its 30-year skin and relocated to the now fully-renovated, modern production facility. Technological advances aside, this small public radio station is still very much focused on local news and Catskills culture.

Many thanks to our sponsors:

Briars & Brambles Books

The Mountain Eagle

Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway






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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kaatscast/support

As Catskills black bears emerge from hibernation, we spoke with three bear experts –– wildlife rehabilitator Kristine Flones, and conservationist couple Patti and Bill Rudge –– who shared some handy tips for coexisting peaceably with our Catskills bears, including ...


the best time to wrap up your wild bird food (and why)
the importance of taking out the trash (at the crack of dawn)
equipping your Catskills home with a ... marine signal horn? 
resisting the urge to run from a bear!
identifying a mom with cubs
creating "space" on the trails

Congratulations to listener Douglas Black, winner of the Attwood Bellow Signal Horn!

Thanks to our sponsors:

Ulster Savings BankCentral Catskills Chamber of CommerceBriars & Brambles Books

Thanks also to The Mountain Eagle, and listeners like you!


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kaatscast/support