From The Forest

Occasionally, we like to "talk shop" with field staff of Catskill Forest Association on what's going on in the forest. We'll also go into Ryan's recent 3-Day trip in the woods over the 4th of July weekend.

CFA Field Staff Ryan Trapani, Director of Forest Services Zane Lawyer, Forest Program Manager

On this week's show, we're grabbing a seat with Katie Grove, full-time artist, wild basket maker and soon-to-be author. We'll get into the unique challenges and delights the wild weaving process presents and discuss how active forest management intersects with the legacy craft that is basketry. How does a tree go from forest to basket? What kinds of plants can be utilized? Can basketry be another outlet for managing invasives?

Katie Grove is an artist and educator whose passion is to inspire both viewers of her art and students in her classes to build a relationship with the plants growing around them. She holds a BFA in Printmaking from SUNY New Paltz and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from the NOMAD program at University of Hartford. She teaches basketry from her studio in Stone Ridge and enjoys a robust studio practice that merges traditional basketry techniques with sculpture.

On this week's show we'll be discussing the role and responsibility of active forest management with Ethan Tapper - an internationally recognized forester, bestselling author, and content creator from Vermont.  Join us as we get into his book and all that active land management entails - reimagining what acts of compassion in the woods can look like, choosing imperfect action over the comfort of doing nothing, and so much more.

Ethan started writing How to Love a Forest in 2016, after realizing that there was no book that captured his understanding of what forests are, how they work, and what it means to take care of them. He wrote the book over the following eight years, one hour at time — from 5:00-6:00 AM each day. It was published by Broadleaf Books in September, 2024. Since being published, How to Love a Forest has sold thousands of copies, been named to several bestseller lists, been named a finalist for the Vermont Book Award and has been endorsed by prominent nature writers including Bill McKibben, Doug Tallamy, and Ben Goldfarb.

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the hickory tree.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

Description

Occasionally, we like to "talk shop" with field staff of Catskill Forest Association on what's going on in the forest. We'll also go into Ryan's recent 3-Day trip in the woods over the 4th of July weekend.

CFA Field Staff Ryan Trapani, Director of Forest Services Zane Lawyer, Forest Program Manager Giovanna D'Angelo, Education Forester John Unverzagt, Education Arborist

On this week's show we'll be discussing American chestnut with Vasiliy Lakoba from the national organization--The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). As many of you know, American chestnut has been made "functionally extinct" from the devastating chestnut blight brought in from Asia in the last century. We'll discuss how TACF plans to bring back the tree as well as their recent parting with SUNY College of Enviornmental Science & Forestry's transgenic chestnut project as well.

Vasiliy Lakoba is Director of Research and Restoration with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). TACF's mission of restoring the American chestnut tree has been driving diverse approaches to establishing disease resistant trees throughout the eastern U.S. for over 40 years. Vasiliy's work with TACF spans applied tree improvement and evaluation, species reintroduction, and public engagement. He holds a PhD from Virginia Tech and his prior work includes forest understory restoration, invasion ecology, species distribution modeling, and ecophysiology. Vasiliy serves as Board Vice President of the North American Invasive Species Management Association and is passionate about nonprofit models of long-term environmental conservation.

On this Wednesday's show, we'll be talking to Nick Dietschler at the Hemlock Initiative to see how things are going with combatting the devastating hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). HWA is an exotic insect that has wreaked havoc on the eastern US's hemlock trees beginning in the mid-1900s.

Nick grew up in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, and moved to Ithaca in 2014. He received an Associates in Natural Resources Conservation from Finger Lakes Community College, Bachelors in Conservation Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a Masters in Natural Resources from Cornell University. Before coming to the Hemlock Initiative at Cornell, he spent a season with the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation conducting hemlock and balsam woolly adelgid surveys throughout New York. At NYSHI, Nick manages many aspects of the program’s field work, works with statewide collaborators, and coordinates NYSHI’s bio-control release program. Nick’s research focuses on understanding plant-pest interactions and predator community ecology, and their influence on integrated pest management in forest systems.

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the yellow poplar tree.

 

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

On this week's show, we'll be talking to Allen Nichols, President of the recently created American Chestnut Restoration (ACR). Allen was previously the President of the NYS Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (NY-TACF). In December of '23, the national TACF decided to discontinue its support of SUNY College of Enviornmental Science & Forestry's Darling 54/58 transgenic chestnut program; A project heavily supported by NY-TACF. This disagreement ended in the termination of the NY Chapter, going back to 1990 and the creation of the ACR. We'll get Allen's opinion on how this occurred and where the transgenic chestnuts stand.

Allen Nichol's first exposure to American chestnut was growing up in the 1950s above the Pepacton Reservoir when his father and brother returned from hunting with some burs. At that time many believed there would be some survivors of the chestnut blight. Allen saw his first American chestnuts when his father pointed out the remains of dead trees as a boy. He was aware of the resprouts that kept coming up and then dying back from the blight. As a teenager, he witnessed the death of all the great American elms on his farm, which gave him a vision of what must have happened when the chestnut blight killed all the chestnuts 50+ years earlier.  Allen believes the death of the ash today is probably giving the next generation a glimpse of what has happened in the past.

On this week's show we'll be discussing how one company is seeking to bring back the American chestnut tree. A pathogenic fungus introduced from Asia knocked out the mighty American chestnut early on in the last century and represents one of the greatest losses to North America's forests. We'll see if SilvaBio has a solution.

Michael Bloom is a serial entrepreneur and avid outdoorsman, having successfully developed, led and sold two pioneering ed-tech companies, Great Courses and Learn25. Coming from a family of master gardeners & outdoor enthusiasts, Michael combines a passion for forest restoration with over 25 years of leadership experience. Michael has a B.S. degree from Boston University and an MBA with High Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. SilvaBio's Mission—“To create the disease-tolerant seedlings needed to restore the health & resilience of North America’s forests through science-driven solutions to tree disease.”

On this week's show, we'll be discussing Open Space Institute's (OSI) new land acquisition in the Town of Neversink of 3,100 acres. Known as "Blue Hill", this purchase represents the largest potential addition to the NYS DEC forest preserve in 25 years. OSI plans to turn over this property to the DEC in the future.

"The Open Space Institute protects scenic, natural and historic landscapes to provide public enjoyment, conserve habitat and working lands, and sustain communities." Tom Gravel is a senior land project manager at the Open Space Institute (OSI) where he manages the conservation of open space and environmentally sensitive lands in the Catskills, Hudson Valley, and northern New Jersey by facilitating complex real estate transactions. After graduating from Middlebury College, Tom began his career in land conservation in 2004 with the Trust for Public Land before joining OSI in 2012. Abigail Weinberg is Vice President for Science & Conservation Policy for the Open Space Institute (OSI). She develops nature-based solutions to climate change, water quality and land-based inequities. Her work translating science to conservation practice and policies informs the work of foundations, state and federal agencies and land conservation organizations. Her recent work focused on using data and tools to optimize forest carbon mitigation through land protection and quantifying the impact of land protection on water quality.  Abby has a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Bachelors degree from St. John’s College (the “Great Books School”), Santa Fe.

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the amazing process of water uptake by trees.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

Occasionally, each 1st Wednesday, we like to "talk shop" with field staff of Catskill Forest Association on what's going on in the forest.

CFA Field Staff Ryan Trapani, Director of Forest Services Zane Lawyer, Forest Program Manager Giovanna D'Angelo, Education Forester John Unverzagt, Education Arborist

On this week's show we'll talk to John Bartow & Jennifer DeFrancesco from Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA) about pressing policy issues impacting New York State's forests and forest products economy.

John Bartow was appointed Executive Director of the Empire State Forest Products Association on July 18, 2015.  The Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA), a non-profit organization for businesses and individuals, whose mission is to improve public awareness and promote public policy in support of productive and healthy New York forests and the forest products economy to meet the needs of society, today and for future generations.

Heritage means passing something down from preceding generations. Both trees and humans rely upon deep roots to pass their role in the forest down to the next generation. Some of our heritage in the forest has disappeared and some has not. On this week's show, we'll discuss some heritage in the Catskills that is "from the forest."

On this week's show we'll interviewing Food Forest Farm's Owner & Operator--Jonathan Bates.

Forest Food Farm operates in Ithaca, NY and "creates low maintenance, regenerative food systems. They grow, supply, and teach about perennial vegetables and other multipurpose plants. Forest Food Farm works with clients to design landscapes, and lives, that are sustaining and nourishing for people and planet."

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing some of the trees we've lost--or are losing--over the years--American chestnut, American elm, American beech, white ash, and hemlock.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

On this week's show we'll be talking to Eli Arnow on how deer are impacting New York State's forests and their possible solutions.

Eli Arnow is a land steward and environmental advocate serving as chair of the Forest Health Task Force at Partners for Climate Action. He has a Master's degree from SUNY ESF in Environmental Science with a concentration in ecological restoration and lives in southern Columbia County.   Partners for Climate Action (PCA) provides funding and support to local communities who are taking action to address the climate crisis and improve the ecosystems of the Hudson River Estuary Watershed. PCA's mission is to catalyze bioregional climate action.

Occasionally, each 1st Wednesday, we like to "talk shop" with field staff of Catskill Forest Association on what's going on in the forest. We'll introduce new Staff members that you may not have met yet--Giovanna D'Angelo & John Unverzagt.

CFA Field Staff Ryan Trapani, Director of Forest Services Zane Lawyer, Forest Program Manager Giovanna D'Angelo, Education Forester John Unverzagt, Education Arborist

On this week's show we'll be talking to Twisted Tree Farm's Akiva Silver. Twisted Tree Farm is "dedicated to growing healthy trees, food, and family." They specialize in "low maintenance fruit & nut trees, berry bushes, and useful perennials." Maybe some of these make sense in your backyard.

"Akiva Silver owns and operates Twisted Tree Farm, a homestead, nut orchard, and nursery located in Spencer, New York, where he grows around 20,000 trees per year using practices that go beyond organic. His background is in foraging, wilderness survival, and primitive skills. He has been observing nature intensively for the last 20 years, cultivating a deep appreciation for life."

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing some history of sawmilling and logging.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

Spring is right around the corner and that means that the clock is ticking for when buds pop and flowers bloom. Join Zane and Mike as they talk about the science of phenology, or the timing of periodic biological events on plants and animals. They’ll discuss why phenology is important, what influences these seasonal and cyclical changes, how these cycles are shifting, and how anyone can become a phenologist by keeping good records of what they see.

On this week's show we'll be discussing wood heat with the Alliance for Green Heat's (AGH) John Ackerly. AGH "seeks to promote modern wood & pellet heating systems as a low carbon, sustainable & affordable energy solution."

President John oversees the group's policies and programs and partnerships with other stakeholders in the residential renewable energy and energy efficiency community. He has 25 years of experience in advocacy and non-profit management with the International Campaign for Tibet, Public Citizen and the Center for Constitutional Rights. He earned a BA from Dartmouth College and a JD at the Washington College of Law and practiced civil rights law with a firm in Mississippi. John serves on several boards of directors, including the Biomass Thermal Energy Council and the Advisory Board of the Maryland Clean Energy Center. He is a certified by the National Fireplace Institute as a pellet stove technician. He lives in Maryland and heats his home with 2 cords of very dry wood. The Alliance works to advance cleaner and more efficient residential heating technology, particularly for low and middle-income families. Founded in Maryland in 2009, the Alliance is an independent non-profit organization and is tax-exempt under section 501c3 of the tax code.

On this week's show we'll be talking to Bill Edwards--Co-Owner of Star Tree Wildfire Protection (STWP). STWP provides Services that includes: Consulting, Prescribed Fire, Prescribed Burn Plan Writing, Fire Line & Fuel Break Construction, Project Management, and more. The demand in New York State seems to be increasing for prescribed fire. Private outfits like STWP make it happen.

"Star Tree Wildfire Protection offers safe and trustworthy prescribed fire to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions. Co-owner, William P. Edwards, has more than 40 years of experience in the field and has traveled throughout the country as a wildland firefighter. As a family-owned company, we can deliver personalized and organized customer service, and we’re proud of our track record of bringing multiple groups and agencies together on fire and other land management projects. We take our role seriously and understand how important prescribed fire and mechanical forest fuel removal tools are in managing land for environmental and safety goals and objectives."

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the hemlock tree.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

On this week's show we'll be discussing Thomas Molnar's optimistic work at Rutgers University on hazelnut. Hazelnut has been devastated by Eastern Filbert Blight, making it difficult to grow in the eastern US. Tom is seeking to bring hazelnut back east as an opportunity for backyarders, hobbyists, and orchards.

Thomas Molnar received his PhD from Rutgers University in 2006. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Plant Biology Department of the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA). His research program concentrates on the genetic improvement and study of hazelnuts (Corylus) and large-bracted dogwoods (Cornus). Part of this work includes germplasm exploration, collection, and evaluation. A major aspect of his current research is developing and characterizing genetic resistance to eastern filbert blight, a fungal disease which is the primary limiting factor of hazelnut production in the eastern North America. Breeding objectives in both woody ornamentals and hazelnuts emphasize selection for high levels of disease and pest resistance and cold hardiness.

We spoke to Jesse back in November about his leather tanning business in Montgomery, Orange County--Pergamena--Parchments & Leather. The Meyer family has been tanning leather for 474 years! On this 2nd show with Jesse, we'll get more into the industry and process side of things. Pergamena's connection to the forest is the chestnut bark they use to tan their leathers. In addition to livestock, they will tan deerskins too.

Jesse Meyer has worked in his family’s business since he was young; going to the tannery with his father Karl on days off from school continued through high school and even during his college breaks. After graduating with a BFA from S.U.N.Y. New Paltz, he planned on getting as far away from the tannery as he could, or at least moving to NYC to try his hand at being an artist. While working on long term plans, he continued working at the tannery, and in his off hours working on his artwork and his research in animal skins and possible applications in his artwork.  Using his artistry background, Jesse revived and refined the age-old process of hand-making parchment (parchment defined as a raw animal skin that has had the hair and flesh removed, then stretched and dried under tension). Jesse rebranded the Richard E. Meyer & Sons Tannery into Pergamena Artisanal Parchments and Leathers, taking the name Pergamena from the Latin word for parchment.

On this week's show we'll be talking all about deer, deer management, and their conservation with National Deer Association's Matt Ross.

About NDA--"Re-forged on November 10, 2020, from the combined strengths of two deer organizations with 38 years of action, the National Deer Association is united for deer with a new vision to make an impact for conservation immediately and for future generations. Our mission: ensuring the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting."   Matt Ross is NDA’s Senior Director of Conservation, and he has been with the organization since 2006 earning several promotions during his tenure. His prior positions include Director and Assistant Director of Conservation, Conservation Coordinator, Certification Programs Manager, and New England/Canada and Northeast Regional Director. Before coming to NDA, he was a project manager with Moreno Forestry Associates and a wildlife technician with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Massachusetts and master’s at the University of New Hampshire. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® and Licensed Forester.   Matt grew up in Hyde Park, New York and currently lives in Saratoga Springs. He is an NDA Life Member, Brothers-Hamilton Society member, and longtime Branch volunteer. He and his wife, Sadie, are proud parents of two daughters who he loves sharing his outdoor passion with.

(The 1st half of this show can be found 15 minutes into Part 1)   On this week's show we'll be talking to Dr. Jane Lucas from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies about the importance of soils in northeastern forests. Jane will cover soil composition, the role of microbial communities in soils, global change impacts on soil health, human influences and soil degradation, and what you can do to improve soils.

Jane Lucas studies microbial communities, which exist in nearly every environment and play a key role in nutrient cycling. These tiny and abundant microorganisms help fertilize plants and recycle organic debris, with important implications for agriculture and ecosystem health. Lucas is working to uncover the hidden complexity of microbial life, primarily in soils, from tropical forests to farmlands around the world. A central question: How are people impacting the composition and function of microbial communities? Lucas’ current research is investigating how livestock practices shape antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics given to livestock inject biologically active compounds into the environment – with unknown consequences. Using field studies and new molecular tools, Lucas is examining how livestock antibiotics affect soil microbes, soil carbon storage, nitrogen cycling, and the rise of antibiotic resistance. The ‘One Health’ approach is central to Lucas’ work. This is the idea that agriculture, the environment, and public health are inextricably linked. Lucas aims to work with farmers and government agencies to encourage sustainable agricultural practices that support healthy ecosystems and meet global food demands. Before coming to Cary, Lucas completed a USDA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Idaho. She received her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Oklahoma, where she studied how nutrient availability and antibiotics influence tropical soil communities. Past work has looked at how antifungal and antibacterial compounds affect decomposition in soils, and how activities of a tropical ant impact microorganisms and nutrient cycling in its environment.

(Unfortunately, you must "fast-forward" 15 minutes into this show to begin From the Forest.)   On this week's show we'll be talking to Dr. Jane Lucas from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies about the importance of soils in northeastern forests. Jane will cover soil composition, the role of microbial communities in soils, global change impacts on soil health, human influences and soil degradation, and what you can do to improve soils.

Jane Lucas studies microbial communities, which exist in nearly every environment and play a key role in nutrient cycling. These tiny and abundant microorganisms help fertilize plants and recycle organic debris, with important implications for agriculture and ecosystem health. Lucas is working to uncover the hidden complexity of microbial life, primarily in soils, from tropical forests to farmlands around the world. A central question: How are people impacting the composition and function of microbial communities? Lucas’ current research is investigating how livestock practices shape antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics given to livestock inject biologically active compounds into the environment – with unknown consequences. Using field studies and new molecular tools, Lucas is examining how livestock antibiotics affect soil microbes, soil carbon storage, nitrogen cycling, and the rise of antibiotic resistance. The ‘One Health’ approach is central to Lucas’ work. This is the idea that agriculture, the environment, and public health are inextricably linked. Lucas aims to work with farmers and government agencies to encourage sustainable agricultural practices that support healthy ecosystems and meet global food demands. Before coming to Cary, Lucas completed a USDA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Idaho. She received her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Oklahoma, where she studied how nutrient availability and antibiotics influence tropical soil communities. Past work has looked at how antifungal and antibacterial compounds affect decomposition in soils, and how activities of a tropical ant impact microorganisms and nutrient cycling in its environment.

On this week's show we'll be talking to Nadia Steinzor about wolves. Nadia facilitates the recovery and protection of wolves throughout northeastern US and eastern Canada.

Nadia Steinzor is an environmental consultant with 25 years of experience in policy analysis, research, writing, and communications. She has developed and managed projects to investigate the oil and gas industry’s impact on the climate and communities, secure governmental protections for air, water, land, and wildlife, and engage the public in advocacy efforts. Nadia works with the Rewilding Institute to ensure that wolves and other carnivores thrive and roam in the Northeast and beyond. Nadia holds an M.S. in environmental policy from the Bard College Center for Environmental Policy.

Last time we had Author M.R. O'Connor on the show, we discussed her book--"Ignition: Lighting Fires in a Burning World." On this week's show, we'll discuss her recent article in The New Yorker: "The Northeast is Becoming Fire Country." O'Connor's article was inspired by the abundance of forest fires last fall in the Northeast US.

About M.R. O'Connor: M. R. O’Connor is a journalist who writes about the politics and ethics of science, technology and conservation. Her work has appeared online in The Atavist, Slate, Foreign Policy, The New Yorker, Nautilus, UnDark and Harper’s.  Her first book, Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things (St. Martin’s Press, 2015) and was one of Library Journal and Amazon’s Best Books of The Year. Her second book, Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World (St. Martin’s Press, 2019) is an exploration of navigation traditions, neuroscience, and the diversity of human relationships to space, time and memory. Its writing was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan’s Program for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, & Economics. She recently wrote a book called Ignition (September 2023, Bold Type Books) on fire ecology and prescribed burning, for which she became certified as a wildland firefighter. In 2008/2009, O’Connor was a reporter for The Sunday Times, an English-language newspaper in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her investigative reporting on topics like disappearances in Sri Lanka’s civil war, global agriculture trade in Haiti, and American development enterprises in Afghanistan have been funded by institutions such as the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The Phillips Foundation, and The Nation Institute’s Investigative Fund. For a long time, she made her bread and butter as a stringer covering crime, courts, and breaking news in New York City for publications such as The Wall Street Journal and New York Post, and covered the criminal justice beat for the online investigative site The New York World.  She is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a 2016/17 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner, the screenwriter Bryan Parker, and their two sons.

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the ash tree.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

We had Nate on the show last year to share his story of his first ever time bear hunting in the Catskills. He was successful and is now hooked! We will hear about his second year of hunting and what he's learned. 

This fall was abnormally dry here in the Catskills, resulting in an uptick in wildland fire activity. We will be discussing fire in the Catskills with NYS DEC Region 3 Forest Ranger, Erich Horn. Ranger Horn spent some time on the Peekamoose Fire last month and will give us some first hand accounts as well as discuss his role as a Forest Ranger to prevent and suppress forest fires in the region.

On this week's show we'll be talking to Jesse Meyer from Pergamena--Parchments & Leather. Pergamena is based out of Montgomery, Orange County and the Meyer family has been tanning leather for 474 years! Pergamena's connection to the forest is the chestnut bark they use to tan their leathers. In addition to livestock, they also will tan deerskins too.

Jesse Meyer has worked in his family’s business since he was young; going to the tannery with his father Karl on days off from school continued through high school and even during his college breaks. After graduating with a BFA from S.U.N.Y. New Paltz, he planned on getting as far away from the tannery as he could, or at least moving to NYC to try his hand at being an artist. While working on long term plans, he continued working at the tannery, and in his off hours working on his artwork and his research in animal skins and possible applications in his artwork.  Using his artistry background, Jesse revived and refined the age-old process of hand-making parchment (parchment defined as a raw animal skin that has had the hair and flesh removed, then stretched and dried under tension). Jesse rebranded the Richard E. Meyer & Sons Tannery into Pergamena Artisanal Parchments and Leathers, taking the name Pergamena from the Latin word for parchment.

(2nd half of show)

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the maple tree, both red and sugar.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

(This show unfortunately is broken up over 2 parts. Just "fast-forward" towards the middle or so of Part 1 to hear the beginning)

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the maple tree, both red and sugar.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

On this week's show we'll be discussing how "kids in the woods" has changed from the past. I know playing in the woods as a kid definitely had a great influence on my life as someone who plays and works in the woods today. 

On this week's show, we'll be talking about bogs in the Catskills with Dr. Michael Kudish. Dr. Kudish uses bogs to decipher forest history going back thousands of years!

Michael Kudish received his Ph.D. at the New York State College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. In 2000, Purple Mountain Press published The Catskill Forest: A History. As a professor emeritus in the Division of Forestry at Paul Smith's College, he has also written four books on the vegetation of the Adirondacks, including Adirondack Upland Flora and a number of articles on forest history of both the Catskills and Adirondacks. As a railroad historian, he has written volumes on the subject of railroads in the Adirondacks and the Catskills.

On this week's show we'll be talking about the history, status, and recovery of mountain lions with Chris Spatz. Chris is the former President of the Cougar Rewilding Foundation that seeks to bring cougars back to the northeast. 

The raven (Corvus corax) reminds me of my campsite in the mountains. I hear them often throughout the day uttering a variety of "vocalizations" from the nearby cliffsides where they reside.

On this week's show we'll discuss this bird that often gets confused with its look-alike, the crow. Both birds share the prize though for being one of the smartest birds in the world.

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll be discussing the black locust tree.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

October 1st marked the Opening Day of Archery Season for hunting deer and bear. We'll discuss how we think this year will shape up, what we're seeing, and why and how we bow hunt.

On this Wednesday's radio show we'll be talking to Brian Bethke, Founder & CEO of Bear Maple Sparkling Ginseng Elixir. Brian has taken 2 of our favorite Catskill Mountain ingredients--ginseng & maple sap--and made a super delicious and nutritious drink. We'll see how he came to developing Bear Maple and how it's going.

In 2020, in the heart of the pandemic, Bear Maple founder and CEO Brian Bethke and his family moved to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. On their daily outings, he and his daughter discovered maple trees and ginseng growing in the wild. A serial entrepreneur and lifelong learner, Brian set off on a journey of discovery and a deep dive into the voluminous research documenting the functionality of ginseng as well as maple water. He combined the two in a beverage and Bear Maple was born. The Bear Maple team set out to be the first to bring hydroponically grown ginseng to the beverage market in an adaptogenic, sparkling elixir. Bear Maple’s mission is to craft innovative, functional beverages that help nourish both the body and mind while fostering a sustainable future for the planet. Its functional sparkling ginseng beverages are crafted with high-quality ginseng, naturally sweetened with maple water, and are caffeine free. Bear Maple is 1% for the Planet certified, and the company donates 1% of its annual sales directly to vetted environmental partners. For more information visit drinkbearmaple.com, follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn, or email info@drinkbearmaple.com.

In the northeast, wind is the dominant natural disturbance factor that influences the size, density, and age class of trees in the forest. In this week's show, we will discuss how wind affects individual trees, how it impacts forest structure, which species depend on it for pollination, and what you can do for your property after a high wind event.

Normally, each first Wednesday of the month, Catskill Forest Association's Field Staff 'check-in’ to discuss what they've been up to around and in the forests of the Catskill Mountains.

Catskill Forest Association includes 4 field staff members: Ryan Trapani — Director of Forest Services John MacNaught — Forest Program Manager Zane Lawyer — Education Arborist Zahra Bellucci — Education Forester

Many of us have heard about fire in the forest out west or somewhere else other than the northeast. The northeastern forest has been labeled the "Asbestos Forest" or one that doesn't include fire. But, has this always been the case? What positive role can fire play in New York State's forest? Andrew Vander Yacht will explain the historical role of fire in New York and how it might be used today.

Dr. Andrew (Andy) L. Vander Yacht is an Assistant Professor of Applied Forest and Fire Ecology in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at SUNY ESF. He teaches silviculture, fire ecology and management, and forest management for wildlife. Broadly, his research program seeks to: 1) understand how disturbance, particularly fire, affects the structure, composition, health, and resiliency of temperate forested ecosystems, and 2) how this knowledge can inform modern forest management. Specifically, he works to advance silvicultural practices in NY and beyond as he explores historical disturbances in forests, plant-soil-fire feedbacks, forest carbon management, fuel ecology, pyric herbivory, the restoration of disturbance-dependent biodiversity, and fire effects on ticks and tick-borne disease. Before SUNY ESF, Andy earned a B.S. in Biology at Hope College (Holland, MI), M.S. (Wildlife Science) and Ph.D. (Natural Resources) degrees from The University of Tennessee, and worked 4 years at Michigan State University.

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll again be discussing some of the official state trees of the US since we didn't finish last time around.

Gary is the former owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill & current owner of Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, Delaware County. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in New Kingston, Town of Middletown, Delaware County.

Last week's show covered "Bark Tanning in the Catskills." We'll continue the conversation on this most significant mountain industry with Paul Misko. Paul's talk will focus on a particular area of the Catskills—Woodland Valley, located in the Town of Shandaken, Ulster County.

 

Paul Misko has been hiking in the Catskills since childhood. Over the years he has learned much about the Catskill forest, and the human history within it. Though his main focus is Woodland Valley, near Phoenicia, he has done research throughout the whole Catskill region.

In 2009 he founded the Catskill 4000 Club, a small hiking group which focuses on history themed hikes and events. He has written articles for Kaatskill Life, and the Catskill Mountain Region Guide. He regularly gives talks on Catskill history, American history, and John Burroughs. He shares his research both in person, and on WIOX radio's "From the Forest."