Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

In this episode, Brett Barry visits the Delaware County Historical Association to talk with historian Tim Duerden about Escape From the Sugar House, his first work of historical fiction. The book follows Levi Hanford, a Connecticut teenager swept into the Revolutionary War and imprisoned in a New York City "sugar house" — one of several makeshift prisons where thousands died from disease, starvation, and neglect. Duerden discusses the Revolution as a civil war, the economic forces shaping Loyalist and Patriot strongholds, and the postwar migration that brought veterans like Hanford to the Catskills. The conversation centers on a unique artifact: a cane crafted from a Sugar House beam and gifted to Hanford late in life. A compelling blend of history, storytelling, and regional heritage.

As the leaves change, Kaatscast and Cidiot join up to look at fall foliage on both sides of the Hudson. Cidiot's episode covers the science of leaf color with Cary Institute scientist Dr. Amy Zanne. This one covers the west side: an environmental educator explains why leaves change color, and five more Catskills residents describe how they spend the season and where they go to see it. In this episode 00:00 Introduction, with a reading of "Poème d'Automne" by Langston Hughes The autumn leaves Are too heavy with color. The slender trees On the Vulcan Road Are dressed in scarlet and gold Like young courtesans Waiting for their lovers. But soon The winter winds Will strip their bodies bare And then The sharp, sleet-stung Caresses of cold Will be their only Love. 01:33 Matt Savatgy, environmental scientist in residence in the Onteora School District (Cornell Cooperative Extension / Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program), on chlorophyll, why trees go dormant, how drought and a wet August affect color, and why the Northeast shares its foliage with places at similar latitudes like South Korea. Favorite spots: the escarpment at North Lake, Ashokan Quarry Trail, Giant Ledge, Overlook Mountain. 11:57 Milton O'Connell of the Bruderhof community in Platte Clove on fall hikes (Kaaterskill High Peak, Indian Head, Plattekill Mountain, Dibble's Quarry) and the community's fall festival. 15:41 Painter Christie Scheele on why fall is the season she paints least, what she looks for in late-fall oaks, and driving Route 28 west. 21:24 Photographer Casey Kelbaugh on shooting foliage in overcast light, iPhone settings, and a one-way hike through Diamond Notch to the West Kill brewery. 28:10 Ed Ullmanm of Wellness Rx in Phoenicia on fall as a season of reflection, plus his advice on flu shots, COVID boosters and immune support. 33:05 Samantha Awand-Gortel, manager of Ulster Savings Bank's Phoenicia branch, on preparing finances for winter costs and her favorite views, including the Belleayre and Hunter Mountain Oktoberfests. 35:42 Closing and how to send in your own fall favorites Event: The Bruderhof fall festival in Platte Clove is Saturday, October 3, 2026, 2:00–5:00 PM, open to the public (hayrides, pumpkin carving, cider making). Links Cidiot podcast, East of Hudson fall guide with Dr. Amy Zanne: https://www.cidiot.com/ Bruderhof: A Christian Community in the Platte Clove: https://www.kaatscast.com/bruderhof-a-christian-community-in-the-platte-clove/ Christie Scheele's Kaatscast episode: https://www.kaatscast.com/catskills-artist-christie-scheele/ ... and the Drive 28 Arts & Culture audio tour: https://drive28.com/ Walking the Long Path from Manhattan to the Catskills (Casey Kelbaugh): https://www.kaatscast.com/walking-the-long-path-from-manhattan-to-the-catskills/ Wellness Rx: A Prescription for Rural Healthcare: https://www.kaatscast.com/wellness-rx-a-prescription-for-rural-healthcare/ Samantha Awand-Gortel's 2023 financial literacy episode: https://www.kaatscast.com/financial-literacy-at-ulster-savings-bank/ Share your fall favorites: kaatscast.com (contact page or Send a Voicemail): https://www.kaatscast.com/contact/

“Invasive species” has become one of the most charged phrases in environmental discourse — but what if the term itself obscures more than it reveals? In this episode, Brett Barry sits down with Dr. Erik Kiviat, co‑founder of Hudsonia and a field biologist with decades of research on introduced plants, to explore the nuance behind weeds like knotweed, purple loosestrife, and common reed. As Kiviat notes, “There is a fear and hysteria of things that come from somewhere else….” His perspective reframes the conversation, showing how many “invasives” also provide habitat, pollinator resources, water‑quality benefits, and even medicinal compounds like resveratrol. From the herbarium at Hudsonia's field station on the Bard College campus, Kiviat explains how human disturbance creates ideal conditions for these plants, why management must be site‑specific rather than fear‑driven, and how wildlife — from songbirds to pollinators — routinely use knotweed in ways that complicate the usual narrative. The episode offers a grounded, science‑based look at a topic often clouded by alarmism, reminding us that ecology is complex, adaptive, and rarely served by simple labels like “invasive.”

"Close your eyes when you roll through town and open them when you get to the driveway," is essentially how Peter and Sarah Finn jokingly welcomed friends to their Hunter home in the mid-1990s — when dilapidated buildings and FOR SALE signs dominated Main Street. The Finns turned frustration into action, buying a rotting dairy barn and a struggling movie theater, and building what would become the Catskill Mountain Foundation in 1998. Nearly 30 years later, CMF runs a three-screen cinema, a piano performance museum, ballet and theater programs, artist housing, an organic farm, and a monthly regional magazine, and employs about 30 people. Peter's new book, Driven to Build, Guided by Values: Leading for Long-Term Success in the For-Profit and Nonprofit Worlds, traces the principles behind both CMF and FINN Partners, the global PR firm he founded. Peter and Sarah join host Brett Barry at their home in Hunter, along with CMF Executive Director Amy Scheibe, to talk through the foundation's origins and where it's headed. Topics include: The Finn family's roots in Hunter, going back to Peter's great-grandparents, who arrived from the Poland-Ukraine borderlands in 1889 (a story also told in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers) Buying and renovating the Red Barn and the old Hunter movie theater, and how conversations with Sean Byrne (Hunter Foundation), Barry Kerr, Linda Nichols, and Pam and Judd Weisberg shaped CMF's formation The distinction between CMF (arts) and its neighbor, The Hunter Foundation (Main Street revitalization) Funding the foundation's early years and building donor relationships, including Hunter Mountain's Slutsky family How Peter's PR-agency background shaped CMF's multi-pronged structure Current capital projects: new theatrical equipment and a rehearsal/dance studio at the Orpheum (funded by a $1.75M state matching grant), a NYSERDA net-zero grant for the studio building, and new artist housing (Creekside Retreat) What's next for CMF Links: Peter Finn's book: Driven to Build, Guided by Values The Catskill Mountain Foundation: catskillmtn.org Kaatscast: kaatscast.com — full episode archive, transcribed and searchable

Ed Van Put spent more than fifty years studying, fishing, and protecting Catskill waters — and in the process became one of the region’s most respected fly fishers and fisheries biologists. In this episode, Nick Lyons returns to Kaatscast to share the story of how Ed’s final book, A Fly Fisher’s Revelations, brought him out of retirement at age 93. Joining Nick is Ed’s wife, Judy “Obie” Van Put, who offers a deeply personal portrait of Ed’s life, his gentle nature, and his lifelong devotion to the rivers he loved. Together, Nick and Obie trace Ed’s journey from a curious New Jersey kid to a principal fisheries biologist for New York State, his meticulous fishing journals, his contrarian approach to fly selection, and his decades of work securing public fishing rights and cold‑water releases. They revisit Ed’s favorite flies, his philosophy of presentation over complexity, and the stories behind his landmark books on Catskill trout fishing. It’s a celebration of a man whose knowledge, humility, and passion shaped generations of anglers — and whose legacy continues to ripple through Catskill waters.