In this Issue: Enjoy the Activities at Scarecrow Fest; Advocacy Updates; Volunteers, Donations Needed for Festival; Sign Up for Sun Day Event in September; and Volunteer of the Month

Sing-a-Longs, Seed Balls and More

Join Us Sept. 20 for 4th annual Scarecrow Fest

"Autumn in New York. Why does it seem so inviting?"

- Ella Fitzgerald's "Autumn in New York"

There will be arts and crafts tables for kids of all ages as well as games, exhibitors, workshops and food trucks filling the Comeau's Shakespeare Lawn Sept. 20 from 1-4 p.m. It's almost time for our 4th annual Scarecrow Fest, and we are excited to see you and your family at our fall festival.

Elly Wininger is returning to provide live music and lead a sing-a-long for the whole family, while community nonprofits will be filling you in on their latest projects. You might get a head start on holiday gifts by visiting with vendors, and you will want to grab a trail guide to enjoy the Comeau trail before you depart.

One of our partners, Woodstock Pollinator Pathway, and the Hudson Valley Seed Company will be providing seeds for a seed ball session, and Dr. Robert Titus will be leading a bedrock geology workshop. There will be a tree identification opportunity along with branch weaving, pumpkin painting and a chance to pose as your own scarecrow!

From the Ground Up will be bringing its mobile kitchen to Woodstock to sell tasty plates of fresh-made selections. We are finalizing plans for a second food vendor, so come hungry!

Scarecrow Fest is free, but we do ask for a $10 per adult donation to help defray the costs. Parking is free, and the workshops are free.

Mark your calendars now for Scarecrow Fest 2025! Please bring your reusable water bottle and either a blanket or lawn chairs if you'd like to relax on the lawn.

Work to Protect Lands, Wetlands Continues

WLC Leads Advocacy Coalitions to Save Special Places

Our programming may change with the seasons, but WLC's commitment to advocating for the environment is a 12-month-a-year priority. We're proud to lead two advocacy coalitions working on environmental protections, and we will continue to work in collaboration with like-minded organizations and citizens to see both issues to successful conclusions.

It's been more than two years since the coalition to oppose Zena Development, which was then called Woodstock National, formed. Thankfully, a shovel still has not gone in the ground to decimate even one of the more than 600 acres of incredible forest, including parts of Woodstock's Critical Environmental Area. The developers are continuing their push to build on more than 100 acres in the Town of Ulster, acreage that neighbors WLC's Israel Wittman Sanctuary. We refuse to allow bulldozers and pickleball courts to disturb the ecosystem of our largest preserve without raising our voices.

The developers were back in front of the Woodstock Planning Board last month, with their attorney pushing for board members to grant them a waiver to lengthen Eastwoods Drive well beyond the length provided in the town's code. As we understand it, the length limitation exists to ensure the safety of Woodstock's first responders like volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

The Woodstock Planning Board is precluded by state law from make any decisions -- including the granting of a waiver -- while the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is weighing competing requests from the Town of Ulster's Planning Board and Woodstock's Planning Board to serve as lead agency for the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR). This environmental review is central to any decision by either Planning Board, as the chart illustrates. We will let you know when DEC makes its decision.

Meanwhile, WLC continues to work on trail connectivity along the U&D Corridor. The Ulster County Legislature is continuing to review its options for a portion of the corridor known as the "undesignated section," most recently working to finalize a contract with another engineering firm to study the feasibility of rail-plus-trail along the 1.67-mile section. A final decision is now likely delayed until after the first of the year, as a recent Daily Freeman article said the new study would not be completed until "early 2026."

WLC and its coalition partners are advocating for the Ashokan Rail Trail to be extended through the undesignated section, which would ensure the opportunity for cyclists and pedestrians to safely avoid Route 28 and provide a viable route for a shared-use trail (meaning wide enough for both those on bicycles and those on foot) to connect Boiseville and Woodstock to Kingston's Linear Park.

If you'd like to learn more about the Stop Zena Development coalition or would like to donate to help support it, please visit the Stop Zena website. If you'd like to find out more about the Kingston to Ashokan trail coalition or would like to donate to support those efforts, please visit the KATrail website.

We Need Volunteers, Donations for Scarecrow Fest

Many Opportunities Available to Participate in Festival

We need volunteers to help us with a variety of activities during Scarecrow Fest, so here's an opportunity to help WLC while also enjoying a fun and enriching fall festival. We need team members for the set-up crew, the tear-down crew, arts and crafts stations, parking, and more. We have shifts starting at 11:45 a.m., while others end at 5 p.m. The festival itself is 1-4 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Comeau in the heart of Woodstock.

Volunteer shifts are 75-90 minutes to ensure there's time to enjoy the festival either before or after the shift. We are looking for 10-12 volunteers.

We also need donations. Do you have scarecrow essentials? How about kid-friendly craft supplies? We can help you clean out part of a closet, craft bin or kitchen drawer while saving us money and reducing consumption.

We are looking to reuse supplies whenever possible, so please let us know if you have the following materials to donate. We will be taking donations starting Thursday, Sept. 4. There will be a bin on the porch of our office, which is located at 74 Mill Hill Road, right across from Sunflower Market. We will be taking donations from Sept. 4 through Sept. 18.

• Straw hats: adults or kids
• Flannel shirts: adults or kids
• Paper plates: white only with no design
• Paint brushes: kid-friendly size for tempera paints
• Kids scissors with blunt ends
• Straw to decorate handmade hats
• Pieces of burlap

If you have any questions, please email us here. Thanks for helping us make Scarecrow Fest an eco-friendly event for the whole family!

Our friends at Third Act Woodstock are looking forward to participating in Sun Day Sept. 21, and we encourage you to join them. The Sun Day festivities for the Hudson Valley will be held in Albany at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center starting at noon. The event is free but registration is required, so click here to register.

According to the website, the upstate New York event will feature panel discussions, an exhibit hall, a songfest and films. "Sun Day events in Upstate New York will bring together activists, businesses, workers, homeowners, renters, farmers, students and policymakers to demonstrate widespread support for the ongoing transition to renewable energy," the site explains. "Through arts and music, storytelling, teach-ins, and fun activities for all ages, Sun Day events will showcase New York’s affordable, reliable clean energy future as we leave behind the planet-crushing toxicity of fossil fuels."

In a recent New Yorker article, Third Act founder Bill McKibben noted the incredible rise of solar power -- and the need to actively work to see its continued growth. As the cheapest source of power currently available, it's imperative to continue to educate individuals, businesses, municipalities and governments about the benefits of renewable energy.

Want to learn more? There's no better opportunity than Sun Day!

There's nothing quite like the serenity of Sloan Gorge for Land Steward Sarah M. She enjoys heading out to the preserve with her dog for a peaceful hike with only the sounds of nature to interrupt her thoughts. Even as she's inspecting the trail for possible hazards, she's soaking up the environment.

Sarah's been a resident of the eastern Catskills area for six years, and she's an admirer of the many large and small preserves in the area. Whether she's enjoying a part of the Catskill Forest Preserve or our own Sloan Gorge, she's appreciative of the time she can spend surrounded by the sights and sounds.

Sarah admits spring is her favorite time of year, but fall and winter are special times at Sloan Gorge. Have you ever seen the icicles hanging off the rocks? They are stunning!

Would you like to know more about the Land Stewards program? Email us here to find out how you can join Sarah and her fellow volunteers. We appreciate Sarah's commitment to stewardship and are thrilled to honor her as Volunteer of the Month.

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