In this Issue: Watch Out for Ice at the Ashokan Rail Trail; Listen to the "Sounds of the Solstice" Recording; Know Your Watershed; Book Club and Film Event in January; and Join Us for the Neighborhood Meeting

It's Beautiful But Slippery on the ART

Take Precautions When Visiting the Ashokan Rail Trail

"Advice is like the snow. The softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper it sinks into the mind."

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English Poet

The latest winter weather advisory just expired, but conditions at the Ashokan Rail Tail (ART) remain slippery. While the trail is open to visitors 365 days a year, the ART stewards are advising caution and proper equipment if you choose to visit this week.

The rail trail is owned by Ulster County, but WLC is honored to help lead the ART Stewards Program. These volunteers regularly monitor trail conditions, and they have been reporting icy conditions for the past few weeks. They advise appropriate winter gear, including traction soles, micro-spikes and trekking poles.

The trails and parking areas are not cleared, and no salt or other de-icing agents are used due to the proximity to the reservoir. The ART remains a beautiful winter scene until warm temperatures naturally melt the snow and ice.

Be sure to follow the Ashokan Rail Trail on social media for updates on the latest conditions.

If you choose to safely visit the trail this week and get some breathtaking winter shots, we hope you will enter them into the Happy Trails Photo Contest. Need more information? Click here for all the details.

"Sounds of the Winter Solstice" Available Online

Full Recording on WLC Website

Noted sound artist Zaneta utilized field recordings from WLC’s Israel Wittman Sanctuary (IWS) to create “Sounds of the Winter Solstice,” an audio program that features nature soundscapes recorded on Winter Solstice 2024 and Summer Solstice 2025.

Originally aired on Wavefarm Radio, the one-hour piece compares the elemental nature of the Winter Solstice and its recordings of wind and water with the lush biodiversity of the Summer Solstice, when abundant wildlife can be heard. It's now available on our website, so click here to listen.

Much of this piece, which is part of Zaneta’s larger Invitations from the Land project, is meditative with space for deep listening. The first half is primarily field recording, with audio interviews in the second half. During this portion, you can hear from Jan Marazita, who lived on land that is now part of IWS for almost 40 years before ensuring it remained protected forever by WLC. The audio portion also features Zoe Keller, who was born and still lives in the Zena Highwoods, about how the sounds have changed over her lifetime.

The larger Invitations from the Land project will include interviews with several WLC Land Stewards, WLC staff member Miranda Javid and additional recordings from both the Autumn and Spring Equinox at IWS. The full piece will be shared at the end of September 2026 as part of a Zena Highwoods celebration, so stay tuned for details on the fall event.

"Know Your Watershed" Series Premieres

January Focus: What is a Watershed?

As part of our 2026 program theme, Ecologies of Water, WLC is excited to present “Know Your Watershed,” a monthly series designed to deepen our understanding of water in the Woodstock and eastern Catskills areas. We'll be featuring the series each month in this newsletter and on our website here.

Let's start at the beginning. What exactly is a watershed? It’s a basin of land where water flows toward a waterway, usually from valley wall to valley wall. In Woodstock, we live within the Sawkill Watershed, meaning that all the water here -- whether in streams, ponds or even puddles -- ultimately flows toward the Sawkill Creek before connecting to the Esopus Creek and, eventually, the Hudson. 

But a watershed isn’t just described by what is visible. Every drop of water, from underground flow to rain slowly seeping into the soil at a seasonal pond, connects to our watershed. Even the water vapor rising from soil and plants is part of this interconnected system. 

When it comes to water, the boundaries are linked in ways we might not immediately see. This quality of water to move through boundaries is exactly why we’re creating this monthly series, to help you see the unseen and appreciate the wonders of this vital resource.

Want to know more about watersheds? Watch this video from the state's Department of Environmental Conservation. Want to find out more about our Ecologies of Water programs? Visit the programs page here.

Mark Your Calendar for Our Blue World

Film & Discussion Series Debuts Jan. 26

The Stop Zena Development coalition invites you to a neighborhood meeting Sunday afternoon. The coalition, which formed in 2023 to oppose what was then Woodstock National, will discuss the current status of the development proposal and what lies ahead in both Woodstock and the Town of Ulster in 2026.

We'll be sharing the current status of the proposals before both Planning Boards, next steps regarding the State Environmental Quality Review declaration, ways that you can help protect Woodstock's Critical Environmental Area and an opportunity to purchase a new yard sign for 2026.

Free Community Meeting

Jan. 11, 1 - 3 p.m.

Woodstock's own Mescal Hornbeck Community Center (56 Rock City Rd)

Please register here so we will have enough chairs.

It's going to take all of us to stop the development and save the forest, so let's get organized! We look forward to seeing a standing room only crowd Sunday.

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