How Much for That Mountain Range?

  |  January 29, 2013

Flickr/photo by andyarthur/used via Creative Commons

Last week, the big news was that recreation and tourism in the Catskills topped $115 million in 2012, with almost 2.5 million visitors coming to the area, supporting 2,413 jobs. The report that revealed this information was commissioned by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Heritage Alliance, according to Empire State News.

This week, on January 31, the discussion of the Catskills’ worth — with and without fracking — continues at a forum: “What are the Catskills Worth? The Economic Value of Catskill Park and NYC Watershed Lands.”

“The event will focus on presentation and discussion of a new report, “Economic Valuation Study for Public Lands in the Central Catskills” prepared by Brian Zweig of Business Opportunities Management Consulting. Free and open to the public.

At the forum, Mr. Zweig will present the study’s findings, answer questions and participate in a panel discussion with development experts on implications for future development priorities.  Panelists include Peg Ellsworth, executive director of the MARK Project in Arkville, New York, and Ed Goodell, executive director of the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference.”

The sponsors are the same as those of the report, and the meeting takes place at Olive Town Meeting House, 50 Bostock Rd, off Route 28 in Shokan, NY, from 4:30 to 6PM. Read the report’s executive summary here.

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