Catskills Climate and Education Center Coming to Hurleyville
HURLEYVILLE, May 2021—On the heels of the recent announcement that the Homestead School of Glen Spey will be opening a high school in Hurleyville in September, Catskill Mountainkeeper says it will also be coming to town by summer’s end.
Mountainkeeper Executive Director Ramsay Adams says the organization will be opening its newly designed Catskills Climate and Education Center at 220 Main Street in Hurleyville on the first day the new high school opens.
“The opening of the Homestead’s Collaborative College High School in Hurleyville is one of the most significant developments for helping create a smart sustainable economy in the region,” Mr. Adams says. “The more educational opportunities we have for our students the better we can attract and retain families who live here.”
Jack Comstock, Director of the CCHS, is also excited about the potential synergy the two new additions to Main Street will bring to the community.
“We at Homestead Collaborative College High School couldn’t be more thrilled by Catskill Mountainkeeper’s new location in Hurleyville,” Mr. Comstock told the Sentinel. “Our partnership with Catskill Mountainkeeper is one more example of how the collaborative learning model that is being created in Hurleyville will help transform our approach to education and graduate students with the skills, vision, and passion to contribute to the healthy and equitable development of the region.”
Catskill Mountainkeeper, which was founded in 2006 by Mr. Adams and local farmer Wes Gillingham with a mission “to protect our region’s wild lands and natural resources, support smart development to sustainably grow our economy, nurture healthy communities, and accelerate the transition to a 100% clean energy future in New York and beyond” has been based in Livingston Manor since its inception and will maintain that office.
But what has been happening in Hurleyville over the past few years has proven to be an irresistible lure to an organization whose mission so neatly dovetails with other high profile tenants of Main Street.
“A core mission of CMK is to support smart revitalization of the communities in the Catskills,” Mr. Adams said. “The region is uniquely situated to be a model for the nation on how to retool rural economies to survive and thrive in a post-COVID, completely wired world. Hurleyville is smack dab in the center of Sullivan County, and perfectly nestled between SUNY Sullivan and The Center for Discovery, with wild lands, rivers mountains and a newly designed rail to trail. We hope that opening a Mountainkeeper office will contribute to the blossoming of this beautiful town.”
Once renovations to the building are complete, Mountainkeeper will be moving into the space at 220 Main Street formerly occupied by Edgar Osorio’s Dance Studio, which has moved into a space at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Center.
Mr. Adams says he is looking forward to being part of the exciting changes the hamlet has been undergoing.
“Our office in Hurleyville will be focused on celebrating the wonderful things that the region has to offer while offering environmental education programs in partnership with SUNY Sullivan, the Homestead School, The Center, and other institutions,” he said. “The Homestead’s Collaborative College High School will have, in Mountainkeeper, another partner and collaborator in educating and celebrating the wonderful Catskills.”