Our Story
The Catskill Mountain Club is an all-volunteer grass-roots organization of outdoor enthusiasts dedicated to providing a wide range of non-motorized outdoor group activities throughout the Catskill Park and the larger Catskill Mountain region. These activities include hiking, camping, cycling, snowshoeing, kayaking and canoeing. We seek to provide a variety of recreational opportunities that meet the interests and abilities of a wide range of age levels. We encourage CMC members and event participants to suggest and help organize activities for their enjoyment and that of others.
The CMC was founded in 2004 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Catskill Park. We are committed to good stewardship of our environment through safe, sustainable and responsible activities, including building and maintaining trails on newly opened New York City watershed lands and on New York State park lands and offering informative events to help our members learn about the natural and human histories and resources of the Catskills. We also seek to promote the safe, sustainable and responsible enjoyment of our pristine streams and reservoirs, while protecting the surrounding environment.
The CMC promotes the improvement of regional and local economies by providing and supporting the development of improved public outdoor recreational opportunities and facilities that are consistent with preserving and protecting natural resources. We support efforts to bring the activities of the region’s various outdoor recreation clubs and associations to the attention of as many people as possible.
Our interest is in the entire Catskill region including, but not limited to, the Catskill Park and the high peaks. We encourage people to explore many different areas of the Catskill Park and Forest Preserve as well as other public lands in the greater Catskill region, such as our State Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, Special Use Areas, Unique Areas, and New York City Watershed Lands.
In 2014 the CMC was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Central Catskill Chamber of Commerce for service to the Catskill community. “We are pleased to award The Catskill Mountain Club this special recognition award for its remarkable leadership in expanding opportunities for the public to learn about the beauty of the Catskill Park and the pristine streams and reservoirs now available for pubic enjoyment of outdoor recreational activities. This volunteer driven organization has had a tangible influence on getting people to enjoy the out-of-doors in the Catskill Mountains and to expand tourism travel and grow our economy,” said CCCC Executive Director Carol O’Beirne.
Pursuant to the above award, the CMC was recognized in a Resolution of the New York State Legislature for its public service achievements.
In 2016 the CMC received the prestigious Alf Evers Award for Excellence from the Catskill Center. The award was presented “in recognition of their (CMC) leadership in creating and expanding opportunities for the public to enjoy and understand the unique beauty and remarkable nature of our Catskill region”, according to Catskill Center Executive Director Jeff Senterman.
Our Mission
The Catskill Mountain Club is a member-directed, not-for-profit organization formed to promote sustainable and safe outdoor recreation within the Catskill Park and on public lands throughout the Catskill Mountain Region. The CMC strives to increase public awareness and appreciation of the Catskill region, including its natural resources, public lands, and recreational opportunities by advancing the following values:
Offering responsible and sustainable non-motorized outdoor recreational activities to the public
Promoting volunteer stewardship through: the building of new trails and the maintenance of existing trails; supporting the preservation of public recreational access and facilities; supporting the protection of natural resources and the environment; participating in partnerships that seek to achieve these goals
Offering informational programs that highlight the natural and human histories of the Catskills; issues affecting the health and preservation of the environment; and skills needed to safely enjoy outdoor recreational opportunities
Working to improve regional and local economies and public health through the enhancement and promotion of public outdoor recreational opportunities and facilities
Advocating for public policies and adequate funding for their implementation, consistent with our purpose and for the benefit of the Catskill Mountain Region
Staff
Peter Manning
Peter has been visiting the Catskills since the 1960s and lives in Bovina with his wife and two sons. He has 25 years’ experience in municipal planning and land use training at the local, county, regional, and statewide levels. He’s worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in areas that include promotion of tourism and outdoor recreation and the development of scenic byways. An avid outdoor recreationist, he also holds a BA in Geography from SUNY New Paltz and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University.
Board of Directors
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Wendell George
Past President and
former Executive Director
Conservation and Stewardship
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Wendell moved to the Catskills from Brooklyn, where he greatly enjoyed Catskills water, in 2006. Always a hiker and environmentalist, he was drawn to the Catskills by the region's unique beauty and its formative role in the conservation movement. He is a finisher of the CMC's Catskills All Trails Challenge and is a regular and winter member of the Catskill 3500 Club.
Wendell joined the CMC Board of Directors in 2011 and later served as the club's first executive director. He has since served as president of the club. He is currently a member of the board of the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower. Previously, he served on the board of the Friends of the Maurice D. Hinchey Catskill Interpretive Center (now the Catskills Visitor Center).
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Rick Roberts
President
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Rick Roberts is Vice President of the CMC and former President for six years. Prior to that Rick was Secretary for 5 years. Rick lives in Hamden NY. He graduated from Delaware Academy, Delhi, NY in 1967 and graduated with a BS in Forestry from SU/College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 1971. From 1975 - 1982 he worked as tax mapping project manager for the mapping of Cattaraugus, Wyoming and Monroe (Rochester) counties in NY. In 1982, Rick started the firm of Land Data Associates, Inc. providing computerized tax mapping and property data to a large segment of the real estate related businesses throughout NYS. In 1999, Land Data was sold to Stewart Title services of San Antonia, TX.
Rick is currently the Regional Coordinator for a 50 mile section of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) from the Cannonsville Reservoir to Rte 206, east of Downsville and was responsible for moving the trail, from over 30 miles of road walk, to its current wooded path.
He is also V.P. of the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower, a non-profit with the mission to rebuild the fire tower on Bramley Mountain in Delhi NY.
Rick did not start hiking until 1993 and in 1995 he completed all 575 miles of the FLT. In 2000 he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. In 2001, Vermont’s Long Trail, 2002 a 50 mile section of the Florida trail, 2006 the 275 mile John Muir trail in the Sierras, 2008 a 70 mile trail section in Glacier National Park and in 2010 floated the Colorado through the entire Grand Canyon, 2012 the 50 mile Salkintay trail to Manchu Pichu, Peru, and in 2020 a 50 trail to and into Zion National Park.
His other interests are fishing, hunting, kayaking, gardening, running and especially, downhill skiing.
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Aaron Bennett
Vice President
Secretary
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Aaron Bennett works as the Flood Hazard Mitigation Coordinator with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. He is an Ulster County native, having grown up along the upper Esopus Creek in the town of Shandaken. He holds a degree in Water Resource Management from SUNY ESF.
Experiencing five major floods in his hometown and seeing the toll each one has taken on a small, rural, remote communities is what inspired him to advocate for and assist in developing flood mitigation programming and resources in the Catskills. Outside of work, Aaron teaches skiing at Belleayre, coaches youth baseball and basketball, and is actively involved in several organizations, including as a co-founder of the Catskill Mountain Club, Vice President of Mountain Valley Little League, and Region 3 representative for the NYS Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association. He lives in Oliverea with his wife and three sons.
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Laura Battelani
Treasurer
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Laura Battelani was a participant in the original brainstorming meetings to create the CMC and formulate its original mission statement in 2004. Growing up in Northern Italy, she was always an outdoors enthusiast, partaking in camping, hiking, biking, and skiing, mostly around the Alps with family and friends. When she moved to the Catskills, she soon enjoyed what these mountains have to offer for recreation, including kayaking on the Pepacton Reservoir and trail maintenance along the Dry Brook Ridge Trail with the NY/NJ Trail Confrence since 2002. With a 20-year career as bookkeeper, she became the treasurer for CMC in 2011 and has served a critical role in the growth and activities of the Club.
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Michael Drillinger
Treasurer
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Michael Drillinger was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY but spent his summers in the woods of the Catskills. From the Delaware to the Hudson Michael has hiked, camped, kayaked, canoed, cycled, and explored the mountains, hills, and hollows of the greater Catskill region. He now lives in Woodstock, NY and volunteers with a number of local land trusts and historical societies. The history of our region has always fascinated Michael and he loves sharing that history with others. He leads history walks in and around the Catskill Park and nearby areas. Michael is passionate about introducing people to the joys and benefits of simply walking in nature, so he created the program Speak to the Earth, with its own website and social media, that does just that.
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Lisa Lyons
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Lisa is the owner of Morgan Outdoors, Hurleyville (formerly located in Livingston Manor), a specialty outdoor store serving the Catskills since 2005. Lisa is an advocate for public trails and more inclusive access to public lands. Lisa enjoys creating outings, events, and programs that connect people of all ages and abilities to the natural world and a sense of wonder. Morgan Outdoors is fully accessible and has a wide range of walking and hiking experiences close by, including the paved O&W Rail Trail
Prior to running a small business. Lisa earned a master’s degree in environmental policy from the University of Minnesota and worked for 12 years in the DOT division of NYC government. Lisa served as the director of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center, and she currently serves on the board of Sullivan County’s O&W Rail Trail Alliance. She was also a member of the Catskill Advisory Group, a state-appointed panel that developed a strategic framework to tackle the challenges and opportunities of increased visitation to the Catskill Park. Lisa is active with the NYNJ Trail Conference and Sullivan Renaissance, and she contributed to the creation of the Round Top trails in Livingston Manor.
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Lize Mogel
Fundraising Committee Chair
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Lize Mogel is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and counter-cartographer. Since 2016, she has been working on Walking the Watershed, a long-term engagement with the landscape, history, and politics of New York City's water supply, and the relationship between the City and the mostly rural communities that supply its water. She's led bus tours and created an audio tour about the NYC drinking water system in the Catskills. She's also a grant writer and development consultant with more than 20 years of experience in non-profit fundraising in the cultural and social justice sectors. More on her work can be found at publicgreen.com
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Robert Moses
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Bob Moses is a retired Farrier and Rural Mail Carrier. Bob moved to the Catskills 50 years ago to see if he would like it here. He enjoys taking pictures of the Catskills, paddling, and maintaining trails.
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John Sandman
Trails Committee Chair
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John Sandman taught English at SUNY Delhi for 28 years and took up hiking after his retirement in 2018. For 17 years, he was the race director of the Delhi Covered Bridge Run. For the CMC, John coordinates trail maintenance, and he is the lead maintainer of the Bramley Trail. With Rick Roberts, he has led groups of SUNY Delhi students on maintenance hikes on the Delhi and Bramley Trails. With his wife, Barbara Jones, John coordinated the recent CMC dinner and silent auction at Bluestone. John also serves on the board of the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower. John is currently working (very slowly) on completing the All-Trails Challenge.
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Ann Roberti
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Ann Roberti has been involved with the Catskill Mountain Club since it’s inception in 2004 and has been a board member since 2009, serving as Secretary and President in the past. Ann has been instrumental in the Catskill Mountain Club’s trail-building efforts, spearheading the building of our first trails and helping design others. She is also spearheading the effort to return the Fire Tower to Bramley Mountain, which is home of one of the CMC’s most popular trails. She helped create and has served as President of Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower, who expects to see the tower finally restored in early summer 2024.
Ann loves hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, kayaking, bike riding and especially gardening.
Ann came to Andes as a weekender in 1987 and accomplished her dream of moving there full time in 2011. She currently works as an Information Systems Developer for Outsource Consultants, a Manhattan based company specializing in construction project expediting.
Ann holds a BA in Management Information Systems from Pace University, New York, graduating summa cum laude in 1995.
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Alan Via
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Alan Via has been in love with the mountains, all mountains, all his life. He’s hiked all over the Northeast and extensively in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Oregon, and the Sierra. Alan completed the Adirondacks and Catskill High Peaks in Winter but found the most challenge in finishing the Adirondack and Catskill 100 Highest.
He’s been a hike leader for the ADK, Catskill Mt Club and 3500 Club. With the Adirondack Mt Club, he was the Albany Chapter’s Outing’s Chair for 14 years before serving as the Main Club’s Risk Manager and Insurance Chair for 35 years and it’s Publications Chair for 5 years.
As a volunteer, Co-founder and Race Director or the Delmar Dash road race, Henry Hudson Rail Trail Steward, Overlook Mt fire tower volunteer. He is the Admin of the Club’s All Trails Challenge group as well as these other Facebook forums: Climb the Adirondack 100 Highest, Doghiker, Catskill Mountain Photos, and Overlook Mountain Fire Tower.
When Alan isn’t with his children and grandkids, his second career has been writing:
The Catskill 67 – A Hiker’s Guide to the Catskill 100 Highest Peaks under 3500ft.
Doghiker – Great Hikes with Dogs from the Adirondacks Through the Catskills.
The Lostkills – Bushwhacking and Hiking the Lesser-Known Peaks in the Catskills (pub 2025).
Chapters: Adirondack Peak Experiences and Peak Experiences – Danger, Death and Daring in the Mountains of the Northeast. Numerous articles in Adirondac, Catskill Canister, Poughkeepsie Journal, Watershed Post, Adirondack Life, Catskill Mountain Club, Adirondack Sports and Fitness.
Past Board Members
Steve Berg
Amy Beveridge
Jeff Ditchek
John Exter
Tom Herlihy
Jack McShane
Amy Olney
Chris Olney
Justin Perry
Howard Rabb
Heather Rolland
Jeff Senterman
Will Soter