Our Story

Past President and

former Executive Director

Conservation and Stewardship
Committee Chair

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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. 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 a finisher of the CMC's Catskills All Trails Challenge and is a regular and winter member of the Catskill 3500 Club.

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.

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.

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.

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 live 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 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.

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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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.

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 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 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 Highests.

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 tower volunteer. He is the Admin of the Club’s All Trails Challenge 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.
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