Presents…

A Hike Through Nature and History

Sunday, September 12, 2010, 11 a.m.

At the Ashokan Reservoir

Olivebridge, NY

Transportation from NYC will be provided

Aaron Bennet, a naturalist and native to the Catskill region, will lead a hike through the Acorn Hill forest adjacent to the Ashokan reservoir. He will explain:

1. how the large blocks of forest, geology, combine with land management practices in the Catskill Mountain Region help to keep the water pure;

2. why the original engineers chose this site by pointing out the geography of the adjacent mountains and streams, and

3. how multiple hamlets and villages had to be uprooted and moved to make way for the reservoir.

The Ashokan reservoir is the 2^nd largest of NYC’s reservoirs holding 122 billion gallons of water. It is 9 miles long and 1.5 miles at its widest. Construction began in 1908 to meet the increasing demand on the water supply in NYC fueled by an expanding immigrant population. The workforce was largely composed of recent immigrants, many from Italy, and African-Americans from the south. Construction was completed in 1914 and water started being delivered to the city in 1915 via the Catskill Aqueduct.

Aaron Bennett, a life-long resident of the area, serves as the Regional Director for Catskill Mountainkeeper, working in the “high peaks region” of the Catskill Mountains - including Delaware, Greene and Ulster counties.  

Aaron was raised on a dead-end dirt road in Oliverea, near the headwaters of the Esopus Creek in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Water Resource Management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), he returned to the Catskill Mountain Region to work at The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development where he worked for 11 years where he oversaw their education and natural resource programs.

 He is a founding member of the Catskill Mountain Club, and past President of the Pine Hill Community Center. Additionally, Aaron is a NYS- licensed hiking guide and authors an outdoor column, “On The Trail”, in two local newspapers. Aaron, his wife Jeanenne, sons Hudson and Samuel, and their black lab Piper live on Brush Ridge in eastern Delaware County.

The hike will last 3.5 hours and will be on gently sloped terrain (it could be a little muddy). Participants should bring their lunch and we will stop midway through the hike to eat.

Cost:  $20

Information:  Contact  Matt Malina  mm1566@nyu.edu

This event is made possible with funds from the Catskill Watershed Corporation in partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

NYC H2O is an endeavor on the part of Matt Malina to educate the NYC public about the amazing systems and natural resources that bring NYC high quality drinking water.