Taste of the Catskills to honor 2 anti-fracking activists

We have great names for some local environmental groups: Clearwater, Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper and Catskill Mountainkeeper. All the names have a connection to the thing that they are charged with shepherding: Clearwater, for the goal of a cleaner, clearer Hudson River. Scenic Hudson, for the spaces that line the mighty river. Riverkeeper: for a group of stewards who take active roles on the waters of the Hudson (as well off it, too) and Catskill Mountainkeeper, whose guardians watch over the mountains that many love and cherish.

Helping Mountainkeeper in its mission is a variety of civilian and celebrity advocates, and each year Mountainkeeper hosts a fundraiser — it relies on donations to help it operate — called Taste of the Catskills and gives out the Keeper of the Mountains award to people who are the “region’s environmental heroes.” The fundraiser this year is next weekend in Delhi and the honorees are two people active in the fight against fracking locally: musician Natalie Merchant and environmental filmmaker Jon Bowermaster.

Merchant is a longtime Hudson Valley resident, but she grew up in western New York, an area that saw a major environmental disaster with Love Canal in the 1970s. In 1989, while with 10,000 Maniacs, Merchant co-wrote a song called “Poison in the Well” that could easily be the anthem for the anti-fracking movement: “Oh, they tell us there’s poison in the well/That someone’s been a bit untidy, that there’s been a small spill.”

“Being recognized for helping raise awareness about environmental concerns in our own backyard is an honor, but it also feels like a responsibility ... I am always impressed by the activists we meet who have committed their lives to fighting for our environment, like the Catskill Mountainkeepers and more. It is their example that inspires me,” Merchant said.

Bowermaster has been on the forefront of climate change for years, making films in places directly affected by the threat, including Antarctica and the Maldive Islands. Bowermaster has called the Hudson Valley home base for years while his far-flung expeditions took him around the world. It was a surprise to Bowermaster several years ago to find a major environmental issue in his home region. Together with Merchant, he made a film called “Dear Governor Cuomo” that was “part ‘Last Waltz’ and part ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’” The movie interspersed live concert footage from an anti-fracking concert in Albany with experts talking about the threat fracking poses to us. Bowermaster is currently making a sequel of sorts called “Dear President Obama.”

“I’m thrilled by the Mountainkeeper award for environmental stewardship. It’s interesting for me to look back at my reporting on environmental issues over the past 30 years which range from big, international stories (Antarctica) to the very, very local (the potential of fracking in my backyard in the Catskills) and to be reminded that all of those stories are linked by the constant pull and tug of 7-plus billion people trying to figure out a way to live with as little harmful impact on planet earth as possible,” Bowermaster said

For Mountainkeeper’s part, the two honorees couldn’t be more deserving.

“Natalie Merchant and Jon Bowermaster have been tireless advocates for the environment and human rights, sharing what they have learned about nature — human nature and its many impacts — through music, writing and film. Their work stands out as some of the best — it’s no wonder their recent collaborations have moved hearts and minds across America to take action,” said Catskill Mountainkeeper Executive Director Ramsay Adams.

Taste of the Catskills is a two-day music, food and awareness fundraiser Oct. 11 and 12 in Delhi and tickets, including the award ceremony, can be bought at CatskillMountainkeep.org

Reach Jimmy Buff at buff@RadioWoodstock. com. “The Green Life” is a column about environmental issues.