I think we first met at a Prattsville Board meeting more than 15 years ago. You were studying for your Master’s in Community Planning, correct?
I began working in Prattsville initially in 1989 preparing a HUD grant for a new water system to replace 100-year-old water pipes. In so doing I got to know and appreciate the people, the community and its history. (A) grant was awarded and so began my association with the Town and people of Prattsville. … I was studying for my Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Bard College at the time and decided to focus my thesis on community planning in that town. Through an historical analysis, I examined the identity and character of one small rural town as a window to view how that town (and by extension any small town) might proceed into the future in the face of pervasive cultural, economic and socio-ecological changes.

Your wonderful community plan for Prattsville is still being used at the Pratt Museum. What was it like to work in such a small community and to help be a stimulus for change?
Thank you. It was called the “Town of Prattsville Community Identity and Preservation Project” … . I also worked with the Prattsville Recreational Improvement Committee and the Pratt Museum to create a brochure based on that study. … The committee and I worked together to craft a vision statement and description of the town with photographs selected from Museum archives and community events. … The people in that community … identified their history as a prime asset and committed to preserving that history as they planned for the future. It is extremely gratifying to see them continuing to build upon that collaborative effort and my work there….

You were instrumental in putting together the earliest consortium to save the Thomas Cole House in Catskill, NY. Are you proud of that work now that you see what a force for good it has become?
I am thrilled when I see the Thomas Cole House today and immensely humbled when I think about those earliest meetings I convened from my perch at The Catskill Center, when the building was suffering from benign neglect and a lack of resources to restore it. … Cedar Grove today is a testament to their tenacity, dedication and our collective belief in something of great historic, community, regional and national importance that had to be saved.

You’re now the Deputy Director of the Ashokan Foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about the Foundation and your work there?
The Ashokan Center (in Olivebridge, NY) is an inspiring place with an incredible history and exciting future. It is on its way to becoming a 21st century learning center for sustainable living, artistic expression and community building through the visionary leadership of renowned musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. I was hired to help Ashokan refine its vision and lead efforts to secure funding needed to build a “green,” sustainable facility, one that will teach and inspire students and other visitors, and help create solutions to today’s environmental challenges.

Within the past year, in partnership with Open Space Institute (OSI) and NYCDEP, the Ashokan Foundation was formed to save the former Ashokan Field Campus, 374-acres owned and operated by SUNY New Paltz for over 40 years as an environmental/outdoor education center. When SUNY decided to divest itself of the property, Jay & Molly reached out … to purchase the site so they could continue operations and programming through a new non-profit entity—the Ashokan Center. Although the land and programs have now been saved, the Ashokan Center faces an immediate challenge to replace five principal buildings on the Esopus Creek that will be demolished to make way for water releases from (the) Ashokan Reservoir.

We have seed money from the DEP to help us reach this necessary goal, but more funds are needed to complete the project in the timeframe (by summer 2012) and achieve our sustainability goals. Meanwhile, our programs are going strong and the facility is fully operating. I am thrilled to be part of this cutting-edge venture and to be working with such a talented, dedicated group of environmental educators. Ashokan brings together my passion for nature, love of the Catskills, commitment to building a stronger constituency for environmental values, and is an opportunity to pass this knowledge and inspiration on to the next generation.

Do you ever tire of community work?
Once a fairly shy girl, I could never had imagined that I’d been working with people and communities to such a degree as I have over the past 20 years and today. I have a profound respect for people I have met, and believe very deeply in the human spirit and that in community we can come together, even from diverse points of view, to solve problems. Tire, no, quite the opposite. It is energizing and inspiring to meet and work with people everyday who care about the place where they live and who want to make a positive contribution to their communities.