Greene County Aidan McDonough Grade 4 Tamarac Elementary

Introduction to Greene County

The Catskill Mountains are in Greene County. The Catskills are 350 million years old

Around 1600, the Mohican tribe, and likely the Mohawk and Delaware tribes, lived in Greene County The people in the Mohawk tribe lived in longhouses. The name Mohican comes from the name “Muheconneok” which means “from the waters that are never still.”

Habitats in Greene County The Catskill Mountains are home to bobcats black and brown bears porcupines fishers timber rattlesnakes (a threatened species) Other habitats include the Rusk Forest and Great Vly, a wetland. Great Vly is home to fish birds such as osprey, herons and eagles. Osprey The Great Vly Wetland

Industries in Greene County The major industries in Greene County are Public administration Retail trade Accommodation and food services B & B Lounge, a resort located in the Catskills Senior Center

The Catskill Creek Watershed and the Lower Hudson River are some watersheds in Greene County.

Greene County is located on the Hudson River

Energy in Greene County One energy resource is a mixture of non- renewable energy. This includes nuclear, oil, gas, and coal energy. The renewable energy in Upstate New York comes primarily from hydroelectric energy. First Fuel & Propane is one business that provides Greene County with oil and propane.

Waste in Greene County Greene County has transfer stations and recycling facilities. There are no active landfills or waste-to-energy stations. There are no community composting facilities. The Catskill and Windham Transfer Stations are the primary transfer stations for Greene County.

Most of Greene County is in the Marcellus Shale People are debating whether or not drilling in the Marcellus Shale causes groundwater and other types of pollution, which can hurt humans and the environment.

CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES A climate smart community is a group of people who work to improve greenhouse gases and climate change. There are three climate smart communities in Greene County: Hunter, Jewett, and Cairo. “The Town of Hunter, a Climate Smart Community in Greene County, runs a leachate treatment plant at its closed landfill site on power generated by a horizontal windmill. (Photo courtesy Town of Hunter)”

ENVIROTHON! The Envirothon is a competition where high school students compete for awards like scholarships. High school students learn about topics such as forestry, soil, and land use and work with professionals with hands- on experience. High school students in Greene County compete in the Hudson Valley Region Envirothon Competition.

Fun Facts about Greene County Greene County was discovered by Henry Hudson in The Bronck House in Coxsackie, NY is the oldest known building in Upstate New York. There are over 5,000 businesses in Greene County.