New York CountyEnvironmental Assessment

Greene CountyAidan McDonough

Grade 4Tamarac 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 CountyThe 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 CountyThe major industries in Greene County are

Public administrationRetail tradeAccommodation 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 CountyOne 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 CountyGreene 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 COMMUNITIESA 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 inGreene County, runs a leachate treatment plant at itsclosed 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 1608.

The Bronck House in Coxsackie, NY is the oldest known building in Upstate New York.

There are over 5,000 businesses in Greene County.