NARROWSBURG, NY — The annual WJFF Radio Catskill Community Awards focused on honoring something everyone shares: the natural environment. 

Furthering the theme of appreciation for the environment, the event was held overlooking the Delaware River in Narrowsburg, at the restaurant La Cigogne. Attendees could see the same landscape the honorees dedicate their work. 

WJFF Radio Catskill, an independent community radio station of Catskills and Northeast Pennsylvania, recognized a handful of leaders and their organizations that have had an impact on the region’s environmental stewardship and sustainability.

These organizations are resolute in their commitment to the environment, the station said.

• Catskill Mountainkeeper has worked to prevent fracking and free New York from fossil fuels; 
• Delaware Highlands Conservancy had protected nearly 19,000 acres of working farms and forest; 
• Damascus Citizens for Sustainability has worked tirelessly to protect the right to clean water, air and land; 
• Farm Arts Collective hosts a theater company, located at Willow Wisp Organic Farm, that produces original performances focusing on the climate crisis; and 
• SEEDS of Northeastern Pennsylvania (SEEDS) is committed to developing local renewable energy infrastructure. 

There is a symbiotic nature between the organizations honored and WJFF. Each recipient thanked the radio station, acknowledging that WJFF provides something essential, a place to be heard with people who listen.

Laurie Ramie, executive director of the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) and Lisa Lyons, founder of Morgan Outdoors, also received special recognition. The UDC is a cooperative partnership of federal, state and local governments and agencies that manage the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in New York and Pennsylvania, and Morgan Outdoors is a four-season business featuring outdoor gear that works to connect more people with the natural world. 

Presenting Ramie with her award, Jason Dole, WJFF program director, recalled he had an “aha” moment after listening to Ramie give a presentation.

“And it was then that I realized, my God, I’ve been taking the Upper Delaware Council for granted, like it’s always been there, right? They always keep you informed. But I wasn’t really thinking about the effort that took, the challenges they faced, or the fragility of their funding. And actually, that’s the same exact thing I have heard from so many first-time donors during the fund drives to the radio station. It’s an aha moment that we desperately always here try to get folks to that [realization]: oh, this is what this means. This is what they do. Here’s where I come in now,” Dole said. 

For a complete list of recipients, visit riverreporter.com/news.

Disclaimer: The River Reporter is a partner of WJFF Radio Catskill and appears weekly on the Local Edition at 6:00 p.m.