The MyWoodlot Team

I'm Katharine Chute. I've been a 2015 summer intern with the Watershed Agricultural Council's Forestry Program. I am an environmental educator by training and a naturalist at heart. I'm very excited to see the huge array of useful content on MyWoodlot and I hope you all enjoy using the website! Keep an eye out for ways to get your kids involved. Spending time in the woods with my parents and siblings is how I got my start in this field!

I'm Brendan Murphy, Watershed Forester at the WAC office in Yorktown Heights (my hometown) since 2010. Before that, I marked timber and inventoried forest ecosystems for the DEC in Cortland. While I don't own any woods, I do like to plant trees and cut invasives (especially vines).

I am a forester on staff at WAC (been here for 7 years). I oversee loggers who are carrying out Best Management Practices on harvests to help control erosion and sedimentation. I work with landowners to check out projects we cost share (tree planting, fruit tree pruning for wildlife, thinning a woods to improve growth, etc.) to help them meet their goals for owning their property. I oversee harvests on eased properties.
In the past I have worked with a sawmill managing woods to harvest trees for their mill, taught conservation at BOCES, and shared the wonders of nature with kids and adults at a nature center. I enjoy sugaring and growing Christmas trees. I like to hike in the Catskills and Adirondacks as well as New England and out west if I get a chance. Never pass up a view! There is more to see than you think. I also like to bike and canoe. I have helped inventory and select trees to plant along the streets of Unadilla, where I live. I reach out to local woods owners in the Unadilla area helping them pursue their desires for their woods. I have visited Sierra Leone West Africa to adopt a son and Nicaragua, Central America to help build churches. I have seven grown kids: spread from Montana to the east coast.
I have visited many parts of this country: southwest, northwest, great lakes, New England and central east coast. I enjoy something about everywhere I visit, but I find the Catskills, southern tier of NY and finger lakes offer a unique area that has its own gems to discover. It gets passed over by many, the lack of crowds helps keep it unique and not overrun. My Woodlot can help you discover this unique area. Get out, get dirty, discover and enjoy! Wonders await you, if you have the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin to appreciate them!

Tyler Van Fleet here, Watershed Educator with the WAC Forestry Program. I educate teachers and students about the source of New York CIty's water and the vital role healthy forests play in keeping water clean. Forests = Filters! B)

Have you ever seen a deep purple spiky mushroom, heard caterpillar frass (poop!) falling through the tree canopy overhead, or wondered how a mature tree transports 100+ gallons of water way up to its leaves every day? The only reason I have is because other people have shown me how. I love exploring the woods with different people because I get to see the forest in brand new ways. A favorite MyWoodlot activity is Learn What to Look For: Find Special Places on My Woodlot because it shows you so many different ways to see - and appreciate - your woods.

I'm Josh VanBrakle, Research Forester for the Watershed Agricultural Council. I'm married, and my wife and I are tolerated by the two ill-behaved cats who own the house. I enjoy hiking, kayaking, and nature photography. I'm also a writer, and I love documenting the weird and wonderful experiences I have in the woods and sharing them with others. I'm currently working on a book for woodland owners filled with activities and how-to information for getting out and being active on their properties. I'm also working on learning my birds, so my favorite MyWoodlot Activity right now is Watch, Listen, and Learn about Wildlife.