To the editor: 

I want to applaud Delaware County for its recent decision to opt out of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Streamside Acquisition Program.

This is not an anti-environmental position, nor should it be portrayed as such. Quite the opposite. The Catskills’ reservoir communities have been the stewards of New York City’s drinking water for generations. We understand—better than anyone—the importance of protecting the streams, floodplains, and landscapes that supply clean water to more than nine million people downstream.

That stewardship, however, has not always been met with corresponding respect or partnership from New York City.

For decades, upstate host communities have borne the land-use restrictions, development limitations, and economic consequences that come with safeguarding the City’s water supply. While New York City is a taxpayer in these counties, that relationship alone falls short of what a true partnership should look like—particularly when the resource involved is, quite literally, the lifeblood of the City.

If New York City wishes to expand land acquisition programs such as the Streamside Acquisition Program, it should also be prepared to expand its investment in the people and communities who host that infrastructure. There are constructive, forward-looking ways to do this without compromising water quality.

For example:

• Establishing training partnerships between the NYPD and local law enforcement agencies.

• Making advanced curricula from premier New York City public schools—such as Stuyvesant or Bronx Science—available to upstate schools through live-streamed or shared instruction.

• Providing technical assistance and planning support from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to rural municipalities managing public lands and recreation assets.

• Creating meaningful economic, educational, and workforce development pipelines that recognize the value of these communities beyond their geography.

• Delaware County’s decision should be viewed not as a rejection of environmental protection, but as an invitation—an opportunity for New York City to rethink how it engages with the communities that make its water system possible.

A sustainable future for the watershed depends not only on land preservation, but on vibrant, respected, and well-supported host communities. Delaware County has taken a principled stand. The hope is that New York City responds by meeting that stand with genuine partnership.

Tim McCausland

Roscoe, NY