Meeting to Explore Safety at Popular New York Waterfall

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has scheduled a public meeting this week on safety issues at a popular Catskills waterfall.

State and local officials called on DEC to make changes at Kaaterskill Falls after two women died in separate accidents last summer. As an initial step, DEC installed warning signs and 200 feet of split-rail fencing at the top of the falls and another 150 feet at the base.

The meeting is Wednesday evening at Hunter Town Hall.

The 260-foot-high falls drops in two tiers from sheer cliffs. The picturesque spot in Greene County was made famous by author Washington Irving and Hudson River School painters Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Winslow Homer and Frederic Church.

The trail to the falls from Route 23A is the most popular in the Catskill Park.