Catskill Game Farm Had Some Wildlife Art Catskill Game Farm Art

Photo courtesy of Anthony Cimaglia

The Catskill Game Subcontract experiences a rebirth as The One-time Game Farm, a mixed-use campground, resort, and upstate destination.

By Nicolette Sblano, Sabrina Sucato, and Raphael Beretta

Update: The Old Game Farm is currently for sale.

The Catskill Game Subcontract before its closure in 2006 | Photograph courtesy of Anthony Cimaglia

Did yous know that Catskill was once domicile to a zoo?

For over seven decades, families ventured to Greene County to visit the more than than 2,000 animals that roamed gratuitous at the Catskill Game Subcontract. Notwithstanding when the property closed its doors in 2006 and onetime possessor Kathie Schulz had to find a new domicile for the abundance of animals onsite, controversy crept onto the grounds.

The Humane Society filed a complaint that during the subcontract auction (run across here, courtesy of the Humane Social club of the United States) in October 2006, Schulz sold some animals, including bison, wisent, deer, yaks, and elk, to buyers connected to canned hunts. Although dealers were required to take licenses to purchase animals at the auction, the concerns voiced by the Humane Society and local advancement groups focused on the fact that said buyers were afterwards able to sell animals to hunts or zoos if they so chose.

Related: The Hudson Valley's Erstwhile Catskill Game Subcontract Is for Sale

Part of the controversy surrounding the sale too tied back to Schulz'due south ex-husband, Jurgen, who owned an exotic-animal import business concern in Texas at the time. Prior to that, the Catskill Game Farm received a number of citations during annual USDA inspection reports, including backlog accumulation of manure in Jan 2004, inadequate h2o drainage in August 2004 and 2005, and spoiled food and food debris in August 2005.

Boom Boom and Jack | Photograph courtesy of Anthony Cimaglia

Schulz, whose father, Roland Lindemann, founded the subcontract in 1933, also sold a big number of animals to private collectors or to representatives from brute sanctuaries both in the Hudson Valley and beyond the country. Local activists behind the Coalition for Catskill Game Subcontract Animals, for instance, purchased quite a few four-legged creatures, including aoudads, iguanas, pygmy donkeys, llamas, and republic of guinea pigs. Most notably, Boom Smash and Jack, the two white rhinos at the farm, went to a veterinary representing Marc Ecko, the founder of rhinoceros-logoed fashion line Ecko Unlimited.

Photograph courtesy of The Old Game Farm

After the sale, the belongings cruel into neglect and disrepair. Then, Ben and Cathy Ballone purchased the Catskill Game Subcontract in 2012.

Since the purchase, the Ballones worked to make the property, now dubbed The Sometime Game Farm, as condom equally possible so people can explore the nostalgic site once once more. With the help of donations, the grounds re-opened to the public for self-guided tours in 2014 (with pre-registration required). Two years later, onsite camping launched through Tentrr for guests who desire to "glamp." There are 4 camping sites on the grounds, two of which were added in 2019. The glamping setups are winterized, allowing for stays in every flavour.

In 2017, the Ballones borrowed money to catechumen the erstwhile "Giraffe Business firm" of the Catskill Game Subcontract into an inn. Information technology first opened in August 2019, and featured 5 invitee rooms.

The "Giraffe Firm" before conversion to The Long Neck Inn. Photo past Andy Milford

As for the design of the inn, the main level of the barn sticks as close to the original as possible. The front end doors serve equally shutters to create a more free energy-efficient interior, while marks on the walls where giraffes use to rub their heads remain for nostalgia. Rooms are named afterwards animals that used to live on the property – call up Elephant, Giraffe, Rhinoceros, and Zebra – and busy with memorabilia and the animals themselves in mind. The 5th room, titled the Menagerie Room, changed theme each twelvemonth to provide a unique experience for repeat guests. With each stay, the Ballones donated a portion of the proceeds to conservation efforts connected with each animal.

The Menagerie Room at the Long Cervix Inn | Photograph by Veronica Chewens

Initially, the Ballones hoped to tackle the $1.v million conversion of the remaining property into an RV park and campground. For this, the couple hoped to work with investors to create a destination infinite for locals and visitors alike.

"What sets this property autonomously from other campgrounds is the immense corporeality of space we take here," Cathy explains.

Tentrr glamping sites showcase the beauty of Greene Canton | Photo past Veronica Chewens

The plans focused on preserving as many trees and as much of the preexisting infrastructure every bit possible to give guests an outdoor feel that embraces the history of the Hudson Valley property. The theme of preserving the Catskill Game Subcontract'due south history continues with the naming of roads after animals, such as Giraffe Way and Rhino Road.

More recently, notwithstanding, they chose to list The Old Game Farm for sale with the hope of passing information technology forth to someone who appreciates and understands the history of the infinite.

"Everyone has been incredibly supportive and excited for our efforts," enthuses Cathy. "We accept been actually pleased with the overwhelming reception we have received in the customs."

Common areas at the Old Game Subcontract | Photo by Veronica Chewens

In late-2020, Hudson Valley investor Sid Blauner purchased The Onetime Game Farm, recognizing the massive potential to bring jobs to Greene County and reinvent the one-time zoo. The Old Catskill Game Subcontract estate was bachelor to rent for families and grouping trips. Vi bedrooms, an outdoor hot tub, a common game room,  a chef'due south kitchen, and miles of trails made this an unforgettable escape.

"I figured that nosotros would be the bridge between past and future: honoring the legacy of the Catskill Game Farm, being the beginning private zoo in America, with 10 million visitors over the seventy years it was open, and the future, being agritourism, environmental tourism, and adventure tourism," Blauner explains.

Erstwhile game pens will run across new life nether Blauner's plans | Photograph by Veronica Chewens

His mission shortly evolved into enormous plans that will run into The Onetime Game Farm transform into a comprehensive 4-season resort that retains all of the zoo's relics and history while taking full advantage of the surrounding natural resource. Catskill'south terrain is perfect for mountain biking, while its open up fields are platonic for archery, miniature golf, and cross-land skiing and its nearby creeks, rivers, and lakes are pristine for fishing. And that's not to mention the vast size of the property, which allows for outdoor events similar concerts and festivals.

Role of Blauner's vision includes paying respectful homage to the Catskill Game Farm's past while supporting positive ecology change in the Hudson Valley. When animals render to The Old Game Farm, they volition not exist held in the cages of a zoo, but instead volition be complimentary to roam in a sanctuary setting.

Goats will before long be among the animals kept at the Erstwhile Game Subcontract sanctuary | Photo by Julian Diamond

Blauner and his investors have already caused several animals, including 2 white Hereford cattle, a broodmare, and a equus caballus that they saved from beingness put downwardly. They likewise plan to raise goats on the property that tin can assist reduce the deer tick population in the region.

"We're going to bring it back to family unit farming. We're going to bring back goats, we're going to bring dorsum cows; they're all sanctuary animals and the focus is going to exist on indigenous species," Blauner notes. "And nosotros're going to have young people learn how to raise them." Committed to a better future in the Hudson Valley, the team at The Old Game Farm volition just put animals in pens, roosts, and stables at night when they might be exposed to mountain lions, hawks, and other natural predators in the region.

Pens at the One-time Game Farm | Photo by Julian Diamond

Though a native of Westchester for several years, Blauner considers himself and his investors "city folk." To ensure that his ideas stem from the community in which he is doing business, Blauner has partnered with the Johnsons and the Bishops, two families that have lived in the Hudson Valley area for decades. The Johnsons run Kenco Outfitters and will handle the development of the 3D tactical archery course, while the Bishops volition lead the fashion for mount biking.

The Old Game Farm volition, in essence, become a hub for local businesses to prepare shop in the Hudson Valley. More than a dozen Greene County businesses are being considered to join the developing nutrient and beverage program, with Catskill Mountain Bakery already confirmed to bring together the operation.

Giraffe room at the Long Neck Inn | Photo by Veronica Chewens

"Where other people saw what [the Ballones] were doing as 'the dog,' I saw it every bit but the 'tail.' Two hundred incredible mountainside acres of cute nature offer countless possibilities," Blauner observes. His plan includes turning many of the remaining animate being stables into additional units for getaways. "Nosotros went to the town lath to ask for variances to plough the giraffe stable into a half dozen-room bed and breakfast. The equine stable would be for a family of four or five, and the goat shacks for couples."

If the approvals all go through from local government, the adventure park component of The Sometime Game Farm volition open very soon.

Many parts of the Old Game Farm volition exist restored and converted into additional guest units | Photo by Julian Diamond

Blauner isn't working toward merely the revival of The Old Game Farm, only of the entire canton that surrounds information technology. He notes that, because the hospitality industry took a major dive in the expanse, increasing job opportunities for local residents can hopefully spark a comeback. To get the ball rolling, he recruited Ian Palmateer to oversee a critical part of the Hudson Valley destination's performance.

Prior to joining The Former Game Subcontract squad, Palmateer maintained a connexion to it through his married woman, Starlyn, who worked as a housekeeper for the Ballones. He worked as a corrections officer for many years, so his new role as the Environmental Conservation Officer and Director of Security for The Erstwhile Game Farm is a natural fit.

Stays are currently available through Tentrr and at the Long Neck Inn

"I think the story of the Catskill Game Farm represents a bigger story about the Hudson Valley, and COVID supercharging the move upstate. And, y'all know, it'south a move and I don't think it's going to stop," Blauner says.

Above all else, the most meaningful function of the buying for Blauner is the opportunity to bring to low-cal erstwhile memories and foster new ones.

"We're going to try to create something that'due south accurate and experiential, and that people are going to leave saying 'wow.' People that remembered going as a kid volition at present take their children and, in xxx years, they'll accept their children hoping to pass on those aforementioned memories," Blauner enthuses.

Want to experience the reborn Catskill Game Farm for yourself? Book your stay at The Old Game Farm's glamping sites through Tentrr today.

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Related: This NYC Restaurateur Institute Oz on a Hudson Valley Farm

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Source: https://hvmag.com/life-style/history/old-catskill-game-farm-zoo-hudson-valley/

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