Programs

Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) creates and conducts programming throughout the year, including guided hikes, interpretive tours, camp-outs, lectures, workshops and research.

Our focus is on Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology, as well as documenting and preserving Native American Ceremonial Stone Landscapes (CSL), in northeast America and elsewhere.

Current and past OMC programs appear below.

OMC Camping Among the Cairns

Saturday October 15th @ 2pm – Sunday October 16th

Join OMC for an overnight camp out among the cairns!

We’ll meet in Westkill, NY and camp at the Spruceton Valley cairn field.

Please bring proper footwear, food, water and dress for the forecast.

Make sure you’re prepared with your own tent, sleeping bag, camping equipment and meal provisions, for Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Keep in mind this is a carry in/carry out area. The camp will be less than 1/4 mile from the “end of the road” trail head.

Call (845) 417-8384 to confirm attendance and receive rendezvous details. Event is weather dependent.

Manitou Tour to Westkill Ceremonial Stone Landscapes

Saturday October 8th @ 10am-3pm

Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) to visit two ceremonial stone landscapes consisting of stone walls, cairns and effigies, considered Manitou Hassannash (spirit stones) to Native Americans. We’ll also visit Diamond Notch Falls in Spruceton Valley.

Event Duration: 5 miles, 5 hours

Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Leader(s): Glenn Kreisberg

Bring: Proper footwear, food, water and dress for the forecast.

Group size is limited to 12 people so register early.Event is free.No dogs allowed.

Questions about this event can be directed to: overlookmountaincenter@gmail. com or (845) 417-8384

Please be COVID conscious!

Registration required by 10/07/2022. Use the link below to register:

https://catskillslark.org/park_events/manitou-tour-to-westkill-ceremonial-stone-landscapes-october-8-2022/

OMC Huckleberry Point ‘Equinox’ Hike

Sunday Sept. 18th from 3PM to 7PM

 

Join OMC Guides to visit Huckleberry Point atop the Wall of the Manitou above Devil’s Kitchen.
Pass through a large cairn field with a short east/west wall which points to the Equinox sunset, an alignment we hope to witness and document, if weather and time permits.
Moderate difficulty 4.5 mile (round trip) hike requiring proper footwear, food, water and proper clothing for the forecast.

Meet 3PM at the Huckleberry Point Trailhead DEC parking lot off Platte Clove Rd.
https://goo.gl/maps/3mcD8JDskZQkVtXG7
Indicate ‘Going’ on FB or call 845 417 8384 to register or for more info.
OMC is a 501(c)3 non-profit which offers free programming and accepts tax deductible donations.

Starting Aug. 29th and running thru Oct. 10th

  Community Reading & Discussion Program

Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) & Humanities New York (HNY) for a free, four part Community Reading & Discussion group program, exploring Echoes of the American Revolution and the fallout we all still feel today.

OMC & HNY presents Echoes of the American Revolution: Land, Liberty and Loss. A free, public reading and discussion program will be offered during four, 2hr sessions, with special guest speakers and reading topics for each session.

The project is grounded in the historical and ongoing intersections between racial justice, including the centuries-long deprivations endured by Indigenous and Native Americans, and the evolution of the American landscape. “Land, Liberty, and Loss” is meant to prompt reflection on assumptions about the human connectedness between the natural and built environments, and to allow us to reconsider in a holistic sense how the Revolution that resulted in the United States connects to or disrupts indigenous histories, our use of natural resources, political development, and national expansion. 

Full program link here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HCKyQO5juk6N5cJfitbqMUsYbISa165bZ4faQNOc_WA/edit?usp=sharing

Program location: West Hurley Public Library

42 Clover Street

Werst Hurley, NY 12491

Directions: West Hurley Public Library

(845) 679 6405

https://maps.app.goo.gl/znW6fxrxFeeA8Z916

Program Dates, Times & Details:

(program subject to change, except dates & times)

Mon. 8/29, 7pm – 9pm

Session 1 Title: Land Lost: Lost Landscapes & Legacies 

Facilitator: Glenn Kreisberg 

Speaker: Evan Pritchard

Reading Assignment: William Cooper’s Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic by Alan Taylor 

Mon. 9/12, 7pm – 9pm

Session 2 Title: Liberty Lost: Acknowledgements & Land Back Movements 

Facilitators: Jonathan Vaughn & Susan Sweeney

Speaker: Michael Keropian

Reading Assignment: Land Heist in the Highlands: Chief Daniel Nimham and the Wappinger Fight for the Homeland by Peter Cutul

Mon. 9/26, 7pm – 9pm

Session 3 Title: Matriarch Lost: Past, Present & Future

Facilitator(s): Jonathan Vaughn & Glenn Kerisberg

Speaker: Heather Bruegl 

Reading Assignment: Recentering Indian Woman in the American Revolution, by Sarah Pearsal, from Why you can’t teach United States history without American Indians (edited) Pg. 57 – 70

Mon. 10/10, 7pm – 9pm (Indigenous Peoples Day)

Session 4 Title: Echoes of Loss; Lost Culture, Language, Art & Science

Facilitator: Glenn Kreisberg 

Speaker: Chief Vincent Mann 

Reading Assignment: Across the Great Border Fault by Kevin T. Dann

To register for one or all of the program sessions, please send an email to: overlookmountaincenter@gmail.com 

Include your name, a contact phone number and the session(s) you wish to attend. 

Please put: Echoes Program, in the subject line.

You may also call 845 417 8384 to register.

Guest Speakers Bios:

Evan Pritchard – Author, scholar

http://www.algonquinculture.org/

Michael Keropian – Artist – sachem Daniel Nimham memorial

https://www.keropiansculpture.com/biography.html

Heather Bruegl – Stockbridge-Munsee/Oneida

https://www.heatherbruegl.com/

Vincent Mann Tribal Clan leader – Ramapough 

https://sasn.rutgers.edu/chief-vincent-mann

Reading list:

“Land, Liberty & Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution – HNY” https://humanitiesny.org/our-work/programs/reading-discussion/land-liberty-loss-readings/

Additional suggested readings

Indigenous Peoples History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer

For more program info please see links below.

https://humanitiesny.org/land-liberty-loss-echoes-of-the-american-revolution/

Land, Liberty, & Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution (ft. Alan Taylor)

https://youtu.be/IQpMiDnu0E8

Land, Liberty, & Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution (ft. Melissane Schrems)

https://youtu.be/NYYxVP_GcfQ

Sun. August 21st – Mysteries of Mink Hollow

Join OMC guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden Sun. 8/21 from 10 am to 1 pm, to explore the mysterious stone constructions found in Mink Hollow, including “Manitou Hassunnash” (spirit stones), mega walls, cairn fields, possible effigies and alignments. Who built them, when and why?
Wear appropriate footwear and dress for a summer walk in the woods. Bring lunch or snack and water. Sunscreen and insect repellent suggested.

Hike departs from Sunflower parking lot (in front of bank) at 10 am and lasts approximately 3 hrs.

Admission is free but donations are welcome.

For more info or to register call 845-417-8384

Sun. July 17th – OMC Lewis Hollow Hike

Join OMC Guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden on Sunday, July 17, for an excursion to view the cairns, great cairns and effigy walls found in Lewis Hollow. Great Cairn #4 (pictured) was recently dated to 1590 AD!

Learn about Native American ceremonial stone landscapes (CSL).

Total distance about 2 miles on mixed terrain. Please wear sturdy hiking shoes, bring water and a snack or lunch. Dress for an summer hike in the woods and the weather forecast. Masks and social distance protocols, as required and necessary for an outdoor group gathering.

Meet up at 10AM in Sunflower parking lot, in front of bank. Event is free, donation are welcome. Overlook Mountain Center is a NYS registered 501(c)3 educational non-profit.

Call 845 417 8384 for more info and to register

 

 

Sat. June 18th – Summer Solstice Sunrise & Sunset Events

First Event: 5am-8am Spring Farm Trailhead, High Falls
Second Event 8pm-9pm Comeau property, Woodstock 

Join OMC for Summer Solstice gatherings. First event is at Mohonk to summit the Bonticou Crag and view the Bonticou Summit Stone summer solstice alignment. Meet at the Spring Farm trailhead parking lot at 5am. Hike will last about 2 hours. Bring water and snacks.

Then join us for the Comeau property sunset gathering. Meet in the Comeau property parking lot at 8pm. Bring water, snacks and headlamp.

Feel free to join one or both events!

Call (845) 417-8384 to RSVP.

Sat. April 21st/22nd – Lewis Hollow Hike & Camping in the Quarry

OMC Lewis Hollow Hike and Quarry Campout Sat. April 21st., 2pm – 5PM Hike with optional campout in the quarry until 10 am Sun. April 22nd.

Saturday, May 21st join NYS DEC Guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden, to discuss local history, lore and the possible ancient origins of the Lewis Hollow site.

Overlook Mountain Center will offer a hike to view the manitou asunals (spirit stones), great cairns, walls and stone effigy constructions located located in upper Lewis Hollow, some recently dated to between the 14th and 16th centuries.

Also, the event will offer an opportunity to camp overnight in a nearby Bluestone quarry, with a beautiful view of the Hudson Valley.

Hike departs from upper Lewis Hollow at 2pm. for campout option, please bring food, water, shelter and sleeping bag. Wear proper footwear and clothing attire for a spring campout in the woods.

Group size is limited and event is weather dependent so please call 417 8384 for more info. Donations are welcome but not required. OMC is a NYS registered 501 c3 non-profit educational organization.

Overlook Mountain Center
www.overlookmountain.org

Sat. April 7th @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Mysteries of Monument Ridge Site Visit.

Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) to explore the mysterious stone constructions found on “Monument Ridge”, located off Basil Todd Rd., in Fleishmanns, NY. Our host is Todd Pledger, the property owner, who discovered and has been researching and documenting these unique stone monuments. Aligned to water, earth and sky, the features make up a suspected Native American ceremonial stone landscape. Wear sturdy footwear, dress for the forecast and bring some food and water. For more info or to RSVP for directions contact Glenn at 845 417 8384 or Todd at 845 464 6733.

Sun. Mar. 20th @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Spring Equinox Lewis Hollow Hike

Join OMC Guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden on Sunday, March 20th, for an excursion to view the cairns, great cairns and effigy walls found in Lewis Hollow, including Great Cairn #4 which was recently dated to 1590 A.D.

Learn about Native American ceremonial stone landscapes (CSL).

Total distance about 2 miles on mixed terrain. Please wear sturdy hiking shoes, bring water and a snack or lunch. Dress for an early spring hike in the woods and the weather forecast. Hike is weather dependent.

Meet up at 10AM in Sunflower parking lot, in front of bank. Event is free, donations are welcome. Overlook Mountain Center is a NYS registered 501(c)3 educational non-profit.

Call (845) 417-8384 for more info and to register

Visit https://fb.me/e/1nsXFcCpG for more details

 

Sun. Dec. 19th @ 7:00 am – 10:00 am – Winter Solstice Sunrise Gathering

JOIN OMC on the Woodstock Village Green, to watch the winter solstice sun rise up Mill Hill Rd., at 7:20am, on Sunday morning. Bring your coffee, tea and bagel or muffin, etc. After sunrise, we’ll hike up in Lewis Hollow (driving, then parking and walking) to visit the Native American great cairns, and solstice altar site. More info at https://www.facebook.com/theOverlookMountainCenter or call (845) 417-8384.

Sun. Oct. 10th @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Indigenous Peoples Day Hike

Sat., Sept. 18th & Sun. Sept. 19th 2021

Contact OMC: 845-417-8384 | P.O. Box 1278, Woodstock, NY 12498